million dollar photos

I know…I know…you see all those pictures of sculptures in a magazine that look like a million bucks. And you search in the ore. How did they achieve such a photograph of that sculpture?

Well, you’re not the only one. I’ve been looking at these photos for years. In magazines, even calendars. And he thinks “WOW! That’s really nice.”

Some are exceptional. I’ve seen some really good photographic work in Franklin Mint magazines… And the sculpture almost looks like it’s going to jump at you. Now that’s almost a sale. Don’t you think?

So how do we compete with these photos which, I might add, have probably taken a lot of pretty pennies out of the owners’ wallet? Bring in a professional photographer, with all his equipment…lights etc…To get that million dollar photo. And of course probably a series of photos to get the one that looks right.

Your publicity photo

Trained professionals are the ones who have taken the photos we all wish we could take ourselves. In fact, I have hired a professional photographer in the past to take photos of my sculptures for publicity purposes in the past.

Photos are a way of showing our sculptures to the outside world. It’s much easier than transporting your sculpture wherever you go. Especially if it is bronze, now heavy. I should know… much of my work was finished in hot cast bronze.

The photo is our advertisement, it gives the viewer the opportunity to see your sculpture in image form. It is easy! You can take your photos wherever you go, publicize your work.

The internet has made business and advertising another way of life for us these days. And it doesn’t go away. Artists have embraced it; As with most companies. In fact, the web is more striking if you see an image. Break the monotony of the printed word. And add color to the web. It would not be the same, nor as popular, without photos to the public.

So how do we post our sculptures online, to capture the interest of potential buyers without paying bags of gold for a photographer to come and take our photos? We do it ourselves.

We have become known these days, with the invention of the digital camera. And with its technology; we can immediately see what we just took. Not having to wait for your photos to be returned (which used to take a couple of days) to see if any of your photos are good enough.

So let’s see, the do’s and don’ts of getting the right photo.

Secrets of the angles

Yes, it’s all in the angles… are you scratching your head now?

Because we are dealing with art that is three-dimensional. Well… they say that. But really sculpture in a thousand dimensions.

So just taking a photo, like you would. Let’s say… with a painting or a drawing. Certain rules apply. And it is much more difficult with sculpture.

So what is sculpture, or should I say what constitutes sculpture? Lights and shadows. That’s right. The surfaces of the sculpture have high and low planes. This set of surfaces can make the sculpture more interesting or show a mood.

And when you put it all together…. this is what your photo will do. I’ve been through the trials and tribulations of what makes a good photo; when taking sculptures. And I have learned through the many failed photos that used to be thrown (in the past). Now (thankfully) it is only erased from the digital memory bank. Less expensive this way…..

It may not look like it, but each sculpture is angled to make the best photo. There are only one or two angles that will bring out the best in your photo. The secret is to find them.

And you don’t necessarily have to do this by taking a lot of photos. Find a fairly well-lit space and place your sculpture there. Then go back and check it out. Then I want you to slowly walk around your sculpture. Or keep rotating your sculpture, bit by bit. You need to be at eye level with your sculpture for the best results. One tip is that if you make a frame with your fingers and look through it, it also helps narrow your vision to focus on the sculpture in front of you.

Keep turning the sculpture until you find the best angle. Then take some photos. These will be your main photos. Then just take other photos at different angles. And don’t take these photos in bright light. Since it makes the sculpture look too hard.

Since we usually need a front photo and a back photo of a sculpture, we are forced to take different angles that may not make it to the final angle photography. But there is a better angle in each sculpture, you can bet on that. Finding it will put you above the rest of the non-professional photographers. And a winner.

Also, never take the sculpture from a height, as I find that it seems to distort the sculpture in the photograph in some way. From a height, it will appear stunted.

And there are just a few angles that make your sculpture look proportionally incorrect. But is not. The photo can tell lies sometimes. So be careful with this. And remember never to take that angle again. Or let another photographer do it. As it is his sculpture that will be at stake in public view. And you want it to be the best.

Photos that need a little help

With the advent of photo software on sale these days. You can do a lot to make your photo more professional. I use different programs, like Photoshop and Painter. So you don’t have to worry about all these accessories you ever needed for your camera. Like filters and long telescopic lenses. You can do all this from your computer.

Digital cameras come with larger pixel memories these days. So even if you don’t take a sculpture up close. You will be surprised how close you can get to your sculpture on the computer. You can change different color tone filters. And this will also bring different overall tones to your sculpture.

With this process, you can end up with a variety of different photo effects from just one original photo. And the good thing that I have also found is. That when I took photos of my sculptures, they almost always left a shadow behind them. Now this would not happen if the light was directly on top of the sculpture. That’s where professional photographers use lighting, to counter this.

This was always a problem, so the shadows would take away some of the sharpness from the edge of his sculptures.

With software on your computer, you can remove these annoying shadows. Without having to worry too much when taking the photos at that moment. Although I would advise, if you can, try to take your photos as best as you can without too much shade. As it will be less work to edit later and you will save time.

I don’t think we thought that taking photos like the professionals was within our reach without taking a photography course. And having to go out and buy all the accessories for photography. And all those times when the photo you thought could be good. It didn’t turn out the way you thought.

Sculpture photography is not the easiest thing to do. And the art shot was wildly thought of as a difficult feat in itself. Now we can; as artists, or anyone else looking to put art sculptures on the web for more exposure can do it themselves.

I have had my frustrations trying to take good pictures of my sculptures. Photography is not just pointing the camera and shooting. But out of respect for its own value as an art form. And through trial and error I have learned what can be done and what doesn’t work.

You, too, can find that confidence to go out and take your own photos of your work. And with some of my tips for taking all those important photos that will earn their own audience online. You know your sculptures best, and who better to take a photo of your work than yourself. The sculpture tells a story and glimpses it in that photo. Convey to your audience online the importance of your work.