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Elisabeth Lucas

1 Year Ago

Are These Printable?

I just started painting a few weeks ago and I really enjoy it, but it's so hard to photograph the paintings! When I put them on the ground and photograph them, you will see my shadow and when I hang them on the wall and photograph them, I always get a shiny reflection.

I took these under a covered patio while the sun was on the other side of my house, but they still came out very shiny. It's just super bright in Arizona, even in the shade.

Do you think these are printable? They look much better in real life than in the photos.

https://fineartamerica.com/featured/desert-fire-elisabeth-lucas.html

https://fineartamerica.com/featured/blue-and-bronze-fire-elisabeth-lucas.html

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Christi Kraft

1 Year Ago

No, that glare will get them flagged in QA. Best to reshoot and try again, preferably in overcast weather or with a sheet or other translucent material between the light source and the paintings.

 

Elisabeth Lucas

1 Year Ago

Thank you, Christi!

 

Roger Swezey

1 Year Ago

This is the problem when working with a tangible work of art, that continuously changes as either the piece, the environment or the viewer moves.

This kinetic quality disappears, when the piece is turned into a static, 2 dimensional image

 

James Lamb Photo

1 Year Ago

You should use a polarising filter on the camera lens to eliminate/control the reflections, but the prints will never be a true replica of the originals.

 

Jodi DiLiberto

1 Year Ago

I've had this problem, too, Elisabeth, when photographing my paintings. The photo shows glare my eyes don't see. I put a piece of black fabric, quite a bit bigger than the painting, behind it to cut the glare and this really helps.

 

Lucia Waterson

1 Year Ago

This is a great tip, Jodi, thank you for sharing it!

 

Tina LeCour

1 Year Ago

I found early in the morning near a window that had light but not directly shining in worked for me , try moving the painting in different areas in your home then you can get a feel for the shadows! You can even try hanging it on a wall where you already have something hanging and see if that works, don't use a flash either because it just reflects off the painting, hope this helps you!!

 

Lucia Waterson

1 Year Ago

Hi Elisabeth, it's truly difficult! Besides that, sometimes the canvas becomes a bit loose after painting it, this is what it looks like it happened in Desert fire, I think.

I saw on a video that if you spray with water, just a little, the back of the canvas, it will quickly tightens!

 

Mike Savad

1 Year Ago

They both have a lot of glare, especially the red. You might get away with the blue one. But the red is really noticeable.


----Mike Savad

 

Lucia Waterson

1 Year Ago

Mike Savad, can you please ask your mum some tips?

Edit: Maybe?

 

Lucia Waterson

1 Year Ago

Maybe not. Sorry for asking!

Edit: and I did only because she used to paint!

 

Elisabeth Lucas

1 Year Ago

Thank you so much for all these tips!

 

Abbie Shores

1 Year Ago

I always take mine outside in the afternoon (around 4) when the shadows are good

I then put them on a bin (its the best height) and against a wall, and photograph.

Only when I have photographed them indoors have I got glare

 

Mike Savad

1 Year Ago

Off hand I don't know what she used. I'm guessing it was scanned in. They were taken a while ago.

I would set up a light tent using a sheet and some lights inside and make a soft box out of it.


----Mike Savad

 

Elisabeth Lucas

1 Year Ago

Thankyou, Abbie! and Mike!

 

Lucia Waterson

1 Year Ago

Thank you so much, Abbie! The bin tip is wonderful! Outside would be my favourite choice if it was not for the wind.
But I will definitely try it when i can!

A super thank you, Mike Savad, also, that is such a good advice, and I will try as well and see what I can do.

 

Angela Whitehouse

1 Year Ago

It is difficult.

early in the morning with natural light.
Before the sun comes up.
Then no glare of Sunrays and no shadows.
My lounge is the perfect room on my coffee table.

It's just experimenting until you find the right place.
Depends on the time of day and where the sun is.

 

I scan mine as a pdf to myself, then take a screenshot and upload. Works great, but my art is small.

 

Lisa Kaiser

1 Year Ago

I think all you need to do is straighten the warped orange one. My paintings get all warpy too. I put them between two large particle boards with a weight before I frame and put in the gallery.

 

Elisabeth Lucas

1 Year Ago

Thank you all for your suggestions! I tried again and I think it is better now:

Before:



After:

Wall Art

 

Elisabeth Lucas

1 Year Ago

The Desert Fire Two still has a little bit of glare, but much less. Do you think it will print now?

 

Angela Whitehouse

1 Year Ago

That's now perfect.

And so beautiful.

