A book for children to share tips and ideas about taking effective photos of sculptures.

Taking photos of your sculpture 

A view of the sculpture through the viewfinder of an ipad.

You will want the photos to be clear and in focus. To do this you can look through the viewfinder and touch your sculpture as you see it on the screen to make sure the camera is focused on it and not focused on something in the front (foreground) or back (background). You can touch the image of the sculpture on the screen to ensure the camera is focused on it.

A table with a white top and white boards creating a plain background behind. 

It is useful to set up a space where the photos can be taken. This might be a table or a corner of the classroom where each sculpture can be placed and photographed. Everyone in the class might use the same set up or there might some materials available so that each of you can make some choices about backgrounds and layout.&nbsp;

When you’ve made a sculpture it is important to take photos of it so that you, the sculptor, can share it with people who can’t come and see it. You might need to capture what it looks like if you can’t keep it.&nbsp;

In this book you can read the text or click the 'Read to me' in the top right hand corner to hear the text read to you.

The read to me and speaker icon from the top right of the BookCreator page.

Try out different backgrounds for your sculpture to stand on and in front of and choose one that makes your sculpture stand out.

A screenshot showing the grid overlaid onto the camera viewfinder.

Animated GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

Cardboard IPad Stand 

How to make an iPad/tablet stand out of LEGO

Change advanced camera settings on your iPad

GIPHY - Be Animated

You will need to take a group of photos so that the audience can see what your sculpture looks like all the way around. If you have set up the tablet on a stand its easier to move the sculpture to do this. You might take four photos, moving your sculpture around by 90° in turn to capture the front, each side and the back. You might want to zoom in an interesting&nbsp;detail.

You might wish to add a label that has the title of your sculpture and your name as the artist.

Explore how galleries display their sculptures.

A photo of materials that can be used to create backgrounds, including paper, card, fabric and foamboard.

It is usual to choose a plain background that allows your sculpture to stand out. This might be white, a neutral colour (like grey) or black depending on what colour your sculpture is. There could be a wall of the right colour in your classroom or you might use pieces of card, foam board, fabric or paper to make the right background for your sculpture.

Try out some plinths for your sculpture to sit on.

Choose a place that is light enough to allow the audience to see your sculpture. This could be indoors or outdoors. Often the light changes outdoors as the sun goes in and out and its hard to know when the light will be just right so its more usual to take photos indoors, perhaps beside a window. You might want to think about whether there are too many shadows or too much glare which will mean that audience can’t see your sculpture clearly in the photos.&nbsp;

A background set up with a cardboard iPad stand set up in front of it.

It is important to hold the tablet still when you take photos and one way of doing this is to use a stand. You might have stands at school or they can be made from card or lego. They are also useful for making stop motion animations so they might be kept for that. If you set up the tablet on a stand you’ll need to make sure that you can move your sculpture and not your device.

Thinking about what the sculpture sits on

A photo of various plastic and cardboard boxes and crates laid out on the floor

Choose whether your sculpture needs to sit on a plinth (a box shape) or on a flat surface. This will depend on its structure, size and shape. Think about the colour of the plinth or flat surface just like you thought about the background you planned earlier.

Think about how to present the photos so that the audience can see it fully. Your audience might never see the sculpture in real life so these photos are the only way you can show them what your sculpture is like.

The sculpture set up and also visible through the viewfinder of an ipad on a stand.

The sculpture set up and a side view of the ipad and stand.

Once you have the iPad in the perfect place you might want to tape it down securely so that it does not move.

A photocollage showing a complete view of the sculpture and three close ups to show details.

Placing the sculpture in the middle of photo

You will want your sculpture to in the middle of the photo, not right up to the edges but not with lots of space around it. You might zoom in or zoom out using your fingers on the screen to get the view or composition just right. You can see that the grid is switched on in camera settings and this can be helpful here.

Think about where your sculpture is in space so that your photos show the audience what the sculpture is like, with no distractions. You’ll need to think about:

Think about the device you are using and how you can use it effectively so that your audience can see your sculpture clearly. You’ll need to think about: