Copy Stands

Here is a general link for Photography Gear. Depending on your needs one of these will do the job. If you're shooting artwork that can fit on a tabletop, a copy stand, such as the Bogen System 800, but if you don't need something as heavy-duty, the Bogen - Manfrotto Super Repro Copy Stand with Large Baseboard 30x36 is also a good choice. If you already have your own lights, you might want to consider the Bogen - Manfrotto Repro Copy Stand with Large Baseboard 30x36. If the work is larger than that, as in the form of paintings, you'll need to use a tripod and free standing lights to photograph your art.

Photographing Art with a Tripod

If you decide to use a tripod, make sure it's of sturdy construction and if necessary, brace the legs with sandbags. Here, I recommend Bogen-Manfrotto. If you wish to purchase a tripod head separately, I recommend the ball head as it's easiest to adjust quickly.

Lighting

For lighting your artwork, I recommend tungsten lights. When looking at the lights, the higher the wattage, the better, as it will cast more light.

Polarizing Filters

If the intensity of the tungsten lights is too severe for your artwork, polarizing filters often solve the problem. In this case you'll need two Polarizing Filters that you can place in front of the lights. You'll also need a separate stand or a clamp to hold the filter in place. Here, you need to be careful not to place the filter too close to the light as the heat may melt it.

In addition to polarizing filters for the lights, you need a Circular Polarizing Filter for the lens (B&W is highly recommended). To make sure that the filter is working properly, place a coin on the working surface directly in front of the lens; then slowly turn the ring on the filter. When the coin turns black, the light has been polarized. Mark the position where the coin turns black on the polarizing filters using a silver or gold marker so you'll remember how to set it properly.

Note: When shooting with a polarizer, you'll lose around 2 stops.

Soft Box

It should be noted that some photographers don't like the results created by polarizing filters. In that case I recommend using a Soft Box, which fits over the lights and softens the glare.

Scrims

If you don't want to use a Soft Box, or it's too expensive, another option is to use Scrims, sheets of translucent material that you can place between your lights and the artwork, softening it.

Lenses

When shooting with film, I recommend using 50mm Lenses for film based SLR cameras. What I recommend here are lenses that you can manually focus for copy work. If you use a digital camera, one that offers macro capability is highly recommended. With a digital camera, make sure you get one with an optical zoom, not digital.

Film

Here are two different types of film for photographing your artwork. The first one is Fujichrome 64T Type 2. This film is available in several format sizes depending on what camera size you're using to copy artwork and is manufactured for use with tungsten lights. Make sure to refrigerate the film prior to using it. If you choose to photograph your art outside, I recommend Kodak E 100 GX, which I recommend for shooting artwork outside on a cloudy day.

Digital Cameras

Digital Cameras are another option. If you choose to purchase one, I recommend a camera that that offers from 6-9 megapixels. Generally, Canon is one of the most favored cameras. The Rebel and Powershot models are very popular, depending on your application.

Gray Cards

Don't use the camera meter. Gray Cards to determine the correct exposure. These can also be used for a digital camera as well. Make sure the card completely fills the viewfinder when metering and use this setting to obtain the correct exposure. The 18% gray card will be accurate to within two-tenths of a stop (you'll probably need to take the camera off the stand and move forward with it until the gray card fills the field of view). When you photograph art, use a cable release to trip the shutter. If vibration is still a factor, use the mirror lockup (if your camera has one). Another option is to use the camera self timer feature. By the time the shutter releases, the vibration should be gone.

Light Meters

For photographing flat art, I recommend the use of an incident light meter to measure the light falling on the surface to be photographed. It should be even across the entire surface. If not, you'll have to reposition the lights accordingly.

About Dust and Lint

Some forms of dust and lint can be safely removed using an antistatic cloth (that you can purchase from a photography store), a carbon fiber brush (such as the ones sold to clean records), and hand held anti-static whisks. Other options are de-ionized filters that extract dust from the atmosphere. However, unless the original is in impeccable condition, you're probably going to have to do some retouching after it's photographed or scanned. If the image quality is critical, you'll probably want to give the image a once over in Photoshop.

Color Filter Gels

For special effects, you can use color gels, as in the Rosco Color Correction Kit. This kit permits the color correction of virtually all mixed-light sources found on location. There are sixteen 10" x 12" filters for light source color correction. Materials include a range of blue and amber balancing filters along with a selection of green and magenta color compensating filters. Another useful addition to this kit is the Rosco Swatch Book. It contains samples of every color in the Roscolux line. It also includes information on the transmission curves for each filter. And finally, you can access all the Rosco filters here.

Film Scanners

An example of a less expensive film scanner is the Nikon Super Coolscan 9000. A good choice for a flatbed scanner is the Epson Perfection. With a more expensive scanner ($500.00+ for a flatbed and $1,500.00+ for a film scanner), you should obtain moiré free scans under almost all circumstances.

Flatbed Scanners

A good choice for a flatbed scanner is one of the higher end Epson Perfection models, such as the Epson GT-30000 Large-format Flatbed Color Scanner. Prints have a shorter dynamic range than film, making them easier to scan. A professional would need to spend between $500.00-1,500.00 and up to $3,000.00+ for an "11x17" scanner.

Recommended Printers

All inks saturate the paper used with your desktop printer, some more than others. With light paper grades, the ink tends to bleed through to the other side more than with a heavier grade of paper. This can cause problems if you want to print on both sides of the sheet. A good overall paper choice is a 24 pound bond paper. If you're looking for a photographic result, that's not the best choice. Instead, look at photo quality papers, such as those produced by Epson or HP. Also, the color accuracy and quality of your prints will depend on several factors, such as the inks used, the heaviness of application, the paper and the printer itself.