• Try “portfolio”, “ink”, “branding” or a code like “PRS 101”.

DMW 103Digital Media and Web Development

Photography for Artists

Photograph your artwork accurately with a phone or camera: exposure, white balance, lighting flat and glazed work, 3D pieces, process and installation shots, editing and export.

Planned

About this course

Good documentation photos can matter as much as the work for submissions, websites and sales. This course teaches accurate, consistent photography of artwork with whatever camera you have: exposure and white balance, lighting flat work evenly, reducing glare on glazed and varnished pieces, squaring and cropping, photographing sculpture and objects, and capturing process and installation shots. You will edit with free or paid tools (for example darktable, RawTherapee or GIMP as free options) and export file sets for web, print and submissions.

Who it’s for: Artists who photograph their own work for portfolios, websites, submissions or shops. A smartphone with manual controls or any camera is enough.

You will be able to

  • Control exposure and white balance to photograph artwork with accurate colour.
  • Light flat work evenly and reduce glare on reflective surfaces.
  • Photograph three-dimensional work, process and installations clearly.
  • Square, crop and colour-correct images to match the original artwork.
  • Export consistent image sets for web, print and submission specifications.

Studio project

An accurate, consistently lit documentation set for five works, including flat, reflective and 3D pieces, exported for web and submissions.

To complete this course

  • Complete every required lesson.
  • Have the assignment “Documentation set for five works” accepted by an instructor.
  • Records of completion are issued only for courses whose content has passed instructor review.

Part of

Syllabus

Working titles: they may change as the course is written.

  1. Module 1: Camera basics

    Getting consistent, accurate exposures.

    1. 1.1Phone or camera: what mattersReading · 25 min
    2. 1.2Exposure: aperture, shutter speed and ISOReading · 35 min
    3. 1.3White balance and colour accuracyExercise · 35 min

  2. Module 2: Photographing flat work

    Paintings, drawings and prints.

    1. 2.1Lighting flat work evenlyStudio · 50 min
    2. 2.2Glare, glazing and reflective surfacesReading · 30 min
    3. 2.3Squaring, keystoning and croppingExercise · 30 min

  3. Module 3: 3D, process and installation

    Beyond flat work.

    1. 3.1Objects and sculptureReading · 35 min
    2. 3.2Process and studio shotsExercise · 30 min
    3. 3.3Installation and exhibition viewsReading · 25 min

  4. Module 4: Editing and export

    From raw file to delivery.

    1. 4.1Editing for accuracyExercise · 40 min
    2. 4.2Export sets for web, print and submissionsReading · 30 min

Author: Ricketts University curriculum team (draft for founder review) · Not yet reviewed

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