Fine Art Reproduction, Printing & Artist Services

Q. What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A. Artwork reproduction is a specialized field, and while many artists start out by photographing their own artwork, taking it to a professional not only saves many hours of frustration (why doesn't it look like the original), it also gives you the best recording of your work possible. This can be the difference in getting into the next show or juried competition, and provides a solid platform from which to do derivative work or fine art printing.

While there are several modern digital platforms by which artwork can be captured, the way it is shot determines how accurate a capture can be to the original source. While no platform can see 100% what the human eye sees, by using museum grade imaging practices artwork can be rendered to very exacting standards on several types of camera systems. Ask your photographer what they use and why, and compare.

Q. If you were a customer, what do you wish you knew about your trade? Any inside secrets to share?

A. Like any trade one attempts on their own, the true cost of proper equipment and training is quite high. Photographing artwork is also deceptively hard. For instance how do you insure you are perfectly parallel to the artwork at all times, can you evenly light the work so that the top and bottom are the same as the center, do you have a way to correct for any color shifts due lighting, environment, lens, and camera technology, are you able to handle reflections from glass or glossy media? These challenges can all be handled by the right equipment and knowledge.

Q. What questions should a consumer ask to hire the right service professional?

A. Some things to look for are the way the provider is photographing the artwork. Are they using a modern digital system or still shoot film? Is their lighting high enough in its Color Rendering Index (CRI) to insure the lights do not shift the colors much? Does the photographer use standard museum practice to not only photograph a Xrite ColorSG chart, but also correct for all lens light falloff and lighting distribution in shoot, and create custom profiles based off each individual artwork and shooting parameter? How do they handle reflections from glossy mediums or shooting through glass? Can they photograph in your location or only in studio? What kind of camera platform do they use and why? Lastly, do they offer different file sizes to accomidate your budget and needs as an artist?

Q. What important information should buyers have thought through before seeking you out?

A. When hiring an artwork photographer, often you can save some money if your work is all the same size, so working in a series helps. Originals on paper require mounting, if un-mounted they will need to be held in place with magnets or pins (non damaging), which usually require Photoshop editing to remove. Providing your paper originals mounted will save you on editing charges. Your work does not need to be framed. Unless you want to include frames in the photographs, don't, shooting before framing will insure all of your image is captured without any shadows cast by the frame itself - this is not always a problem but can be if the frame is right up against the artwork, such as a painting.

Last couple things to think through are artwork size and shooting location and quantity. Our services are discounted if you can bring them to us. But we are happy to setup in your location as well, provided you have enough space. The space needed depends on the size of the work. Our session or "setup fee" is a one-time fee applied to the shoot. This allows us to provide a lower cost per shot fee and results in less cost for the artist when having several originals shot. Other professionals may add their session/setup fee to each shot, just ask around to compare the total cost between photographers.