Your painting isn’t “wrong” online—your photo might be. Bad documentation costs trust: colors shift, glare hides texture, skewed angles make rectangles look trapezoidal. I’m not a pro photographer, but I’ve learned a few rules that keep my gallery honest.

Diffuse light wins

Direct sun or a bare bulb throws hard highlights on varnish and oil. Overcast days near a window, or a softbox/umbrella if you have one, flatten the glare curve. If you must use a phone flash, bounce it off a white wall or don’t use it at all.

Parallel to the surface

Align the camera sensor parallel to the picture plane. Stand centered; use a tripod or stack of books. Fix minor perspective in editing, but get close in-camera. For sculptural work, pick one “hero” angle and a couple of three-quarter views—consistency matters more than quantity.

Color check

Shoot a gray card or white sheet in the same light if you’re color-critical. Warm indoor LEDs will make everything peachy. I tweak white balance until a known neutral area looks neutral, then compare to the piece in hand—not memory, the actual object.

Crop like a human

Leave a sliver of breathing room or crop true to edges—don’t accidentally slice a signature or tension line. Export at a size your site can load; sharp downsized beats fuzzy full-res.