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Learning how to prepare for a gallery photoshoot is crucial to ensure that you are presenting your gallery in the best way possible.
We have built a comprehensive list of tips to ace your photo shoot using your smartphone!
1. Prepare your gallery space
a. Exhibition space
o Open all the curtains and blinds
o Make sure your space is correctly lit
o Hide visible cords
o Sweep or vacuum the floors
o Dust surroundings
o Empty trash cans
o Remove any valuables you don’t want to be photographed
b. Storage space
o Arrange artworks & objects
o Clean surfaces
o Empty trash
c. Exterior
o When possible, remove cars from the driveway
o Hide unwanted objects
o Neatly arrange any decorations near the front door
o Tend to any gardening needs, like dead plants, brown spots on the grass, or bushes that need pruning
2. Plan your photoshoot
List your top priorities:
o Start by identifying the leasable walls within your gallery.
o Key points of interest, such as the door entry, windows/natural light, and architectural features that will make your gallery stand out
Shot list to customize based on your situation:
a. Fellowship walls
o Wide photo of the wall set-up
o 45° angle photo n°1
o 45° angle photo n°2
b. Exhibition rooms
o Wide photos of each exhibition room
o Alternate the angle of rooms for more context
o Close-up photo showcasing special space features
c. Storage space
o Wide photo of the whole storage space
o Mid-range images of storage shelves and racks
o Close-up photo of artworks stored
d. Exterior
o Street view of the gallery façade
o Mid-range image including any outdoor sitting areas (and potentially their view)
o Close-up photo of any thoughtfully styled decor, like potted plants
o The path to your entryway
3. Setup your smartphone
Here are some helpful features and how to adjust your smartphone.
a. Turn on grids, to better position your image and make sure that it’s straight.
For iPhone: Go to Settings > Camera, and from there, you can toggle your phone’s grid to On.
For Android: Launch the camera app, go to Settings, scroll down, and switch the Gridlines option to On.
b. Turn off the flash to avoid a harsh bright look. If your space has windows, you’ll want to photograph it during the brightest time of day. If the space doesn’t have windows, turning on your gallery light should do the job.
To turn off the flash, open your Camera app, then find the lightning bolt icon and select Off.
c. Turn on autofocus so that you don’t have to adjust this manually. Don’t take photos with one hand.
To turn on the autofocus, open your Camera app, then press for a few seconds until a yellow square (for iPhone) or circle (for Android) appear.
d. Make sure that the image resolution is high, your phone’s storage settings may be optimized to only store low-resolution images, so check that you’re saving high-resolution images for your photo shoot. You can always go back and switch this once you’ve taken your photos.
You know your space better than anyone, so make sure to photograph all your favorite aspects and anything that fellow galleries may appreciate. Before you wrap up your photo shoot, take a few minutes to scan through all the images you captured to make sure you’ve addressed everything on your list.