Internet Marketing For Artists - Art Photos For Websites

Part of the appeal of shopping online is the great finds you can get just searching around. Art especially is a great find because it's not something mass produced like shoes. To find great art is usually contained to regional art shows or galleries that you may not live anywhere near. What sells the art, however, is how well the pieces are photographed.
Because consumers are not able to see the art in person, photography plays a very important role in the success of it's online sales. Photography is not as easy as it looks at first if you have never tried to takes shots for a brochure or or the web. Lighting plays the most important part of good photography, even more than the quality of your camera. Getting a good book on lighting will save you major headaches when taking your own pictures.
Lighting will be different for every kind of art. If it is a three dimensional sculpture, you will need a soft diffused light for the front and fill lights for the sides. The fill lights are pointed to the sides of the piece to negate the shadows cast by the direct front lighting called the "key" light. Diffusing the direct light with a cloth or paper filter will kept "hot spots" from reflecting off of the piece. This is very important for jewelry as gems and metals are very highly reflective.
Paintings are a bit easier to light, but to bring out the true beauty of the piece you need very soft lighting that's not too bright and disruptive. The key then to getting a good photo in low light is to understand film and shutter speed to make sure the photo exposes properly. There are too many techniques to list in this article, but getting basic training and guidance will help even an inexperienced image taker make great photos.