Mastering Smartphone Photography for Your Artwork

A woman presenting a workshop on photographing artwork with an iPhone, holding a selfie stick. She wears a checkered jacket and a flower brooch, with a casual black top and jeans. In the background are tables with art materials and attendees. — Karen shows us how a ‘selfie stick’ works

On Sunday, the 11th of January, committee member Karen Bowden of Fabulous Fibres kindly stepped in at the last moment to present to the guild, as the scheduled speaker was ill.

By Karen Bowden

Taking Photographs with your Smartphone

Good photographs are essential for sharing your artwork – whether it’s for exhibitions, social
media, grant applications, or simply documenting your creative journey. The good news is
that you don’t need an expensive camera or studio setup. Most modern smartphones are
more than capable of producing clear, professional-looking images.

1. LIGHTING

Light is the single most important factor in photography – USE NATURAL LIGHT WHEREVER POSSIBLE.

Photograph near a window or open door where soft daylight is available.

Avoid direct sunlight, which creates harsh shadows and can distort colour.

An overcast day is ideal, as clouds act like a natural diffuser.

Turn off indoor lights as they can add a yellow tinge to your image.

Turn off the camera flash.

If you need extra light, use a lamp placed to the side rather than pointing directly at the artwork or invest in a light ring, which has different settings and can be placed directly overhead.

Use the Portrait setting on your camera if the feature is available, and choose the natural light option.

Screen of a smartphone camera app displaying a dark interface with a message prompting the user to move farther away and options for photo modes including 'Portrait'. — The ‘Portrait’ option on the iPhone.

To lighten or darken the exposure, tap the screen and move the asterisk beside the box up or down.

Screenshot of a camera app interface showing a dark screen with a focus box and a message to move farther away. — Changing the exposure before photographing.

If you are photographing a framed piece, glare and reflection can be an issue. If possible, remove the glass to photograph your work.

2. BACKGROUND

Your work should be the star of the photograph.

Use plain backgrounds such as white, grey, black, or natural wood and avoid busy patterns or colours that compete with your work.

For small items, a large sheet of paper, fabric, or card works well.

For wearables, photograph against a plain (preferably white or pale) wall and use a simple mannequin.

Make sure the background is clean and wrinkle-free – your camera will pick up every speck!

3. KEEP YOUR PHONE STEADY!

The slightest movement can blur an image.

A small tripod or selfie-stick can be a worthwhile investment, but it’s not essential – instead, you can rest your elbows on a table or use a stack of books as a support, which can help to keep the phone still.

4. STAY IN THE FRAME

Centre your piece within the frame. The grid lines setting on your phone can help with this:

Open your phone settings
Scroll down to CAMERA and select.
Locate the GRID setting and turn the toggle to on.

Screenshot of a smartphone camera settings menu showing options for recording video, composition settings including a grid toggle, and HDR settings, alongside a preview of the camera interface. — How to stay in the frame.

Photograph flat work straight on; avoid tilting the camera.

Take both full views and close-up detail shots to show texture in your work – detailed images are especially useful for juried exhibitions and online listings.

5. EDITING YOUR IMAGE

While editing can be helpful, don’t go mad; your photograph must be representative of your work.

Use basic adjustments such as brightness, contrast, and cropping and avoid strong filters that alter colour or mood.

To use the editing features on your phone, open your image and click the ‘edit’ button. Along the bottom, you will see available features – to use these tap the feature you want and use the slider below from left to right.

Image showcasing a felted hat with a red and green design, displayed on a mannequin head; includes editing options and text about sustainability and warmth for winter.

If you make a mistake, don’t panic, just tap ‘revert’ to remove your edits.

6. SAVING AND SENDING YOUR IMAGE

To save your image, tap the share button and scroll down to ‘Save to Files’. Click the save to files option, and at the bottom of the image, the camera-assigned image number will appear. Delete the number and name the image. Tap SAVE.

An upward arrow icon next to a menu displaying photo options including 'Save to Files'.

To send your saved photo, go to your files and locate the named image. Tap the SHARE icon, and your available apps (email, messages, social media, etc.) will appear.

Click on the app you want to send the image to and attach.

Image preview of a felted hat with a dated file name and options for sharing via various social media and messaging platforms.

7. BE CONSISTENT

If you’re building a portfolio or posting regularly online, consistency matters.

Create a professional, cohesive look across your work.

Use the same background and lighting setup when possible.

Photograph work at a similar scale and angle.

8. PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT!

Like feltmaking itself, photography improves with practice.

Take photos at different times of day.
Try different backgrounds and light directions.
Notice what works best for your particular style of work.

Don’t be afraid to take lots of photos – you can always delete the ones that don’t work!

Video Recording of Karen Bowden’s Talk

Photos from the Session

A woman in a checkered jacket stands at the front of a room, speaking while holding a microphone. In the foreground, a group of four women sit at a table, listening attentively. The setting appears to be a community space with a wooden floor. — Karen shows how the Ring Light can be made taller

A woman with grey hair in a colourful checkered jacket is assisting with a light setup while speaking to an audience in a community hall. In the background, another woman listens attentively, seated at a table with a mug and papers. — Karen shows how the Ring Light can be made taller

A woman in a colourful checkered jacket is pointing at a smartphone held by another person at a table. Various materials and papers are spread across the table, alongside drinks. — Karen shows a member how to access the necessary information on her phone.

A group of women sitting around a table, each looking at their devices. Some have notebooks and drinks in front of them, with a few items scattered on the table, including a plate and photographs. — Throughout the talk, members followed along with their phones so they could experience photographing, editing, and saving photos.

See also this helpful blog post written about photographing artwork by Ramona Farrelly – https://feltmakersireland.com/2024/12/18/using-your-phone-to-photograph-textile-art-for-exhibition-submissions/

Appreciation

Many thanks to Karen Bowden and Deirdre Crofts for helping share their expertise and knowledge with the guild. Their clear, practical guidance has been invaluable.

A recap of Deirdre’s presentation (with video) can be found here – https://feltmakersireland.com/2026/01/14/sunday-session-recap-mind-mapping-water-and-flow-deirdre-crofts/

We hope that Karen’s excellent step-by-step instructions and recordings from the session will help our members feel more confident about applying to our upcoming exhibition, ‘Water and Flow’.

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