Watercolors are the trickiest medium to photograph. The translucent and transparent nature of the paint means that photography often results in either a loss of color or an overexposed background. Although scanning is often seen as the best way to digitally preserve your artwork, it’s not always possible to do so. Here are a few tips on how to photograph your watercolors to best preserve their true colors and beauty.
2. Use a low ISO setting. A higher ISO will result in more graininess and possibly less color saturation.
3. Choose a low aperture setting. A lower aperture will result in greater depth of field, which means that more of the painting will be in focus.
4. Use natural light whenever possible. Artificial light can cause colors to appear washed out or muted. If you must use artificial light, try to use warm-toned bulbs (such as incandescent bulbs) rather than cool-toned ones (such as fluorescent bulbs).
5. Take multiple photos from different angles and distances, and then choose the best one(s) after VIEWING THEM ON A COMPUTER MONITOR OR OTHER SCREEN (this step is crucial!). Watercolors can look very different in person than they do in a photograph, so it’s important to view them on a screen before deciding which photo(s) to keep.
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