- Messages
- 889
- Name
- Jay
- Edit My Images
- Yes
I was asked at short notice to photograph artwork to a very fast deadline. The photos are done and delivered now, but I still would like advice.
The paintings
Paintings, photographed flat on a table surface.
The paintings were around 14" by 10"
The canvas about 1/2" deep
The canvas is mounted flat on a flat backing board (frame), but which is also around 1/2" deep, which extends beyond the painting by an inch or so all around, thereby making a 'step' between the 2 surfaces (canvas / backing board), then a 2nd 'step' to the table surface.
The overall depth of the complete artwork is broadly around 1"
Heavily textured (base of painting was smeared pollyfilla type stuff), so texture was from flat on canvas (lines of canvas showing through) to about 1/4 inch high mini mountains of the pollyfilla.
Lots of additional very shallow, very fine scratches added.
The problem
It was fairly easy to light to show texture in the higher rough areas. No issues with replicating paint colours etc.
The fine scratches were more difficult to light as they were very shallow, I could only get them to show up well if I had a studio light with a honeycomb on it skimming very low across the surface.
The low hard light created quite harsh shadows, which did not matter on the overall surface of the painting as the artist really liked that effect.
However the harsh light caused dark long shadows to carry on down the 2 'steps' and across the table surface.
I tried adding some very gentle fill light from the opposite side, to make the dark 'step' shadows less harsh and put just a little more light into the heavy texture shadows. What fill could be added was very small or I lost the scratches completely due to their shallowness. I also did not want to create double shadows by accident. I would have liked to experiment with gentle fill light from above the table but it was not physically possible where I was (the artists house, there were too many paintings to safely move elsewhere).
We are both really happy with how the painting surfaces were finally lit, other than the very dark shadows on the 'steps' and across the table surface.
Could I have cured/shortened or lightened the harsh stepped shadows with lighting while retaining the very fine scratch lines clearly? I had to mess about in post production in the end.
In a perfect world the artist wanted short lightish shadows down the 'steps'..
It was very frustrating as I felt I was missing the obvious. Hoping you folk will tell me what the obvious was, so I can slink away embarrassed - but at least able to do a better and less post processed job next time.
I cant post a sample image due to respect for her copyright, as her images & artwork will be going up for sale later this year.
The paintings
Paintings, photographed flat on a table surface.
The paintings were around 14" by 10"
The canvas about 1/2" deep
The canvas is mounted flat on a flat backing board (frame), but which is also around 1/2" deep, which extends beyond the painting by an inch or so all around, thereby making a 'step' between the 2 surfaces (canvas / backing board), then a 2nd 'step' to the table surface.
The overall depth of the complete artwork is broadly around 1"
Heavily textured (base of painting was smeared pollyfilla type stuff), so texture was from flat on canvas (lines of canvas showing through) to about 1/4 inch high mini mountains of the pollyfilla.
Lots of additional very shallow, very fine scratches added.
The problem
It was fairly easy to light to show texture in the higher rough areas. No issues with replicating paint colours etc.
The fine scratches were more difficult to light as they were very shallow, I could only get them to show up well if I had a studio light with a honeycomb on it skimming very low across the surface.
The low hard light created quite harsh shadows, which did not matter on the overall surface of the painting as the artist really liked that effect.
However the harsh light caused dark long shadows to carry on down the 2 'steps' and across the table surface.
I tried adding some very gentle fill light from the opposite side, to make the dark 'step' shadows less harsh and put just a little more light into the heavy texture shadows. What fill could be added was very small or I lost the scratches completely due to their shallowness. I also did not want to create double shadows by accident. I would have liked to experiment with gentle fill light from above the table but it was not physically possible where I was (the artists house, there were too many paintings to safely move elsewhere).
We are both really happy with how the painting surfaces were finally lit, other than the very dark shadows on the 'steps' and across the table surface.
Could I have cured/shortened or lightened the harsh stepped shadows with lighting while retaining the very fine scratch lines clearly? I had to mess about in post production in the end.
In a perfect world the artist wanted short lightish shadows down the 'steps'..
It was very frustrating as I felt I was missing the obvious. Hoping you folk will tell me what the obvious was, so I can slink away embarrassed - but at least able to do a better and less post processed job next time.
I cant post a sample image due to respect for her copyright, as her images & artwork will be going up for sale later this year.