How To Make Truly Great Photos In Art Galleries and Museums
Uniquely framed painting of the crucifixion at the Bode Museum in Berlin.
It’s fun and a very satisfying experience to make truly great photos while visiting major art galleries and museums. Here’s what my own practical experience has allowed me to discover along the way that will help you make your own great photos when you next visit a major art space.
To make truly great photos in art galleries and museums you’ll need to control color reproduction through white balance; ensure a sharp result by steadying and precisely focusing your camera; and positioning yourself for optimal lighting and a composition that minimizes distortion.
I love visiting museums and major galleries, particularly when they allow you to make your own photographs. I’ve been fortune to photograph paintings, statues and other artworks in cities as diverse as Paris, St. Petersburg, Melbourne and Phnom Penh.
I made the above photo of a painting depicting the crucifixion displayed in the Bode Museum in Berlin, Germany. Having been brought up a Catholic I’m familiar with the narrative associated with the crucifixion. But it was the rich colors, repetition and arrangement of shapes, and that unusually shaped and beautiful gold frame that caught my attention.
I wanted to photograph the painting, and the frame that surrounded it, and I knew the success of my image would be based upon good technique. To that end achieving a high degree of sharpness, natural perspective and accurate white balance were key considerations in my mind.
Of course I’m always very, very careful to make my photos quickly and efficiently and not to obstruct anyone’s viewing experience or their progress through the space in which I’m photographing. You do not want to upset other visitors, and you most certainly don’t want to draw the attention of any security guards on duty.
Almost always my photo is made in a matter of seconds, and always without the support of a tripod. This allows me to work quickly, with the minimum amount of fuss in a way that doesn’t disturb the experience of other visitors.
Beautiful and luminous crucifixion statue in the Bode Museum in Berlin, Germany.
Achieving Accurate Color Reproduction Through Neutral White Balance
When photographing artwork it’s important that the colors inherent to the work in question be reproduced accurately. That can be difficult to achieve when the artwork is illuminated by light that isn’t neutral (i.e., white) in color. Examples of when that occurs are as follows:
Artificial light that’s either warm or cool in color
Daylight that, due to the time of day or weather, is either warm or cool in color
Multiple light sources that, when mixed together, produce either a warm or cool color
I made this image of a crucifixion statue on a red wall in the Bode Museum in Berlin, Germany. It’s a good example of how critically important achieving an accurate white balance can be to the success of an image.
While making the photo I was very much drawn to the gold and red colors that dominate the composition. I knew that accurately recording the hue, saturation and luminosity of those colors would be important to the success of my photo.
We are drawn to subjects and scenes that display a warm color palette. Think about the yellows, oranges and reds in a typical fall scene as an example. Sometimes we incorporate cool colors, like in a blue sky, into the composition as a way to further enhance the impact of those warm colors.
Imagine if the photo of the crucification had been made with an overly cool white balance. That particular rendering would have reduced the warmth inherent to the scene and, as a result, the mood of the image would have been adversely affected.
Given that it was the warm yellow and red colors that originally drew my attention and caused me to photograph the artwork, a photo displaying an overly cool white balance would have become somewhat less accessible than it otherwise would have been with a more neutral white balance.
Your camera’s built in white balance function is a great way to neutralise the color of the light you’re photographing under. By doing so the correct colors in the painting, tapestry or statue in question will be rendered accurately.
But there are different ways to go about achieving white balance with your camera. Modern cameras will often do a good job on Auto White Balance, when the color of the light is consistent and from one specific type of light source.
So, for example, you can expect a pretty good result when photographing under Incandescent (i.e., Tungsten) light with your camera set to the Incandescent (i.e., Tungsten) white balance setting.
Likewise, Auto White Balance should do a good job when the artwork is illuminated by non-direction natural light. I remember photographing under these conditions in parts of the Hermitage Museum in Moscow.
