A hidden treasure is just that - hidden. In order to fully appreciate a work of art, it must be seen by those who can appreciate it. Traditionally, art galleries, high-end shops and other fine retail stores were the outlets where an artist could get their work to the public. Today, there are other options, but all depend upon having a picture that does your work justice.
Back to Basics
Since photography was invented, there have been a few basic concepts that are central to success, that have stood the test of time. A great subject, great composition, and great lighting make the picture. When photographing objects (such as hand crafted pens or other wooden gifts), these three concepts are the most important.
A Great Subject
Having a great subject is a good start. Your picture will most likely be a close up shot of the product, so your work of art will come under intense scrutiny. Many people take pictures that are low resolution, or under poor conditions, just to hide their poor workmanship. A great product, with quality workmanship, are essential to having a great picture.
Great Composition
The difference between a good picture and a great picture often is composition. The composition of the picture can be as simple as ensuring that your product or piece of art is shown in its natural environment. Composition of the picture needs to show the art in a form where it is central to the picture, but still has other elements that help compliment it in its surroundings.
Great Lighting
Of all the elements involved in taking a picture, lighting is the most important. In fact, the entire point of taking a picture, is to capture the light that reflects off a subject. So, without great lighting, why bother taking the picture.
Fortunately, for taking pictures of products or small pieces of art, the lighting requirements can be simplified. Taking a great picture of a piece of art, usually requires light that is essentially diffused and comes from all sides evenly. This is similar to the light on a cloudy day, where there are no hard shadows cast on the subject. This allows the product to show well, and minimizes distractions. This can be accomplished with a light box, where two or three small lights surround the object and are diffused through a cloth.
Necessary Equipment
To take a great picture of a product, such as a handmade pen, you don't need fancy equipment. In fact, most any modern camera can be used. This includes everything from the best Digital SLR camera, down to an inexpensive point and shoot cameras. The key to a great shot is a tripod and good lighting.
The tripod is a key element as it keeps the camera steady during the picture. It allows for you to take the picture, and not pay attention to whether the shutter speed is slow or fast. This allows you to concentrate on the depth-of-field, which is what gives you that nice looking, blurry background.
The equipment that you will need includes a light box, two or three lights, a camera, tripod, digital software & a computer. Although you can spend more, do more and experiment more, the above process will work very well and produce great results.
Editing the Picture
After you have taken your picture, it is often useful to edit the picture on a computer. There are many things you can do with the picture. You can crop the image to make it more centered. You can correct the overall color, should the camera not capture it correctly. You can adjust the brightness of the image to make it more consistent. You can add text, subtext or titles to your picture. But, do not alter the image by making changes which would mislead someone as to what the product looks like. Remember, you are taking a picture of the art, so do not alter it. That would be misleading to your audience.
With a few simple steps, you can significantly improve the quality of your pictures. This allows your art to shine through and represents your work in its best light.
Back to Basics
Since photography was invented, there have been a few basic concepts that are central to success, that have stood the test of time. A great subject, great composition, and great lighting make the picture. When photographing objects (such as hand crafted pens or other wooden gifts), these three concepts are the most important.
A Great Subject
Having a great subject is a good start. Your picture will most likely be a close up shot of the product, so your work of art will come under intense scrutiny. Many people take pictures that are low resolution, or under poor conditions, just to hide their poor workmanship. A great product, with quality workmanship, are essential to having a great picture.
Great Composition
The difference between a good picture and a great picture often is composition. The composition of the picture can be as simple as ensuring that your product or piece of art is shown in its natural environment. Composition of the picture needs to show the art in a form where it is central to the picture, but still has other elements that help compliment it in its surroundings.
Great Lighting
Of all the elements involved in taking a picture, lighting is the most important. In fact, the entire point of taking a picture, is to capture the light that reflects off a subject. So, without great lighting, why bother taking the picture.
Fortunately, for taking pictures of products or small pieces of art, the lighting requirements can be simplified. Taking a great picture of a piece of art, usually requires light that is essentially diffused and comes from all sides evenly. This is similar to the light on a cloudy day, where there are no hard shadows cast on the subject. This allows the product to show well, and minimizes distractions. This can be accomplished with a light box, where two or three small lights surround the object and are diffused through a cloth.
Necessary Equipment
To take a great picture of a product, such as a handmade pen, you don't need fancy equipment. In fact, most any modern camera can be used. This includes everything from the best Digital SLR camera, down to an inexpensive point and shoot cameras. The key to a great shot is a tripod and good lighting.
The tripod is a key element as it keeps the camera steady during the picture. It allows for you to take the picture, and not pay attention to whether the shutter speed is slow or fast. This allows you to concentrate on the depth-of-field, which is what gives you that nice looking, blurry background.
The equipment that you will need includes a light box, two or three lights, a camera, tripod, digital software & a computer. Although you can spend more, do more and experiment more, the above process will work very well and produce great results.
Editing the Picture
After you have taken your picture, it is often useful to edit the picture on a computer. There are many things you can do with the picture. You can crop the image to make it more centered. You can correct the overall color, should the camera not capture it correctly. You can adjust the brightness of the image to make it more consistent. You can add text, subtext or titles to your picture. But, do not alter the image by making changes which would mislead someone as to what the product looks like. Remember, you are taking a picture of the art, so do not alter it. That would be misleading to your audience.
With a few simple steps, you can significantly improve the quality of your pictures. This allows your art to shine through and represents your work in its best light.
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