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Guides for artists

How to photograph artwork for online exhibitions

Updated on October 30, 2026

Light, framing, color and cropping: how to photograph paintings, drawings and prints with a phone so they look true to life in a virtual exhibition.

In an online exhibition, visitors only know the artwork through its photo. A crooked, yellowish or glary image makes the best painting look amateur. The good news: you can take very good photos with a phone if you follow a few steps.

Light

  • Use soft natural light: near a large window on an overcast day, or in the shade on a bright day. Avoid direct sun.
  • Turn off warm room lights so colors do not mix.
  • Varnish and glass reflect: tilt the work or the light slightly until the glare disappears. If possible, shoot without the frame glass.
  • With artificial light, use two identical sources, one on each side, at 45° to the work.

Framing

  • Stand exactly in front of the center of the work, with the phone parallel to it. This avoids the "keystone" effect.
  • Step back a little and use a light zoom (2x) instead of getting very close: the wide-angle lens distorts edges.
  • Rest the phone on a surface or tripod and use the timer to avoid shake.
  • Hang the work on a wall or lean it on a chair, perfectly upright.

Color and exposure

  • Tap the work to focus and adjust exposure so the white of the paper does not blow out.
  • Turn off filters and beauty modes.
  • Compare the photo with the work side by side and correct only what is needed (brightness, contrast, temperature).

Cropping

Crop the photo right at the edge of the artwork, without the wall around it. If it is slightly skewed, use the perspective tool in your phone’s photo editor. In a 3D exhibition the frame is chosen later, so the image should contain only the work.

File size

A regular phone photo already has plenty of resolution. On My Virtual Gallery photos are optimized on upload so they load fast on visitors’ phones. Keep the high-resolution original for prints and press.

Three-dimensional works

Sculptures and objects need a neutral background (white or gray paper curving down to the floor), soft side light to show volume, and several photos from different angles.

With the photos ready, follow the guide how to create a virtual art exhibition.

Create my free gallery

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