How To Build Your Own Photo Reference Library

All copyrights are retained by the artist,
Mona Majorowicz of Wild Faces Gallery.

The artwork or content in this lens may not be used or reproduced, either
in part or in whole, without the express written consent from the artist.

Whenever I photograph a subject I try to go all the way around them. Also, often I get down on my knees to try new angles. Yup, even in public places. I usually don't mind humiliation when on a quest for new images to paint.

Photographic Distortion

When using photos to paint by, it is important to be aware that photos can lie and misrepresent reality. This is known as distortion.

Photographic distortion is more of an issue when photographing people or object. The best way to avoid distortion is to be at eye level of whatever you are shooting. When photographing small animals like kittens or baby geese, I lay on the ground so I am shooting them straight on.

Me mindful of being too close or too much above or below your subject, as this will foreshorten it. Unless of course that is your goal.

The other thing I do when collecting painting reference photos is I take loads of detail shots. Close up or macro images of eyes, ears noses anything that I deem significant at the time. While these will probably never be the whole completed painting they provide information that might be lost of the wider shots.

Good lighting can make the difference between an ordinary photograph (and thus generally an ordinary painting) and a stunning piece. Good lighting can bring much needed contrast between shadow and highlight. Most of the time when I am photographing critters, I have to take what lighting there is. But for this I get to play around a bit.

This photo is just using the overhead light as well as the natural light from the window. It offers an okay amount of contrast. It would probably give me enough information to make a passably good painting. (If I were so inclined, and if I used loads of artistic juju to bump up the contrast while in the process of painting.)

The second photo is the flower lit using a natural spectrum light bulb from my drafting table, as well as overhead and natural sunlight from the window. I placed the lamp at a 45 degree angle from the windows. It not only added contrast, but also a myriad of soft and subtle hues of pink, yellow and blue. Lovely! (Plus, it will require much less of the juju to make a great painting.)

Had I been really feeling the flower power, I would have spritzed it gently with a water bottle, to mimic dew. It's almost enough to make a critter artist think about painting peonies. Or maybe I am just drunk on the sweet smell of flowers that is currently permeating the gallery.

When taking photos outdoors I have found that the best light occurs in the mornings and evenings.

Both mornings and evenings the light is warmer in color and often with a yellow cast. Also the side lighting allows for greater drama with lights and shadows.

Note: This photo was taken in the evening and the horses are back lit. While this particular photo in and of itself doesn't make for a great painting. I really like the illumination of the dust and atmosphere that was created by the setting sun. I think with just a little creative juju I could make an outstanding painting from the photos I took that evening.

Why You Should Collect Your Own Photos

So in case your asking yourself why should you go to all this trouble, especially when there are so many sites where you can purchase the rights for photo usage. Well here's 3 good reasons why you should start today.

I. Connects you with your work
2. Avoids Legal Troubles
3. Professionalism

As artists it is extremely important to get in the habit of collecting your own reference materials. While there are plenty of sites where you can get royalty free images or even pay for the usage or limited copyright, there is nothing that beats the "being there" experience.

Collecting your own reference photos will definitely aid in your ability to connect with your art. And if you connect with it chances are, collectors will also.

So awhile back I was reading Katherine Tyrrell's blog Making A Mark. Specifically her post regarding the Gold Medal Award for the American Watercolor Society. Or rather the furor surrounding the winning painting which was a hyper realistic painting derived from two royalty free on-line photos.

It is a stunning painting, and it is easy to see how it won. But once you have the knowledge that the painting was created using two photos from someone else. And though it is painted exquisitely, from what I understand all she really did was put them together relatively unchanged and copy them in paint. The question then becomes should it have won?

I was working on a painting of lambs and I was questioning my color palette. So I thought I'd go on-line and see how some other artists handled painting white sheep. Artistically speaking finding contrast in black faced sheep is easy, but for two all white lambs . . . urm, not so much.

Turns out I got no help. But I did run across a sheep portrait done by a daily painter which was stunning. The color and brush strokes, the cropping and sheep's expression were all really well done. I had one of those "Damn, I wish I had painted that!" moments.

Later on in my rummaging I came across the stock photo she had used for her painting on one of those image websites. Her painting was exactly like the photo image. Yes, it was her color sense and brushwork but everything else, the composition, the facial expression and cropping were the same. She didn't so much a flick an ear in a different direction. I suddenly lost a whole lot of respect for the artist.

I had one of those "Damn, I wish I had painted that!" moments.
Now I am not saying that she did anything wrong. She may well have gotten all the copyrights and stuff. What lost me was all she really did was copy something someone else had done. Yes, she infused her painting style but that was the extent of it. Even if it had been a photo of a full sheep and she then cropped creatively it would have then spoken more of who she is as an artist.

One last story to drive the point home. Recently I signed a contract with an art agent that said I was the legal copyright holder of all my artwork being submitted. And that any lawsuits raised in regards to copyright infringement were my responsibility. I signed it without a single qualm because every painting from long before I turned art into my profession, (with the exception of two) are derived from my own reference photographs.

