Art Photography, Giclee Printing & Prices

The prices for Fine Art Photography and Giclee printing can vary dramatically, and it is sometimes difficult to know which supplier to choose. If you are having your Art photographed, then a supplier within easy driving distance is important, but if you already have your own images then you have a large choice of online suppliers.

As far as the photography of your art is concerned, look for a Professional Photographer with experience of working with and handling Fine Art. Many suppliers out there have no background experience of copying art and many do not even use photography. They will offer to 'Scan' your artwork on a flatbed scanner, which I am sure you are familiar with. Scanning can be satisfactory depending on the type and size of artwork. It is not really suitable for Oils if you want to eliminate all surface reflections. Many suppliers use A3 scanners a few A2. If your art is larger than the scanner your image will be 'stitched'. It will be scanned in sections, sometimes as many as four depending on the size of the original. It will then be digitally joined together or 'stitched' to form a full size image. Certainly not the best approach if you want the very best reproduction of your art and physically impossible on large or framed paintings.

You will find that suppliers that scan your art may also offer the option of photography if you request it, but the price will be considerably more than scanning as you need an experienced photographer and in most cases they use an outside provider.

I photograph art to a very high standard and charge less than some suppliers charge for scanning. One reason is that I work from a 'home' studio. My overheads are considerably less, so I can pass the savings on to my customers. I offer a personal 'bespoke' service to my artists, you will be discussing your art and your requirements with the person who will be doing the work, not a face on reception.

Giclee print prices and quality vary from different suppliers. I believe my prices for Giclee printing are some of the lowest out there. But low prices are not attractive if this means low quality. Apart from the basic requirements of high end printer, archival papers and inks, the end result will depend on the skills of the person producing the print. The final print quality of an image is determined well before it even reaches the printer. The digital image needs to be balanced, corrected and matched to the original to achieve the finest reproduction. Unfortunately this is where some suppliers are lacking. To truly understand a digital image and what needs to be done to produce a superb Giclee print needs an operator with a background of dealing with images for print. Again a good professional photographer has all these talents.

http://www.artorigination.co.uk/