Photographing your Letterpress Work
Ok so my letterpress work is just rolling along wonderfully since I got my Vandercook - loving life here - seriously!
Now my issue is that I have all this beautiful work and my photos of the work come out horrible. They are either too dark or if I go a little brighter then you cant see the paper well.
Anyone have tricks to share on how to get nice photos of white paper ;-)
Thanks,
Brandi Powell
Sweet Harvey Letterpress
The easiest way to get great pictures is to use natural light from a window. Try to get as close to your print as possible. Most cameras have a minimum viewing distance of 3 ft. With a digital camera you may need to take several practice shots to know for sure the limits of your camera. I use an digital SLR so I can see the focus through the view finder. I then move my body to get close without losing focus.
Try to have something interesting in the background, perhaps something letterpress related. Find some examples of good photography and pay special attention to where the light is coming from, and the setting. A couple of good places to check are http://dolcepress.com/blog , http://adventuresinletterpress.blogspot.com/ ,
Color is another thing to consider. Try to keep the colors in your work and your background related. Several printers I admire use wood in the background. Erin at http://erinzam.com/blog/ uses a a variety of elements to complement her items.
Finally, for some absolutely beautiful work, look here.
http://www.beastpieces.com/
Have a look at the blog of Martin Schröder in Berlin, Germany. He presents his work extremely well, nice photography and interesting stories to go with them as well.
http://www.blog.druckerey.de/