I have spent decades building my photo library and fortunes on film and developing. But I rest easy knowing that if someone tries makes a claim against me, I have my own reference material to back me up. It does mean I am limited to what I paint, because I have to collect it. But I also get a sense of pride knowing that I participated in the process all the way through.

The moral of the story:
If you have not already done so, start to build your own reference library by taking your own photos. Photos found on line or in old National Geographics (or any other magazine, no matter how obscure) don't count, except as illegal.

Note: Of the two paintings I created using someone else's photos. One was a fellow artist and friend who kept saying I should paint from a couple of shots she took. So I did.

And the other was a portrait of a horse that had passed away. I had used a professionally taken photograph for my primary reference. But before I agreed to use it, I got a letter from the photographer (which I still have on file) stating that it was okay to use his photo and any derivative works were mine to copyright.

Also, if you feel you must use someone else's photos, know the difference between royalty free and copyright free. According to Wikipedia

Royalty Free is:
Royalty-free is a term employed in negotiating the right to use creative content, such as photographs, video, or music. The term royalty-free means that once the content is licensed under a set of guidelines, the licensee is normally free to use it in perpetuity without paying additional royalty charges.

While Copyright is
Copyright is the set of exclusive rights granted to the author or creator of an original work, including the right to copy, distribute and adapt the work. These rights can be licensed, transferred and/or assigned.

So Copyright Free is:
Copyright-free is a conventional expression extensively used in Japan by authors whose works can be used freely regardless of copyright. It is distinguished from public domain.

And Finally Public Domain
Works are in the public domain if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all, if the intellectual property rights have expired,[1] and/or if the intellectual property rights are forfeited or unclaimed.

The defining characteristic of copyright infringement is if the average viewer when looking at the two works see a similarity. The copying need not be exact.

Seriously, isn't it just easier to go out and get your own?

And For Those Of You Who Want To Learn How To Take Better Pictures

My name is Mona Majorowicz I am a professional artist who has been making my living selling my work for some time now. I have been in the art and framing industry for over 20 years. I am an animal artist, (meaning I paint critters) who works primarily in Oil Pastel or Water Soluble Pencil.

I own and operate Wild Faces Gallery with my husband Mike in a small rural town in Iowa. There we sell my original artwork and prints, as well as do quality custom framing and offer Giclee printing for other artists as well as for ourselves

I maintain a blog called Fur In The Paint, as well as write a regular column for the equestrian magazine Apples 'N Oats about painting horses.

Animals are my passion and art is how I chose to express it.

Art Materials, Techniques and Supplies
How To Paint Fur In Watercolor Pencil
Learn About Watercolor Pencils
Using Watercolor Pencils on Suede Board
Inktense: Water Soluble Ink Pencils
Neocolor ll Water Soluble Wax Pastels
Oil Pastel Technique
Oil Pastels: Some Basic Information
Tips and Tools for working with Oil Pastels
3 Ways To Frame An Oil Pastel Painting

Art Business & Art Marketing
How To Know If You're Ready To Make Prints Of Your Art
Artwork Framing Guide
How To Care For Your Artwork and Prints
Creating A Collaborative Economy For Artists
How To Draw Remarques
Art Marketing: 6 Personality Traits For Success In The Art Market
Art Marketing: When Selling Art Predictable Is Popular
Art Marketing:The Two Most Common Myths
Selling Art: Tips From An Art Fair Veteran

Art Fair & Art Fair Gear Lenses
An Art Fair Primer
All Good Things Come From Art Fairs
20 Things I've Learned From 20 Years of Doing Art Fairs
Choosing The Right Art Fair
Preparing Art Fair Slides & Digital Images For The Jury
Artwork Display Panels
Directors Chair Resource
Art Fair Equipment Essentials
Art Fair Tents And Canopies

Lenses About Me And My Art
Artwork To Benefit Equine Rescue
Wild Faces Gallery Art Lensography
Animal Totems: An Art Series
The Horse Paintings Of Wild Faces Gallery
The African Wildlife Art of Wild Faces Gallery
The Zen Horse: An Art Series
The Draft Horse Art Of Wild Faces Gallery

Art & Critter Related Books, Movies and Music
The Art Books Of Robert Vavra
Hidalgo: The Movie
My Favorite Horse Movies
The Classic Horse Books Of Marguerite Henry
Music For The Art Of Creating
Author Diana Gabaldon's Outlander Series
Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
The Art Books Of Robert Bateman
House Of Night Vampire Book Series
Vampire Academy Books Series
The Best Books For Women Who Love Horses
The Best Books For Horse Lovers
Oliver: The Original Gallery Cat
Chicory The Wonder Horse
A Tribute To My Faithful Friend Brutus
Is Declawing A Cat Cruel?
The World Percheron Congress 2010
My Dog Cisco: A Day In The Life Of A Retired Farming Dog
Your Cat Related Questions Answered By Budda The Cat
Meet The Budda
Budda's Dream Time Wish List

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How To Collect Your Own Reference Photo Library And Why You Should
Organizing Your Photo Reference Library
How To Stretch Mount A Cross Stitch
Mat Cutting: How To Cut The Basic Mat

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