Lisa Vogt Art Adventure Blog: 10 Tips - Take Project Photos that Move You

My family recently bought me a new, really nice camera. It has changed my life. I’m obsessed. Every time I think I’ve taken the absolute best picture I possibly can, a striking new angle or new dramatic shadow reveals itself. Suddenly, I’ve lost 20 minutes and my photo count is up by 20 or 30.

The real difference between this camera and my old one is pixels. It may sound naïve, but I had no idea that the increase in fire power would be responsible for such a huge improvement in my pictures. After all, digital is digital, right? Nope.

Doubling your resolution doubles your image sharpness, color and focus. My old camera had 12 million pixels. My new Nikon D3500 has 24.2 million pixels! I’m not endorsing this particular camera. But I am saying that, from my experience, this camera’s mega-powerful pixel count takes incredible pictures.

This isn’t intended to be a technical lesson on taking product pictures. You can easily find the dry, dos and don’ts online. Here, I going to share the composition and creative tricks I’m using to set a mood and capture emotion in my pictures.

I have to admit this new direction I’m taking with my pictures was not all my idea. I’m bossy. I live in a house full of bossy, opinionated, intelligent people. We like to joke that we have all chiefs and no Indians here. What can I say, I’m surrounded by a high, self-esteem crowd. But we’re all flourishing amid the positive energy we’re generating, so it’s all good.

Anyway, my daughter Niki suggested I move my picture taking outside and I listened. In the past, I’ve recommended taking pictures of your work in neutral environments with white backgrounds. In theory, the bare background should make the true glass colors show well. A plain setting, free of distractions should make the artwork jump off the page.

But the trend for product photos has changed. The generic backdrop no longer stimulates or engages us. Now, photographs have to create a mood. They have to project a lifestyle. To do that, pictures are taken in thought-provoking settings with textures and colors that establish a sense of time and place.

This concept is new to me. I’m learning what works and what I like as I go along.

It’s hard work toting my heavy, fragile artwork around. But, wow. I getting amazing results. And, I’m having so much fun learning new tricks to show off my art in interesting ways.

The best thing about digital photography is you can take hundreds of pictures for free. And you can view your results immediately. If you capture the feel you want in a picture, great, move on to the next set up. If not, simply move. Take the picture from a different perspective. Or turn the art. You can test unusual backgrounds with wild abandonment. Shoot away. Get crazy. Go for it. Have fun. I do.

Here are some things I’ve learned while taking more that 10,000 pictures in the past month.

1. Shadows are your friend. Seek out dramatic angles created by the strong contrast of light and shadow. It really pushes the artwork to a new, higher level of sophistication.

2. Fall in love with textures and patterns. They add visual intricacy and increased depth to your pictures. It also establishes a welcoming setting that draws the viewer’s attention and establishes a tangible mood. Place your art in front of different backdrops and see which one magnifies the beauty of the glass.

3. Get in tight. Fill the frame with your art. Before taking a picture, I run my eye around the perimeter of the view finder. I want to make sure there aren’t any shapes or objects in the background that might detract or overshadow the art. Try different angles that might make the art look more exotic. Take the picture. Go ahead. You have the storage space. And it might be the one that you absolutely love best.

4. Try different camera settings. I’ve been shooting every single picture in 3 modes, automatic, portrait and manual aperture. In automatic mode the camera has standard settings. It’s a great mode to establish a baseline and image consistency for the entire photo shoot. Portrait mode is fun. The focal point is in focus, but the background is fuzzy. It creates a dreamy mood. It’s great for taking profile pictures and artwork pictures when you want the art to stand out from the background. In manual aperture mode I can play with the depth of field. If I want the art and the background to both be in focus, I select a high number like F22. If I want just the front edge of the art to be in focus, I try a lower F stop like F4.5.

5. Color is not the enemy. Embrace brightly colored backdrops. Blue sky, sparking water and green grass are all winners in my book. They do wonders for your pictures. The inclusion of such strong colors immediately sets an uplifting mood that speaks volumes to the viewer.

6. Zoom in. Try using a zoom lens from a distance. It pushes portrait mode to a higher level that changes everything in a good way. The only way to describe the extreme perspective is, romantic. The fantastic image lures you in and plays with your heart.

7. Crop it with the camera. Select a tight composition and take the absolute best picture you can every time. Don’t rely on cropping to fix it. Of course, you’ll want to crop some pictures when you sit down and plan how and where to use the images. But I considered that a subsequent part or step of the documenting process.

8. Mirror, mirror. Include the art’s reflection and light passing through the glass in some pictures. One of the brilliant features of glass is its transparency and reflective quality. Show it off with clever angles and a strong light source.

9. Take it on the road. Take pictures of your art at new locations. Select different sites. Pick certain sites because they complement your artistic style. Then pic others specifically because they contrast your art. I found the more exotic sites gave me the most exciting results. Don’t worry what other people will think when they see you pulling bowls out of your bag. You’re an artist. Weird is wonderful. Embrace your specialness.

10. Get down. Change your point-of-view. Try taking pictures from a low perspective shooting up at the art. It’s a refreshing composition and it exaggerates the importance of the art.

This started as a simple project; take updated pictures of my gallery artwork for my new website. But it has exploded into a whole new artistic outlet for me. My pictures no longer represent just a physical item. Now they’re living, breathing extensions of my art with a passionate sparkle all their own.

Artistically we’re always maturing and growing stronger and more excited about our creative endeavors. This experience has taught me that you can learn new, fun things if you open yourself up to the possibilities and dive in.

Wherever you are in your creative journey you’re doing great. Keep up the terrific work. Do your best, be your best and the rest will take care of itself.

Until next time…

Happy snapping!

Lisa

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Sculptural Fused Glass, 4-Day, Hands-on Workshop

October 15-18, 2019

Register here: http://www.lisavogt.net/products.aspx?id=480

Join me for this intense workshop held in my private studio in Wesley Chapel, Florida. Class size is limited to 4.

Sculptural fused glass is the creation of three-dimensional forms that rise above a flat plane. Artists create 3-D works by using multiple methods and techniques with complete freedom of materials and process.

In this class, you’ll push the boundaries glass imposes. Students will use innovative approaches to design and combine multiple advanced techniques to construct original sculptural art.

You’ll enjoy: the one-on-one instruction, making large scale projects, the well-equipped classroom, and the intimate class size.

Its hard-core fusing in a nurturing, relaxed environment.

You'll love the concentrated, in-depth study and creative momentum you’ll gain while actively producing nonstop, for four consecutive days.

You’ll leave class with a working knowledge of kiln operation, custom project specific firing guides and the inspiration you’ve been craving to go sculptural!