What is the best light for photographing paintings?

Bright, even daylight from a window on an overcast day, with no direct sun on the work. Indoors, use two matched lights at 45 degrees either side so neither side of the work is brighter.

How do I stop glare when photographing a painting?

Move the lights to 45 degrees or wider so reflections bounce away from the camera. Take a varnished painting out from behind glass, and turn off overhead lights. A polarising filter helps with stubborn glare.

Can I photograph paintings with a phone?

Yes. A recent phone is sharp enough for any online listing. Use the main lens, not the wide one, step back and zoom slightly to reduce distortion, and tap on the work to set focus and exposure.

How many photos should an art listing have?

At least four: the straight shot, the work in a room, a detail and an angled shot. Marketplaces such as Etsy allow ten, and listings that fill more slots tend to do better.

Guide

How to photograph paintings for online sales

The short answer: shoot in soft, even daylight, with the camera square on to the centre of the work, then crop to the edges and check the colour against the original.

That gives you the straight shot. A listing that sells also needs the work in a room, a detail and an angle, covered at the end of this guide.

Already have the straight shot? See it in a room

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Contemporary living room with a speaker and houseplants

A sample painting, 50 × 44 cm, hung at its real size. Drop your painting in above and it takes its place here and in every room below.

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Light

Daylight, not sunlight. A large window on an overcast day is the best free light there is. Direct sun gives hot spots and hard shadows.
Two matched lights indoors. Place them at 45 degrees either side of the work, the same distance away, with the same bulbs.
Turn off every other light. Mixing a warm ceiling light with daylight gives colour casts that are hard to correct.
Glass off. Unframe works on paper if you can. Glazing reflects the room and the camera.

Camera position

Put the camera at the height of the work’s centre, pointing straight at it, so all four edges come out straight. Hang the work or stand it on an easel tilted back slightly to match a tilted camera. Step back and zoom in a little rather than standing close with a wide lens, which bends straight edges. A tripod and the camera’s timer stop shake in low light.

Colour

Set white balance with a grey card or a sheet of white paper held beside the work, then compare the photo with the painting side by side on a screen at a normal brightness. Correct the photo, not the screen. If a buyer returns a work, colour is usually the reason.

Cropping and files

Straighten any remaining tilt, then crop exactly to the work’s edges, or to the frame’s.
Keep the original at full resolution. Export a copy at 2,000 to 3,000 pixels on the long side for the web.
Name files with the title and size, which helps search and saves confusion later.

The photos a listing needs

Photo	What it shows
The straight shot	The whole work, square on, cropped to its edges. Always the first image.
In a room	The work on a wall above furniture, at its real size. Answers "how big is it?"
Detail	A close crop of the surface: brushwork, paper texture, the signature.
At an angle	Raking light from one side, to show impasto, canvas weave or a deckled edge.
Edges and back	The sides of a canvas, the frame, the hanging fixings, any labels.

The room shot is the one most sellers skip and buyers most want, because a straight shot gives no sense of size. You don’t need to hang the work in a styled room to get it: upload the straight shot to Situ.art, enter the work’s dimensions, and it hangs at that size in hundreds of real rooms. Showing art at scale explains why that matters.

Questions

What is the best light for photographing paintings?: Bright, even daylight from a window on an overcast day, with no direct sun on the work. Indoors, use two matched lights at 45 degrees either side so neither side of the work is brighter.
How do I stop glare when photographing a painting?: Move the lights to 45 degrees or wider so reflections bounce away from the camera. Take a varnished painting out from behind glass, and turn off overhead lights. A polarising filter helps with stubborn glare.
Can I photograph paintings with a phone?: Yes. A recent phone is sharp enough for any online listing. Use the main lens, not the wide one, step back and zoom slightly to reduce distortion, and tap on the work to set focus and exposure.
How many photos should an art listing have?: At least four: the straight shot, the work in a room, a detail and an angled shot. Marketplaces such as Etsy allow ten, and listings that fill more slots tend to do better.

Turn the straight shot into a room shot

Upload the photo you just took, add the work's size, and download it in a real room at true scale. Free, no watermark, no account needed to start.

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More guides: Wall art size guide, Art print sizes and ratios, Art print sizes for Etsy, Showing artwork in a room, Showing art at scale, Art above a sofa, Best wall art mockup generators.