In circumstances when the color of the light is mixed (e.g., daylight and artificial lighting) it can be very difficult for your camera to achieve an accurate white balance. That’s particularly the case when these mixed light sources are not of the same intensity and are illuminating the artwork from opposite sides.
Under such circumstances your camera will try to neutralize the color of one of the light sources and, in doing so, likely amplify the color of the other. Here’s a simple way by which we can understand this problem.
Your camera can neutralize a warm light source by effectively cooling the color of the light reaching the sensor. Likewise, your camera can neutralize a cool light source by effectively warming the color of the light reaching the sensor.
However, when two light sources of different colors and intensities are mixed together it may be impossible for your camera to achieve a really accurate white balance. That’s particularly the case when the lights are illuminating the artwork from different directions.
A professional photographer employed to document art work under these circumstances will likely switch off and block out all extraneous light and introduce their own lighting, either a continuous light source or flash, of a known and consistent color temperature.
Accurate color reproduction can then be achieved with the aid of a color temperature light meter, which tells the photographer the exact color of the light illuminating the artwork.
The photographer can then alter the color of that light through the addition of colored filters (often placed directly over the light source) or, where possible to do so, by changing the color of the light emitted from the light source.
With the camera set to RAW, rather than JPEG, the photographer also has the option to tweak the white balance in applications like Adobe Lightroom or Camera Adobe Camera RAW.
One way to do this is to place one of several commercially available white balance tools such as a Color Checker Passport 2 in front of the object being photographed.
After making the picture it’s simple a matter of neutralising the color of what should be a neutrally colored white or grey patch on the Checker in Lightroom or Camera RAW and applying that same software adjustment to all subsequent images made under the same lighting.
Assuming the lighting doesn’t change you can continue to photograph numerous paintings, tapestries, statues, sculptures and other objects of art without having to make dramatic adjustments to white balance either in camera or on the desktop.
However, for this technique to work properly, you’ll need to stop your camera from trying to adjust the white balance as the photographic session progresses. That means making sure you switch your camera off the Auto White Balance setting.
Unfortunately, there’s no actual white balance off setting in digital cameras. With this in mind the best way to proceed is to settle on a single white balance setting that’s designed to achieve a neutral white balance, when photographing under relatively white light conditions, and leave your camera set there throughout this process.
That setting, depending upon the camera you use, is called Daylight, Sunny or Direct Daylight. But don’t get confused by what it’s called.
Simply understand that’s what you set your camera’s white balance to when you want to accurately record the color of the light illuminating the subject or scene you’re photographing. And when that light is neutral in color you’ll achieve very accurate color reproduction in your photos.
The term professional photographer is a pretty broad term, and the kind of approach I’ve outlined here is really best undertaken by the kind of professional photographer who specialises in photographing artwork.
I can’t say these folks would, necessarily, be the best option to photograph a wedding or major sports event. But when it comes to professionally documenting artwork those photographers who specialize in that kind of photography really do know what they’re doing.
But what about the rest of us?
It’s been a very long time since I’ve owned studio lights and, even if I had permission to do so, I have no desire to bring large amounts of gear into a gallery or museum to photograph the artwork on display.
I remember the saying that commercial photography is 90% furniture moving. And that’s really not the way I want to approach my own travel photography projects.
For the vast majority of us the best way forward is to apply a few simple techniques and the photos we produce will more than adequately pass the pub test and provide us with great memories of our experience viewing world class art in some of the world’s great galleries and museums.
With that in mind I recommend the following approach to achieving great color reproduction when photographing artwork.
Why RAW Is Better Than JPEG For Accurate Color Reproduction
Set your camera to RAW, rather than JPEG. This provides you with significant opportunities to alter white balance, after the fact, in applications like Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Camera RAW.
Whether you try to get the white balance as close to neutral or not in camera, like I do, or simply set your camera to Sunny/Daylight/Direct Daylight and then adjust the RAW file on the computer is up to you.
