Artists_and_Illustrators_-_November_2019

(Michael S) #1

68 Artists & Illustrators


PHOTOGRAPHING ART


imagineyourcamerasittingalonga
horizontallineandperpendicularto
thisis yourartwork.
Inordertoachieveaslittleglareas
possible,placeyourlightsourcesin
linewithyourcamera,facingyour
artworkat45-degreeangles.
Byplacingtwolightsourcesatequal
distancesfromyourwork– asa good
ruleofthumb,a distanceoffour
metresis aboutrightforartworks
upto100cmwide– you’llilluminate
thecanvasevenlywhilemaintaining
elementsofshadowswhichportray
texturaldifferencesinthepaint.

CAMERA!
Whetheryou’reworkingwitha
smartphonecameraoranSLR(or
single-lensreflexcameras),optimal

lightingcanonlygosofarif you’re
shootingata jauntyangleorwithan
unsteadyhand.A tripodcangoa long
waytowardsgivingyourphotosa
professionalfeelbyeliminating
humanerror.Therearemanymulti-
purposetripodswhichhaveremovable
clipsforworkingwithphones,digital
camerasandSLRs,sodon’tfeelyou
arelimitedtooneoption.
Modernsmartphoneshavecomea
longwayinrespectofresolutionand
clarityso,dependingonhowupto
dateyourhandsetis,it maybeallyou
needforpublishingyourworkonline.
Standarddigitalcamerasalsooffer
a beginner-friendlyapproachtohigh-
resolutionphotography,allowingyou
toreviewthequalityofyourphotos,
unliketraditionalfilmcameras.

Forthoseuptothechallenge,a
digitalSLR(orDSLR)offersa wealth
oflensoptionstocatertoyour
specificneeds.Thesizeandmedium
ofyourartworkwilldeterminewhich
lensworksbestforyou,but,formost
work,a 50mmlens(oftenthe
cheapestlensavailable)witha linear
polarisingfilterwillproducesharp
imageswithreducedglare.Polarising
filtersreducetheamountoflightthat
hitsthelenssoallowsforlong
exposuretimes,meaningthata tripod
willbevitaltoavoidblurredimages.
If usingthemanualmodeonan
DSLR,anexposuretimeof2-5
secondswillyieldthebestresults.
Simplylookthroughtheviewfinder
tocheckyourshotis aligned,turn
thepolarisingfilteruntilyouseeany
obviousglarefade,andyou’resetto
go.Toavoidyourimagebeingshaken
bytheactionofyoupressingthe
shutter,setyourcamera’stimerfora

BELOW A colour
card will make
post-edit colour
balancing easier
OPPOSITE PAGE
This detail of Van
Gogh’s Starry Night
from the Google
Arts & Culture site
shows the benefit
of a good photo


You can prevent glare simply


using a piece of black card


EVA HERZOG
Free download pdf