best way to take a picture of a painting ?

bastic

bastic

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Lukas
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Hi,
I want to make a copy of a painting and then print it out as a gift.
as i do not have a scanner big enough to scan the picture, I will try to take a photo of it and then print it out.
what lightning would you suggest for it ? or natural light would be best ?
any ideas welcome:)
 
Well aside from copyright issues unless you are the artist, natural light is the best. Is it an oil painting in which case you have to consider reflections so a polarising filter is required. For a watercolour or a pastel, which are usually mounted behind glass, remove from the frame first. Ensure the camera is dead centre on the picture and perfectly parallel. Focal length around 100mm to avoid pincushion effect, mount on tripod to ensure steady and away you go.

I photograph all my paintings as I don't possess a scanner :)
 
no copyright issues here:)
it is watercolour and yes, i will be removing frame and glass :)
will try with my 105mm as only other lens is 35mm
thanks Ken :)
 
Two lightboxes at 45 degrees to the the painting to start off, maybe 1 or 1.5 metres back from the painting so that they give a good even coverage.

Then vary the angle of light to increase the definition in the painting, shooting at f/8-f/11
 
a good overcast day - take outside - unless you have good lights.....

If you don't get it perfectly square - you can fix in Photoshop using the "Perspective" option on crop

Now for colour - if you have a McBeth shoot an extra image with the chart in it.
 
To check that the lights are equally positioned and at the same strength, place a pencil upright in the dead-centre of the painting - when the shadows from all lights (four lights positioned at 45-degrees at the corners is the 'museum-solution', BTW) are of equal density, you know they're positioned correctly.

Place a Pantone/Macbeth (or similar) colour-chart just off the painting and in the photo to guage colour-balance during P&P.
 
Alternatively you could scan it in parts and then stitch in hugin or something afterwards?
 
at the moment I have only 1 f'gun ;) so there is no way for me to use them unless one diffused straight in front or bounced using umbrella....

but will try to use day light for it...
 
northlight effectively...not too bright but crisp and clean and from two sources 45* each side
you can adjust wb later..
 
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