In the contemporary art market, digital presence is as significant as physical exhibitions, which means digitising your artwork becomes crucial before framing or selling, so how can you best digitise your work?
Why digitise your artwork?
Once you sell your work, the opportunity to earn ongoing revenue from it is lost. If you frame your work behind glass, digitising that work becomes much more difficult—sometimes impossible—to capture correctly.
Preservation: Digitising your artwork ensures a permanent, high-quality record of your pieces. This foresight is invaluable if you intend to sell your work or if the work suffers damage or loss. You can create multiple copies of a digital file for backup, archiving and forwarding to various parties.
Reproduction: High-resolution images are essential for creating art prints, merchandise, and large-scale reproductions. These images allow you to maintain the quality and detail of the original work, which is crucial for your brand and customer satisfaction.
Marketing and sales: Digital images are fundamental for online portfolios, social media, and e-commerce platforms. They allow potential buyers to see your work in detail, enhancing your ability to market and sell your art.
I have attempted (many times) to photograph my artwork with a DSLR camera, aiming to capture the intricate details of the fibres in my work. Despite my efforts, the images needed better resolution, clarity, and lighting. I’ve found I get better quality images from my iPhone, which I use for social media. These images are convenient but still not sufficient for high-quality reproductions.
Realising the limitations of my equipment, I sought professional help and visited Sait Akkirman, a renowned photographer in Auckland. Sait specialises in photographing artwork and has a studio equipped with the correct technology to capture ultra-high-resolution images. The difference was astonishing. Sait’s photographs picked up every fine fibre and subtle detail, far surpassing the capabilities of my DSLR and iPhone.
By ensuring you digitise your artwork (to the highest quality you can afford), you preserve your original pieces and expand your artistic reach. Your one single artwork can then be used for multiple revenue streams, thus eliminating the pressure to make money from the sale of original art alone.
Investing in high-quality digital images is an investment in the future of your art business.
Instagram: @sarahritchiehq
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