Penfield Art Association launched its first online show in June 2000. It was in response to the COVID 19 pandemic, which prevented live shows.
Although PAA resumed live shows in Fall 2021, we continue to have companion online exhibits for each or our three annual shows. Members who enter the live shows have the option of showing the same paintings online.
Here are some tips for getting the best digital images
- You can use your smart phone or a digital camera. You can also scan your painting using a flatbed scanner.
- It is very difficult to get a good image if the painting is under glass. Photograph your painting BEFORE it is framed, or take it out of the frame. The first example at left, taken with a smart phone, is pretty good, but note the reflection at bottom center. Also, this image is skewed.
- Natural light is best; avoid using flash. Outdoors on a bright, overcast day is good. Watch out for shadows!
- Observe carefully to make sure the painting is evenly lighted, without glare, reflections or shadows.
- Even if your work is vertical, shoot it horizontally. You can lay the piece on the ground or floor and then point the camera straight down.
- Make sure your camera and your artwork are parallel and perpendicular. Look carefully through your viewfinder to make sure the corners are square and not skewed. Corners should be 90 degrees. Note the red rectangle in the second example at left, which shows the distortion of the photo.
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
- Do NOT include the frame. It will be cropped out.
- Ideally, resolution should be at least 1,200 pixels on the longest dimension at a resolution of 72 dpi. Image file size should be at least 1 mb.
- Images must be in jpeg format.