Making pottery is a rewarding a fulfilling activity. Whether you make it as a hobby or as a professional artist, documenting your work is important. In order to share your mugs and vases with the world, you need photos of your work. Photographing your work for social media or a gallery submission is a task that all makers have to deal with. Knowing how to photograph your pottery is an essential part of sharing your work with the world.
Getting high quality photos of your work can be a daunting task. With so many factors to consider, such as lighting, space, what camera to use, and editing each photo, many people simply do not know where to begin. I will show you how I take professional-looking photos of my own work without professional photography equipment, and even using my cell phone!
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Keep reading to discover exactly how I take high quality photos without a professional photography studio or equipment. In this article I will teach you:
- What equipment I use and where you can find it.
- How I set up to take photos on my dining room table.
- How you can take quality photos of your work with any camera, even simply using your cell phone!
- Some simple rules to keep in mind
What Equipment Do you Need?
If you are already a photographer, chances are that you have all of the equipment to properly light, frame, and snap amazing photos. But if you do not have access to expensive lights, backdrops, and cameras, or if you are on a budget, it is possible, even easy, to get almost the same results. A simple list of what you will need is:
- A clean, plain backdrop. For this, I use a white sheet of poster board. These can be found at any office supply store or Walmart or Target for around $1.
- Lighting. For the most even lighting for your pottery, it’s best to use something more than the lights in your ceiling. I found some small LED lighting stands on Amazon for around $30 which work amazingly well.
If you would like to see what lights I use, click here to find them on Amazon. - A space to take your photos. You only need a small area in order to take photos of your pottery. However, it is best if you can use a wall in order to hang your backdrop. I will push my dining table against the wall, and that provides plenty of space to set up and take all of my photos.
- A camera. By saying you need a camera, I honestly mean almost any camera. It is true that using a DSLR has the potential of providing the absolute best quality photos. But their high price point and required know-how make them unavailable to many people. Luckily, the technology in cell phone cameras has improved drastically in recent years, making your phone’s camera perfectly useable for photographing your work. If you prefer to use a “real” camera, one that I recommend and use personally is the Canon PowerShot SX530 HS. Click here to check it out.
- A tripod. This is entirely optional. If you have a good camera, I would recommend using a tripod just to keep the picture steady and consistent. That being said, if you have a steady hand, you will be able to snap great photos without the tripod’s assistance. Taking photos free-hand will also let you find more angles for photos much more easily.
How to Set Up Your Photos
To make taking photos as simple as possible, I will explain exactly how I set up my dining room table to photograph all of my pottery. I live in a small apartment, but I still have plenty of space to photograph all of my pottery except for some of the largest vases and platters.
As long as you have an outlet nearby, any table or surface by a wall will work. Using two lights will give you plenty of lighting for your photos. The lights that I use are perfect because they cast a bright, even light without producing too much glare and reflection. You can even use desk lamps or, if you’re creative enough, just use a couple of bright LED flashlights!
When hanging your backdrop, make sure it does not crease. Just let it drape from the wall onto the tabletop. This will create an even background so your pottery is the star of the show. Something to keep in mind with the backdrop you choose is its color. For a budget option, using a white poster board from Walmart works surprisingly well. Just make sure you hang the glossy side against the wall to avoid too much reflection.
When your lights an backdrop are set, place your mug or bowl or whatever you are photographing on the backdrop. Be careful not to place it too close to the corner of the table and the wall, but not so far away that it casts a distracting shadow. Always adjust your light’s position in order to find the best lighting.
If you are using a camera on a tripod, place it far enough back so you can see the edges of the lights in the frame. You can always zoom in so only your pottery is in frame. When you have your lights and camera set, all that’s left if the action!
How to Get the Best Photos
As long as you have good enough lighting, taking photos of your pottery is super easy. It really is as simple as point and click! Now obviously there are a few things to keep in mind. You want to have a good angle for your photos. I like to have my camera slightly above what I am photographing. This will provide a glimpse of the inside of the mug or vessel.
It is always a good idea to take multiple photos of each pot. This way, when you share your photos, other people can get a feel for the piece if they can’t pick it up and look at it. After you get a photo, just rotate the pot 90 degrees and snap another one.
It is also important to be mindful of how much space you leave around the pot. You don’t want your photo to be mostly your background with a tiny vase in the middle. However you also want to avoid having no background around your pot. When you frame your photo, give plenty of negative space around the piece. It is very easy to edit each photo and crop the negative space down in order to find the best ratio.
The beauty of cell phones nowadays is that their cameras are so good! You are able to get amazing photos without needing to go out and buy an expensive camera. All of the photos in this article were taken with my cell phone on my dining table.
Basic Rules to Keep in Mind
Taking high quality photos of your pottery or any artwork is very simple. That does not mean there aren’t any rules. My top 5 rules in order to take the best photos of your work at home are:
- Use good lighting. Having two sources of light will provide the best, most even lighting. Angle your lights so they are pointing at opposite sides of your pottery.
- Find the best angles. Rotate your piece so you can photograph every side of it. It’s even a good idea to snap a picture of the bottom and inside of your pots.
- Be mindful of negative space. You want your work to be the main focus. Too much background can be distracting, but not enough can be overwhelming. This rule applies less to close-up shots as it does for photographing the entire pot.
- You can always edit your photos. If you end up with too much background, you can easily crop you photo. Once you click the shutter, that photo is rarely the final version.
- Save your photos!! It is so important to keep your photos saved and organized. When it’s time to make the perfect post on Instagram, you can find your images with ease. If you are applying to a gallery show or curating your portfolio, you can find your images with ease. Keep your photos saved and ideally back them up.
I am not a professional photographer. Like many ceramic artists, I spend most of my time making work. But only making great work is not enough if you want to share your pottery with the world. Knowing how to take quality photos of your work is important not only for professional artists, but for people making for fun as well. You also do not need to spend hundreds of dollars on professional equipment. If you follow this guide, you will be taking beautiful, professional photos of your ceramic artwork.
Further Reading
Deciding on the best way to fire your pottery? This may help you decide: Reduction Versus Oxidation Firing. Choose the Best For Your Pottery – Online Pottery School
Read why local Denver artists love pottery and ceramics: Why Pottery? A Simple Yet Powerful Question For Local Artists – Online Pottery School