Unfortunately, while an extremely convenient in-camera workflow, setting your camera to JPEG basically cooks the white balance that’s been set in camera into the image file.
While you can make slight adjustments in color to a JPEG on the desktop, JPEG images that display really poor color balance are almost impossible to fix.
To learn more about the relative advantages and disadvantages associated with shooting in RAW or JPEG check out my article titled RAW Versus JPEG - What’s Best?
Of course I’d only recommend a RAW camera workflow to someone who actually wants to process their images on the desktop. If you’re one of the vast majority of folks that never want to post process your photos then you’ll need to keep your camera set to JPEG.
That’s because RAW files have to be processed, out of camera (usually by the photographer), and then exported as JPEG’s so they can be printed or shared be email, websites and blogs, and via social media.
But how would you achieve accurate color reproduction with your camera set to JPEG?
You might be lucky and find, more often than not, your camera achieves very good results set to AWB or Auto White Balance when photographing in JPEG mode. But when it fails you, you’ll need to follow one of two specific workflows.
Manually set your camera’s white balance to, for example, the Incandescent (i.e., Tungsten) or Flurorescent settings and, if you’re able to, try to adjust the color balance on the desktop
Try a Custom White Balance
How To Use A Custom White Balance
White Balance is generally utilised to achieve accurate color reproduction by measuring the color of the light illuminating the subject or scene in question and adjusting the color of that light reaching the sensor to achieve neutral color.
With the Custom White Balance setting engaged on your camera photograph a white card or white sheet of paper in front of the subject or scene in question.
To ensure you arrive at a really neutral white balance you might consider purchasing a tool that’s manufactured specifically for this purpose. The Color Checker Passport 2 mentioned earlier is great, but there are other simpler and cheaper tools (with just white and grey patches) available.
Make sure the white card or paper is photographed parallel to your camera and that you don’t cast a shadow onto it.
The white card or paper acts as a kind of control point making it relatively easy for the camera to read and neutralise any non-white colored light reflecting off the surface of the card or paper.
For this to work it’s important that the card or paper in question be a neutral white, rather than a warm or cool white. Some photographers find this technique works well, others say it’s fickle and problematic. I suggest testing it out, extensively, in different rooms in you home or workplace prior to trying the technique out in an actual gallery or museum.
Just remember, if the technique isn’t quick and efficient to implement you’re probably not going to find the experience enjoyable. In that case, the Custom White Balance technique may not be for you. And that’s perfectly okay.
If you’re photographing in RAW mode it’s fine to simply set your camera to the Sunny/Daylight/Direct Daylight white balance, photograph a suitable white balance tool and then adjust the white balance on the desktop.
Professionals often tether (i.e., connect) their camera to a computer and adjust the white balance in Adobe Lightroom or Adobe Camera RAW on site. But, for the rest of us, that’s not possible.
In that case it’s perfectly acceptable to adjust the white balance of your RAW files on the desktop, which will likely involve tweaking individual files as you move through the gallery and photograph under lighting conditions that may vary somewhat from room to room.
I’ve written extensively about light and color on this site, and how to achieve great white balance and color in the photos you make. Do check out my article titled Color Balance in Photography: Complex Theory Made Simple if you’re looking to master the way colors are recorded in your own photos.
Interior of a gallery within the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia.
How To Make Really Sharp Images In Low Light Environments
The fact is, to protect the artworks on display from the ravages of direct, bright light the levels of illumination in galleries and museums is deliberately kept low.
That was certainly the case when I made this image in a smaller gallery within the massive Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. I created the image at 1/15 second, hand-held, with my camera set to ISO 800 and the aperture of my 24 mm f/4 fixed lens set to f4.
By utilising a wide-angle lens I was able to monumentalise the vessel in the foreground by moving in and photographing it from a relatively close distance, while still including quite a lot of the paintings and intricately carved ceiling in the composition.
I focused carefully on the vessel and held the camera as steady as I could while releasing the camera’s shutter. The significant depth of field associated with the 24 mm wide-angle focal length produced an image that’s pretty sharp from foreground through to the back of the frame.
