Some super quick tips about photographing lino print art (or any art I guess!) to sell. I’m sharing examples from my own shop.
Who Is Your Ideal Customer?
Style the Setting to Appeal to their Imagination
The Verdant Man is a piece of work for nature lovers and the eco-conscious. He is inspired by nature, so I used a warm natural wood surface. He’s a folklore icon based on The Green Man- A man of the forest, so I placed pine cones next to the frame too. This also adds a sense of scale.
Including a linocut tool in the picture reminds buyers looking at your work that it’s handmade and gives clues to the way it was created.
Cheeky Picture Frame Tip
I was bending over in uncouth angles trying to avoid unwanted reflections and glare. The solution? Shhh, don’t tell everyone, but omit the glass in the frame when you photograph a framed piece. Who wants to see my ugly shadow lingering over the print? Can anyone tell there’s no glass? The illusion looks more appealing, would anyone care? The print and the detail of the art is framed beautifully without imperfections caused by glass.
Time For A Close Up
You get an opportunity to upload quite a few photos on a shop listing, so don’t be shy- use them! I like uploading close ups of lino prints. The unexpected marks on the Turtle Dove Reduction Print are part of the charm of the handmade art work.
You Don’t Need A Professional Digital Camera
I first started selling art online in 2008. Back then the cameras on a mobile phone generated images the size of a postage stamp. These days, even my ancient iPhone 5 can take an image at 3264 pixels by 2448 pixels, easily large enough to upload to sites like Etsy.
Since we’re all photographing digitally these days it means we can experiment all over the house to find the best locations for the best shots. Hate that photo? Fine delete it! Turns out, after hours testing, the best natural light in my house was the bathroom! Who knew?
I hope that helps for now! Let us know what you have discovered.
Folk Style Linocuts By MStraccia Art 