I think we all have been there: you have made a fantastic piece of (miniature) art, but you can't figure out how (the hell) to photograph it! Well, today, I am going to try to tell you how to photograph art, especially in miniature size.
It probably will be a kind of a long read, so you can always skip a part and go straight to the part that you are interested in by using the 'table of content' above.
update 30/7/23
Being creative also means that you want to take miniature photography seriously!
It isn't hard these days to take a lot of pictures with modern technology, cameras are everywhere and everybody can have one nowadays.
Miniatures are widely spread through social media and in this way, you can share your ideas, look for inspiration or ask questions and feedback from others. It is a vibrant and exciting community, and I spend a lot of time on my own Facebook group and Instagram.
How to photograph art and miniature art in particular, is unfortunately not as easy as taking a simple selfie. Which any monkey, I mean anybody can do. 🙂
You really need to score a better picture of your artwork than your Tinder photo. Especially if you want to make your Instagram page or Etsy shop successful!
Some pieces of art, and of course our miniatures, are very small (really?) and have tiny details (both sculpted and painted). And thus need a refined setup to make it as real as possible.
Just pointing your cell phone at your work and taking a snapshot is rarely enough to get a fantastic picture. Although these days the Apple phones and Samsung phones have some great preset settings that can give you a headstart.
Make a miniature scene first!
No, I don't mean that you need to break up with your boyfriend during dinner in a restaurant 🙂 But you can make a beautiful setting to place your miniature piece in.
I would recommend a simple setup with a plain white background. A piece of paper pasted on something solid is a quick and easy solution, providing a neutral background for your miniatures.
It helps to show the model in the best light, without distracting of the details.
TIP: If you really want to get into some serious business, I would most definitely invest in a lightbox, you can find them in a camera store or online.
Let there be light in your miniature scene!
As you might have guessed, lighting is one of the most important things to have a good picture in miniature photography. No light = no picture! Let's dive deeper into this.
When taking pictures of miniatures, you need an even and constant, persistent light. Thé best way to achieve this is by using daylight lamps. The latter gives a neutral light, not too blue, not too yellow, but just right to photograph small things.
Daylight lamps fit most standard desk lamps and are available everywhere. What works best is putting two lights in front of the piece with some diffusion on both sides. So that would mostly lighten up the front of it.
A few more tips on lighting and miniature photography
- Always remember to light up the art or miniature piece itself and not the background. You can always add a third light above the piece and aim that toward the background only.
- Usually, this isn't necessary, unless you want to draw attention to the background (when for example there is something extra going on back there).
- Make sure that your lighting isn't too harsh or too soft. The artwork has its own shadows and highlights, so you don't want to cover up certain areas or on the contrary not have enough light to make it shine!
- A very harsh light, such as a LED lamp, will create shadows and sharp edges, while a softer light, such as a daylight lamp, will get you shadows without those edges.
- Don't try to use natural daylight for your setup, even when it's really sunny out, because it is never even. On a cloudless day, for example, your pictures will often turn out yellow, and on a cloudy day, they can turn blue.
- Avoid using the flash of a camera, as it will make the mini piece or art piece too bright and will get you too much contrast light.
TIP: If your light is too bright/too harsh, you can soften it by covering it with tracing paper.
TIP 2: Why not create your own lightbox? Have a look at this fantastic Youtube video on how to do that!