While helping to contribute to a quieter and more respectful mood from visitors, including young children, low levels of illumination can be problematic for photographers.
The fact is that we need a sufficient amount of light to enter the lens and reach the camera’s sensor to produce a well exposed image. When there’s not much light available we have only two options available to us to avoid underexposure.
Allow more light to enter the lens by photographing at a physically wide aperture (e.g., f/4).
This is problematic as it result in a loss of Depth of Field and critical sharpness from, edge to edge, across the surface of a large painting or tapestry. You can minimise this problem by ensuring you photograph from directly in front of the middle of the artwork.
Decrease (i.e., slow) the camera’s Shutter Speed (e.g., 1/60 to 1/15 second) to allow more light to reach the camera’s sensor.
This is also problematic as, by doing so, the camera’s shutter is open for a longer period of time making it more prone to camera shake, resulting in loss of sharpness.
Increasing the camera’s sensitivity to light by increasing the ISO.
This technique works well as an increase in ISO will allow for a faster shutter speed and, as a result, less chance of movement being introduced through camera shake.
However, older camera’s don’t tolerate particularly high ISO’s all that well, resulting in images with potentially unacceptable levels of noise.
With practice it’s possible to steady the camera and photograph at relatively slow shutter speeds (e.g., ⅛ second) and achieve an image with acceptable sharpness and relatively low levels of noise.
Unlike DSLR cameras, mirrorless cameras don’t suffer from mirror slap as the camera’s mirror jumps out of the way to allow light to pass through to the camera’s sensor. This is a great advantage when photographing at relatively slow shutter speeds.
The good news is that both DSLR and Mirrorless camera systems include lenses that incorporate one form or other of Image Stabilization. Some camera’s actually include these technology into the camera body.
Making sure this technology is engaged will allow you to produce sharper images than you otherwise could, particularly when photographing under low light conditions.
How To Photograph Paintings Without Distortion
Most of the time you’ll want your photos to document paintings and other artwork as accurately as possible. That often entails ensuring they are photographed with a relatively normal perspective without adverse distortions.
To do this ensure you’re photographing from a position that’s directly in front of the artwork in question. This should help ensure the artwork doesn’t appear to warp or appear large or longer along one side.
You’ll often want to ensure that you’re photographing from a position that’s about half way up the vertical axis of the artwork. This should ensure that you’re not having to tilt your camera up or down when composing the image, resulting in a relatively natural perspective.
When photographing a large artwork it’s probably impossible to situate your camera in line with the very centre of the piece. However, by moving backwards and then zooming your lens in to fill the frame you’ll be able to achieve the desired result.
That’s because the further back you move the less likely you are to have to tilt your lens upward and, as a consequence, the less distortion will occur.
As long as you have the space to move and the right lens on your camera this technique works really well. That is, assuming other visitors don’t walk in front of you while you’re making your photo.
Of course there are times when you may want to photograph artwork from a more extreme angle of view. Forcing the viewer to look upwards is a great way to elicit awe and respect. Artists have used this very technique for centuries, particularly when it comes to portraying religious, royal or political figures.
Portraying the subject from a slightly lower angle of view can also allow the artist to portray the subject depicted as somewhat arrogant or aloof.
As a photographer you should explore a variety of perspectives in your own photography practice, whether photographing artwork or other, more typical subject matter.
Bust against a deep blue background at the Bode Museum in Berlin.
Is A Strictly Documentary Approach To Photographing Art Necessary?
For the most part I try hard to accurately depict the artwork on display. In addition to correct exposure (i.e., brightness), that means arriving at the white balance necessary to ensure the artwork is reproduced with a relatively accurate color rendition.
But there are times when I move away from accurate documentation of artwork and opt for a more stylistic intertpetation. Most often such decisions would be based upon my own mood, opinions and experience having photographed the artwork in question.
