Photography for Artists - Paul Rogers Photography

There are many reasons to have your artwork photographed–share it on the Web, make giclée prints, publish it in print form, submit it to a jury, general promotion, or archiving. To have an accurate photograph of your painting is to represent your work in the best possible light. While you may be able to take the picture yourself, the resulting image may fall short of accurately representing your artwork, and the file may not meet the strict requirement of those requesting files. Expert jurors cite good photography as a key element in jurying success. I offer photographic services to assist artists with this process and make myself available to help my clients when they have questions about using my photos. See a gallery of my client's artwork, below.

While this page is intended to share information about photography of 2-dimensional flat artwork, I also offer photography of 3-d pieces, gallery exhibits and installations, and portraits of artists (fees may vary from those detailed here).

I developed strong technical skills in photography through my studies at the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences at Rochester Institute of Technology for my fine arts degree. As far back as 1980, I was assigned the task of accurately reproducing artwork on film. Related topics of study, such as Reproduction of Photography and Color Separation Techniques, added to my knowledge of this discipline. I made the transition to digital technology years ago, now using state-of-the-art cameras, computers, and software.

My process for photographing paintings includes using cross-polarized incandescent lights to reduce glare and reflections, and to provide accurate color. Editing of the resulting file includes adjusting each color's hue, saturation, and luminance (brightness) values to match the original painting while it's in hand. Additional editing corrects the painting's aspect ratio and allows for any special requests (such as compositing images or adding a background).

While estimating the cost of photography is only done by discussing your artwork in person, I can offer general prices for services so you can plan your budget. I offer a 2-hour minimum session in my studio for $160; additional time is billed @ $80/hour. Editing is billed at $50/hour with no minimum. For example only: a session to photograph and edit a dozen typical paintings often takes up a 2-hour session and requires an additional hour of editing. Additional costs may include file delivery (on a data-DVD or flash drive), index prints or contact sheets, and Vermont sales tax. Many paintings have special shooting and editing requirements that extend the time (or it may go more quickly!), so please contact me so I can go over your specific needs and provide a more accurate estimate for your job.

Photography can also be done in your studio or in a gallery, and I am insured. The minimum billing time for location work is 3 hours and travel costs will be added. Note that color and tonal corrections cannot be done on-site unless I bring my calibrated monitor (which is uncommon).

When you contact me about your work, I'll ask what medium you work in, the size of your pieces, and any characteristics that pose a challenge to photography and editing (framed work under glass, metallic or highly reflective elements in your paintings, irregular edges to your artwork, thick or deep surface treatment, etc). I'll also ask you how you plan to use the photos to determine the optimum file type and size you'll need. Please note that I do not make giclée prints, but I can recommend a trusted professional in my area who regularly prints my photos of artwork.

Whether you collect vintage artwork, work with pastels on paper, oils on canvas, or textiles, I'd be pleased to have the opportunity to assist you with your photography. Write or give me a call to discuss your work. – Paul Rogers

The Underground Railroad, Vermont and the Fugitive Slave is a set of two very large panels about liberation, created in 1993 by artist Sam Kerson. They are located inside the Chase Center of the Vermont Law School in South Royalton, Vermont (USA). I was contracted to photograph these two panels – each measuring 8' tall x24' wide – by the artist when the paintings faced removal or possible destruction (their fate is being argued in the courts at this time). Tasked with creating high-resolution files that would be reproducible at a very large size, I photographed each original in six vertical sections with four photos per section. The post-production task was to seamlessly merge the individual photos into very large master files. See more about Sam's murals here.

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