Photographing your exhibition

01. You don't need a professional photographer

Most artists on Plaarts photograph their own work with a phone, and the results are great. A few simple habits make the difference between images that stop someone scrolling and ones they skip past.

02. Lighting makes everything

Natural light is your best friend. Photograph during the day near a large window, or outside on an overcast day. Overcast skies act like a giant softbox: even light, no harsh shadows.

Avoid direct sunlight hitting the work. It creates hot spots and washes out colour. If you're shooting in a gallery, turn off the flash and let the room lighting do the work. A slightly warm gallery light is better than a cold flash.

03. Angles and framing

For flat work (paintings, prints, photographs), shoot straight on at the centre of the piece. Tilt creates distortion that makes the work look amateur. If you can, hold your phone parallel to the surface.

For three-dimensional work, take at least three shots: a front view at eye level, a detail shot, and an installation view that shows scale. A person standing near a sculpture tells the viewer more about size than any measurement.

For the installation view, step back. Show the room, the floor, the walls. This is the image that makes someone imagine being there.

04. What makes a good cover image

Your cover image is what people see first in search results and on the exhibition card. It needs to work small. Think of it as a thumbnail that earns a click.

Choose an image that's visually striking at a glance. A single strong work usually beats a wide gallery shot for the cover. Save the room views for your gallery images.

Crop tightly. Remove distracting backgrounds, frames, or wall fixtures. The art should fill the frame.

05. Phone photography tips

• Clean your lens. Seriously, a quick wipe with your shirt removes the smudges that make images look soft.
• Tap on the artwork to set focus and exposure. Most phone cameras will adjust automatically, but tapping tells it where to look.
• Avoid zooming in. Digital zoom degrades quality. Move closer instead.
• Take more photos than you think you need. It's easier to delete than to reshoot.