In the case of paintings I’II often try to exclude the frame from my composition in camera as I feel doing so concentrates attention on the painting and the emotion inherent to it. That’s precisely what I decided to do when photographing this painting of a handsome bust at the Bode Museum in Berlin, Germany.
What’s more I decided I needed to process the photo in such a way so as to isolate the bust from its surroundings and, thereby, place attention on the figure portrayed.
For the most part that involved darkening the background to a deep blue color and adding a dark vignette to the outside edge of the image. These simple actions help to draw attention to the face and eyes of the subject depicted.
It’s amazing how these two simple techniques, while not necessarily abstract, have helped to visually separate the object from its environment and, thereby, give the statue a life of its own.
As to whether or not such post processing should be undertaken I believe it’s important to understand that you are not looking at the actual statue, but a photographic interpretation of that statue.
As such the photographic image has a right to exist on its own, separate to the original artwork. What’s more, as the creator of the photograph, I have the right to alter the image according to my own interpretations.
Mobile Phone Photography Makes It Easier To Photograph In Galleries
Rules and regulations vary, as can the patience of staff and security guards. For these reasons your ability to make great photos in a major gallery, museum or other art space will likely vary from site to site. It’s, therefore, worth doing some preliminary research prior to arriving at a venue with camera in hand.
I should say that I’m referring here, primarily, to government controlled museums and galleries. Private galleries can be much more restrictive when it comes to having art photographed in the spaces they control.
That might be because of the wishes of the artists involved, but it’s also likely to be because the gallery in question, who operate their businesses to make money, may not see the value in allowing visitors to photograph the work on display.
Needless to say there’s something to be said for the power of social media, not to mention educational blogs like this site, to promote exhibitions and galleries free of charge to a wide and diverse audience.
Personally I wish many private galleries would adopt a less restrictive policy when it comes to quality photos being made, by well meaning visitors, on site. And of course social media allows for promotion of the exhibition and the venue to thousands and thousands of people around the world in a way that doesn't involve paid advertising.
Nonetheless, there has been a definite move towards allowing visitors to photograph in major galleries and museums over recent years. This is really positive and it’s great news for photographers. But it hasn't always been the case and I suspect it started to change with the proliferation of mobile phone photography.
It's one thing to ask the occasional serious amateur photographer to leave relatively large and professional looking cameras in the cloak room, but quite another thing to confiscate all mobile phones upon arrival. That fact may be why I’ve found I’m less likely to be asked to store my camera away upon arrival.
And instead of following a single photographer around a gallery space, as has happened to me in the past, the notion of limited amounts of security guards keeping an eye on every individual with a mobile phone is simply impossible in a busy major gallery.
However, bringing a large camera bag with several lenses into a major art space can be problematic. If that’s the case decide which camera and lens will best serve your needs and be prepared to store your bag and whatever other camera gear you have inside it for the duration of your stay.
What’s The Purpose Of Your Camera?
Of course for so many folks the mobile phone is used to make selfies of themselves in front of said art work. But I'm a photographer and, while my images are very much about me, they do not have to feature my own face. I feel that's a critical difference and an important point of departure for the creative soul.
While more and more folk seem to aspire to become celebrities, I simply want to be successful so as to do what I already do, more often and more easily, and to be able to share what I do with many, many more people. By doing so I’m able to help folks along their own creative journey through the joy of photography.
That’s it!
It would be great to live on through my photography, after I’ve moved onto what ever awaits me beyond this human existence. But outside of family, friends and colleagues whether my face is remembered isn’t particularly important to me.
I do think it’s important to ensure you have your own photograph made, again and again, during your journey through life. But, for me, it’s by documenting how I feel about what I see, rather than my own image, that’s most important to me.
To this end I love photographing statues and other works of art in galleries and museums. That’s because it’s a great way to explore how many of the world’s greatest artists have been able to express their own understandings from what they’ve seen and experienced of the Human Condition.
