How to Photograph Artwork for a Portfolio

A portfolio only communicates as well as its photographs do — a strong piece badly photographed routinely reads worse than it actually is. A phone camera and a little attention to a few basics goes a long way before any professional equipment is needed.

Lighting

• Even, diffused light is almost always better than direct sun or a single harsh lamp — overcast daylight near a window is a reliably good, free light source.
• Avoid mixed light sources (daylight plus indoor bulbs at once) — it distorts color and makes accurate color correction difficult afterward.
• For flat 2D work (paintings, prints, textiles), light evenly from both sides at an angle to avoid glare and hot spots.

Angle and setup

• Shoot flat work square-on, with the camera centered and level to the piece, to avoid keystoning (a piece that looks trapezoidal instead of rectangular).
• A simple, uncluttered, neutral-colored background keeps attention on the work rather than the surroundings.
• For dimensional work (sculpture, ceramics, jewelry, furniture), multiple angles usually communicate the piece better than a single straight-on shot.
• A tripod, even an inexpensive one, removes camera shake and makes it much easier to shoot multiple pieces at a consistent angle and distance.

Color accuracy

Getting color right matters more for artwork than almost any other kind of photography — a viewer relies on the photo to judge the actual color of a piece they haven't seen in person. Shoot in consistent, neutral light, correct white balance carefully in editing, and compare the final image against the real piece on a properly calibrated screen if one is available before calling it finished.