The quality of your slides or prints can influence the impression the portfolio will make. Aim for clear, evenly lit images without extraneous details that detract from the work.

If you are making slides, use a 35mm camera. Using a tripod will give you the most legible images. Choose the appropriate film. If shooting in daylight, use Kodak Ektachrome Daylight film. To reduce glare, shoot in shadow against the side of a building.

Whether indoors or outdoors, place the work against a neutral background. Make sure the camera is parallel to the plane of the art object and that the lens is trained on its exact center. Failure to line the object up in this way will produce distortions in the image.

Indoor shooting is more complicated. Color films are not calibrated for conventional lighting, so you will need to use Kodak Ektachrome Professional Tungsten film (or a comparable product) with Tungsten bulbs marked 3200K.

Digital cameras require no special lighting. It is still important, however, to carefully align the camera with the work being photographed. Quality prints can be made on an ink jet printer. There are many ink jet photo papers on the market, but we recommend Epson Matte Heavyweight paper because it is relatively inexpensive and produces clear prints. Format each image at around 250 dpi and no more than seven inches in height on full sized sheets of paper.