Tips for Photographing Student Art
Are you always looking for new ways to boost the level of professionalism in your college, high school, middle school, or elementary art classroom? A great way to keep things polished and buttoned up is to produce high quality images of student work. Treating your students’ work with care shows that you respect their efforts. Try these tips below to take better photos of their art. Better yet, you can teach these skills to your students so they learn how to photograph their own art and take agency over their work. Even young children can take steps towards making high quality documentation of artwork.
On a day-to-day basis, we’re not necessary shooting student work with professional equipment. Depending on your school’s budget, or your personal budget, there is a wide range of equipment available. The tips below are the most basic elements to consider and apply to your photography session with your smartphone, a professional-quality DSLR, and everything in between.
Select a Consistent, Even Light Source. Place two identical lights on either side of your artwork at a 45 degree angle. Any kind of lamp will work. Make sure the lights are a good distance from the artwork. The work should be illuminated evenly.
Choose a Neutral Backdrop. Black, white or grey are great neutrals for your backdrop. You could set up a ‘sweep’ by draping a piece of fabric over a chair or pinning it to the wall and having it flow down onto a table. You could also set up a trifold board (think: the kind used in the science fair) and tape smaller artworks to it.
Prop the Art to Avoid Your Camera’s Shadow. If you are photographing artwork in a sketchbook, consider propping the book against your neutral backdrop rather than placing the book flat on a table and pointing your camera down, as this casts a shadow onto the artwork.
Follow these simple tips and you will have photos that look professional and can be easily shared on social media or in print. These are the most basic elements to consider. Take the extra time to give your students high quality documentation of their work —– they deserve it!