Photographing large paintings

Photoflood light with polarizing filter

Yesterday I took pictures of some larger paintings. It is always a challenge to get good pictures of oil paintings because of the shine and texture of the surface. Smaller paintings can usually be photographed in the shade or in a lightbox. But, if you want a really good professional quality image, it is necessary to use a polarizing filter on the camera lens, and on the lights! Here is one of the lights with the filter gel clipped in front of it. Looks crude, but it works! The filter is just a sheet of plastic that will melt if it gets too close to the heat of the light bulb. Now I have some good images for juried shows!

Have a good new year!