 Learning how to document your own artwork can be time consuming and expensive. Having good quality slides of your work, however, is an absolutely essential first step in seeing yourself as a professional artist. Nine times out of ten you will not have the opportunity to show your original work. Remember that the purpose of sending slides is to generate interest in seeing the actual work. Your slides must adequately reflect the color, detail, texture, and size. Hiring a professional fine arts photographer is the best way to accomplish this. Get referrals from other artists or galleries. Always ask to see examples of the photographer's work before you hire someone. It's also a good idea to discuss their policies regarding copyright, pricing and dissatisfaction before the work begins.
If hiring a professional photographer is out of the question for you, then this set of guidelines should assist you in achieving the best possible results.
- Remember that in photography the most important element contributing to the success of your results is matching the film to your light source. If you are using a daylight film, you must shoot the work outdoors, tungsten film must be shot with tungsten lights, indoors, removing all sources of natural light.
- Because of the unreliability and inconsistency of outdoor light, I recommend the Kodak Ektachrome (EPY) ASA 50. This is a slow speed film, preferable to a faster speed because, in general, the faster the ASA, the more unstable the color. You may have slides that started to change color after six months. This is usually due the faster ASA films that are being used so frequently.
- Ektachrome film is temperature matched to be used with 3200 Kelvin bulbs. You will have to buy two of these (500 watts each) at a photo store. It's also nice to have light stands, but you can use inexpensive clip-on hoods and clip them to a chair or other nearby objects. Also, there must not be any other light source in the room. Turn off any other lights; and, if daylight is coming in, curtain it off.
- Set your artwork up on a plain white wall. Set your 35mm camera up on a tripod. Be sure to fill the frame, no extraneous information. 35mm is not very much space. You want to use every millimeter to represent the artwork only. Try to always shoot your work prior to framing in order to avoid problems with glare and hot spots.
- Double check to be certain there are no shadows appearing through the viewfinder. Also check for reflections, focus, etc. Now you are ready to set up your lights so that the work appears fully illuminated. Use your light meter (either hand-held or in the camera) to scan the piece for even lighting. Then use a Grey card (available in photo stores) to get an accurate reading.
- You will probably have to shoot at a very slow shutter speed, which is fine, as long as your camera is on a tripod and you use a shutter release cord. I have found the sharpest focus to be two stops from the widest aperture opening.
- Your first roll of film should be considered an experiment. Get out a pencil and pad and write down how you shoot each frame (shutter speed and f-stop). Bracketing means to shoot one or two f-stops up and down from the meter reading. This allows you to get a range of variations so you can pick the best exposure before you make a lot of dupes.
- When you take this first roll in to be processed, ask for it unmounted so you can roll it out and compare it with your notes to select the best possible slides. Be sure to use a good, professional photo lab.
- Once you have selected the best slides at the best exposure, you can shoot your work consistently and know what you're getting. Remember that in-camera originals are far superior to duplicates; so, as long as your camera is set up, take advantage of it and shoot six to ten of each piece.
Good luck!! |
Sylvia White is the president and founder of Contemporary Artists' Services (CAS). Founded in 1979, CAS is one of the few management consulting firms specializing in the career development of visual artists. Visit their site for more information at www.artadvice.com. Sylvia is a contributing editor to WetCanvas and she can be reached via email at artadvice@aol.com.