 

Shana Rowe Jackson

1 Year Ago

I just wanted to add as a side note, if you ever use varnish, especially a gloss varnish, take your photographs before you varnish your work to cut down on the chance of glare. Not sure if you used varnish here or not, but just wanted to mention it in case you do in the future.

Though, acrylic pouring medium tends to be glossy too, so it's always tricky to photograph.

Beautiful work by the way!

 

Bradford Martin

1 Year Ago

I run onto the glare problem a lot when doing food photography, which is basically my main income. I prefer a covered patio over using window light or flash set ups. I work at the restaurants and have to get set up and producing quickly. A covered patio is my go to. But still I can get glare. The glare comes from the open sky. It can be eliminated by using some of the suggestions above or changing the angle. The book "Light Science and Magic" was a big help for me in understanding the angles of reflection and how to eliminate or minimize glare. It's a bit dense but the answers are all there including blocking the light by placing something adjacent to the subject.

So Elisabeth what did you change to get rid of the glare? It looks acceptable to me, although it does show some glare. I don't think you can ever eliminate it on a textured canvas with a glossy finish. (I deal with glare from tables by bringing my own finish faux wood and marble table backgrounds and accept some glare on the food.)

Try shooting with the art facing the house, instead of straight up or facing the light source, but avoid getting lens flare.

 

Mike Savad

1 Year Ago

This is a really fancy way but it works, if it hasn't been mentioned.

You polarize the flash and the camera. You would need either a rig to hold a round polarizer on the flash like I did, or to buy a piece of quarter wave plate and tape it on. In a mirror figure out the orientation, both filters should turn black. Then take the picture, the light will be there but not the glare. I've used this to shoot shiny things like fish or leaves etc. It leaves it a bit flat though because you need some light to show texture in things. But it usually removes the glare spot on things.

I had some junk polarizer lying around and made a mount with some thin plastic I had laying around. But its a pain to use and needs experimenting to set it up. Once you find the right settings mark the filters where the sweet spot is.


----Mike Savad

 

Jessica Jenney

1 Year Ago

I have seen so many things that get by QC in the review section, so you never know, but its really about what the buyer would be happy with, not QC!

 

Val Arie

1 Year Ago

I am not a photographer but shot some stuff for a friend and did the entire shoot on black top. Not the newly poured shiny kind, but the old stuff without any shine. Did it on a cloudy day. No glare at all. I was told it has something to do with gray scale.

 

Mike Savad

1 Year Ago

The problem with outside is - you need the right weather. Can't be clear, can't be snowing. Can't be windy. Where I am, it hasn't really rained in like a month or two. So the paintings would be stacking up. If I were a painter I would make a box out of pvc or something. And spread a sheet to make a light tent. Or even just use wax paper around a small frame around the painting and shoot inside where it can all be controlled. If its all set up inside you can make a jig and set it up any time and get a shot. Rather than competing against bugs, wind, or in and out clouds. Getting the angle of the painting is also critical, easy to straighten after, but the wrong angle makes glare.

A lot of these ideas go out the window when you are trying to create a relief shadow. If you work uses some kind of spiky paint or smudged, smeared or spackled. Then you need side lights.

I would also try using LED tube shop lights. Light it from the sides using a sheet or the like as a diffuser. White ripstop is really what's needed. Or clear bumpy shelf paper. I use that on my flash to disperse light. Should work for this too.

----Mike Savad

 

Elisabeth Lucas

1 Year Ago

Thank you again, I love all your suggestions!

This is how I did it: both of the images where taken on days with light cloud cover, under a covered patio with the sun being on the other side of my house, between 4 - 5 pm. (Despite the clouds it was very bright, in Phoenix we hardly ever get a dense cloud cover unless we have a storm).

Then I was holding a diffuser behind the camera, trying to block as much light as possible. Here is the one I used:
https://www.amazon.com/Selens-Reflector-Photography-Lighting-Outdoor/dp/B00UR9ASCE/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=B1VJL5BAQXIB&keywords=photo%2Breflectors%2Band%2Bdiffusers&qid=1660742662&sprefix=Photo%2Bre%2Caps%2C270&sr=8-1-spons&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExSElLQlc0T0ZTSFRJJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMDA3Njc5RENERkY1OU1XMkQ5JmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAzOTU0NjgySkhRTTdQM0hNSzBVJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ&th=1

Outside of the monsoon season which will end on September 15 we usually have clear blue skies with harsh sunlight, so the diffuser may not be enough then.

I am going to try out your other suggestions as well because they made me realize how much more I can learn about photography!

 

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