I’ve been working with quite a few talented artists over the past few months photographing their paintings. Each have their own unique style and use different mediums to explore and create. I relate easily with them as I am an artist myself – expressing my thoughts through my photographs instead of through acrylics, oil or watercolour.

I’ve put together a small collection of my favourite pieces from each artist along with their names and medium used. Most have come to me to reproduce their artwork to print or simply to have a digital record of their art. I enjoy working and seeing their paintings and am always amazed at the creativity people have. I love the colours, the textures and the image itself and what it represents.

Photographing a painting though is not as easy as it sounds. First the colour and tones must be 100% accurate. I use a colour checker as well as a light meter to help with this. I must also make sure that there is no distortion from lens barreling. A tripod is a must and shooting with a prime lens offers better success. The quality of the lens is also of paramount importance for a clear, sharp image. Some paintings come in framed while others are behind a glass. These in itself, while seemingly innocent, pose a variety of problems including glare. Sometimes the frames are crooked and so I must adjust for that. I try and do most of the work in camera – taking the time to set up is the most important – and this allows me to have a faster post-process work flow. Patience and attention to detail is key when photographing artwork.

This isn’t my artwork. My art is this case is reproducing to the best of my abilities an image and it’s my job to make sure it is 100% accurate across all facets.