Photographing oil paintings

[JE Kay]

You should be fine with the polarization thing, it's for web after all.

I don't use it if I can avoid it as it punches the contrast up too much.

 

[ordo]

I'm sorry that I led you down what turned out to be a blind alley.

It appears that for the very finest results, crossed polarizers are probably the way to go.

My friend, you didn't. Those are old picks I made a year ago.

 

[JerryPH]

I was just looking at this thread and since I just picked up likely the biggest softbox made for a battery powered strobe, it came to me that this is likely exactly what the OP needs.

I mean, if you do have complete access to the paintings and can use a large softbox, (like the 50 inch Apollo softbox) and place it right up close to the painting (like within 2-3 feet) and the light being both diffused and very soft and low powered would likely minimize any such specular reflections down to a bare minimum. That and the polarizer sound like the perfect combination.

You would need to play some with the angles of the camera and softbox and see what works best, but I see this as being the solution that would offer the best possible results.

One huge diffused consistent light source that works with battery powered flashes. If set to a low power (1/8th to 1/16th perhaps) and pushed close, you could still have some small apertures (in the F/5.6 range or possibly smaller) range. Also at those power levels, a flash would last well into several hundred shots... if an SB-600 or 800, at those power levels, easily over 500 pictures before needing battery replacement with good rechargeable batteries.

Just food for thought.

​

 

[Park]

It really sounds like many of you could use Light:Science & Magic, the best lighting book available today. You can get it at [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Light-Science-Introduction-Photographic-Lighting/dp/0240808193/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238442655&sr=8-1]Amazon.com: Light: Science and Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting: Fil Hunter, Steven Biver, Paul Fuqua: Your Store[/ame]

Work with this book and you will not be as dependent on advice from anonymous people on forums.

 

[ordo]

It really sounds like many of you could use Light:Science & Magic, the best lighting book available today. You can get it at Amazon.com: Light: Science and Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting: Fil Hunter, Steven Biver, Paul Fuqua: Your Store

Work with this book and you will not be as dependent on advice from anonymous people on forums.

Thank you but that's not really fair. People just try to contribute, not to deny.

 

[Christie Photo]

...I see this as being the solution that would offer the best possible results.

But sadly, it isn't. Polarized lights afford the best possible results.


-Pete

 

[Park]

Thank you but that's not really fair. People just try to contribute, not to deny.

I'm not sure I understand your statement.

I understand that people are good heartedly trying to help but for the many trying to solve lighting problems related to their business's success or failure how do they distinguish the wheat from the chaff? Educating yourself through a highly respected book used by many of the most respected photo programs is wrong? Depending on the wisdom of anonymous people on the internet is smarter?

 

[kkamin]

I see doing this outside as the worst possible idea, since you'll be 100% getting reflections in the paint.

I don't see why 2 lights set at 45 degrees to the painting wouldn't work. If the lights are set outside the "view" or family of angles of the camera, there wouldn't be any direct reflected light (polarized or not) reaching the lens. If the paint strokes are super heavy I guess that is a different story.

But, I agree with the OP. Take them to a professional service bureau and have them done right. This really isn't a DIY project. Even if you do eliminate the glare, you need to worry about a hundred other things in post to ensure reproduction accuracy.

Good luck.

 

[kkamin]

It really sounds like many of you could use Light:Science & Magic, the best lighting book available today. You can get it at Amazon.com: Light: Science and Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting: Fil Hunter, Steven Biver, Paul Fuqua: Your Store

Work with this book and you will not be as dependent on advice from anonymous people on forums.

+1

They have a large chapter dedicated to what you are trying to do. And hypothesizing from your initial post, you seem new to lighting and this would be a earth moving book for you. Photography is 90% light. 9% your subject. 1% your gear. (of course you can't shoot without gear, but once you have it, it is the least substantial element to a creating photograph)

 

[gfmsucess]

We Will help you to get Good Oil Paintings.

 

[Petraio Prime]

Oil and Acrylic paintings, along with any other types of "flat" art that have textured surfaces, post some interesting options that require a more specific setup than conventional copywork. My recommendations are:

1. Use a very long lens so that your working distance is at least 2-3x times, and preferably 4-8x, the diagonal measure of the painting.

2. Take complete control of the lighting. You need a minimum of two evenly spaced lights that strike the edge of the painting at and angle of 40-45 degress from the plane of the painting (45-50 degrees from the lens to center of painting angle). This angle might be different, particularly when you can use a properly long lens. With a long lens, the angle from the plane of the painting should be greater (closer to camera's line of sight.

3. The lights and camera should both have polarizers. The lights should have identical orientation to each other and the camera's should be 90 degress from that of the lights. The idea is than no light should reach the lens other than what is diffusely reflected from the painting.

4. If you wish to show the brush strokes, a single unpolarized light should be place at a low angle (close to the plane of the painting) to skim the tops of the brush strokes. This light needs to be at a distance from the near corner of the painting equal to about 8-10x the diagonal measure of the painting.

The reasoning for the above is that the long lens reduces the angular difference in the view at each corner and the center. Seeing one brush stroke from slightly below and another, at the other side of the painting, from above creates and artificial look. The distance to the copy lights is so that the lighting is reasonably uniform across the image. The placement of the lights is to minimize reflections, though with shiney oils and acrylics there will always be some. The crossed polarizers are to eliminate reflections further. The accent light (#4) needs to be so far away because it must not be detectably brighter at the near side/corner comparted to the far side; the 10x factor will reduce the difference to 1/2 stop or less.

This advice is precisely correct. Do not attempt to do it any other way. It is a waste of time to do anything else. Do exactly what is posted here, and nothing else.

 

[banterer]

Hello,

I just joined the forum after doing a search and finding this thread.

In reading the detailed instructions from Dwig, I don't understand why the longer the lens the closer the lights have to be to the camera. Wouldn't that create more reflections?

Thanks!
Jorge

 

[KmH]

Closed to keep spammers out.