Comments on: How to photograph textile art

By: Shashikant Mule

Shashikant Mule — Tue, 04 Jun 2019 12:31:34 +0000

I come across with focusing problem while shooting a fabric of size say about 4’x4′. if I focus on spot the other spots are unsharp. In other words if I focus in the center, the area away from the center is unsharp. Please guide me to overcome this problem. Please note that I hve taken care of all other things such as lighting camera possition, angle etc. in this shoot. Thank you.

By: Jeanne B.

Jeanne B. — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 19:14:09 +0000

I agree with the author’s note to avoid sharpening the entire thing. However, for more clarity and contrast, it can help to sharpen the blacks only. It involves ensuring the image is CMYK, then selecting only the Black channel. Use Unsharp mask and only sharpen a very little bit. It makes a huge difference between a clear image and a blah image.

By: arlee

arlee — Tue, 14 Jan 2014 13:59:50 +0000

Detail shots can be handled slightly different with “presentation”–folds and draping can create more interest, without sacrificing quality of the shot, or being over dramatic or precious.

By: Rachel Biel

Rachel Biel — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 21:21:05 +0000

Great tips! Good, solid photography is essential for a successful online presence and it shocks me sometimes that visual artists don’t see how horrible their photos of their work sometimes are.

One of the props that I have found extremely useful is having a rigid insulation board which can serve as a movable wall. These are easily found at Hardware stores here in the US. The one I have is bright pink, 3 inches thick and about 6 feet high. I covered it with a painter’s drop cloth and pinned it down on the back. I like to photograph outside on overcast days so that there are no sharp shadows. I can take that board out with me and prop it against my house, pin textiles to it and shoot away. For larger quilts and textiles, you would need two of them. When not in use, they can be stored out of the way.

I would like to emphasize the tip about not using flash or the sharpening tools. Both can truly ruin an image. Using a flash flattens a photo and creates uneven shadowing. It’s also important to learn basic cropping and editing skills. I often have to brighten a photo, which will then make the colors too vibrant, so I tone them down again, using the saturation control tools. I use Photoshop Elements 9 and love it. It came with great tutorials and I try to work through them to learn new skills.

A great free site to add frames, special effects and to create collages: http://www.picmonkey.com/

Learning how to use a photo editor will also help open up new doors to plan textile works.

Thanks for posting such important info!