If you need slides of a painting to submit to a competition or to a gallery, you could hire a photographer to take them for you. But it’s worth trying yourself first, because it’s a lot cheaper.
Difficulty: Average
Time Required: Some
Here's How:
- You’ll need a 35mm camera (or a friend with one), which all take slide film. Ask your local film/camera shop for a colour slide film with a 100ASA (film speed).
- Set your painting up against a neutral background, such as a large sheet of white paper or a bedsheet.
- Set up in a place that’s light enough for you not to need to use a flash, which tends to cause a glare on a painting unless you have a flash you can aim at the ceiling.
- Ensure that you're not photographing at an angle, but straight on, to keep the edges of your painting 'square'.
- If you know how to bracket the exposure on your camera, take three shots: at the automatic exposure, one stop up, and stop one down. This increases the chances of getting the perfect exposure.
- Zoom in quite tightly on the painting so the frame is close to the edge of the photo. Also take some shots zoomed in to eliminate the frame (it’s the painting that’s important, not the frame).
- Even if you (or your photographer friend) aren't very confident, it’s worth trying to take your own photos. All you'll have lost is a bit of time and a film.
Tips:
- Check whether the price of the film you’re buying includes development and mounting of the slides or not.
- You can get duplicates made of slides, like you can get extra prints made; you'll probably need to do it your local photo/camera shop.
- When you're sending off a slide, write your details on the slide mount (name, phone no, title of painting, size, what it's done in). A thin waterproof marker is ideal for this.
What You Need:
- 35mm camera
- slide film
