CARVING MAGAZINE PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS
When taking photos for Carving Magazine, please keep in mind that they have to be very high quality. We want your photos to properly portray the beauty of your pieces.

TYPES OF PHOTOS ACCEPTED:
Slides
35mm negatives
High resolution digital
35mm prints

DIGITAL REQUIREMENTS: 
To take high resolution digital shots you should use the HIGHEST POSSIBLE setting on your camera. There may be several quality settings on your camera. Examples of these settings could be “normal”, “fine”, and “high”. In this case you would use the “high” setting. If you have a choice of physical size, please choose the largest.

High resolution photos will take up a lot of room on your memory card. If your memory card fills before you are finished shooting - simply copy them to your computer and then take some more.

Please make sure the photo formats are TIFF or JPEG. TIFF photos are preferred because JPEG files lose quality every time they are opened.

If we receive small, low resolution photos we WILL NOT be able to publish them.

TAKING PHOTOS:
If you are shooting a project article, take as many step-by-step photos as necessary to properly teach the subject. It is better to submit too many than too few.

Include as many views of the finished piece as possible — from all sides as well as the top and bottom. 
Do not include blurry photos.

Get as close to the carving as possible. Do not take photos of people holding carvings

PHOTO MANIPULATION:
Please do not change the original photo. Do not color correct, crop, layer graphics, combine photos into one, etc.
If you would like to manipulate the photos, please make a copy and make the changes on the copy. Include both when you send them to us. Do not put text on a photo.

LIGHTING:
As you probably know, it is difficult to properly light carvings! Too many lights will drown out the details. Insufficient lighting will result in a carving we can’t even see. The correct lighting depends on the color and size of your pieces — which is why we cannot give you specific advice. The best thing to do is experiment. That’s why digital cameras are so great. You can take many photos until you find the correct lighting. Here are a few rules of thumb.

Each type of lighting (incandescent, flourescent, natural daylight) will change the color of your carving. Be sure to use the same type of lighting in every photo. Always shoot your carving in the same place. Remember to cover your windows. As the sun moves throughout the day your photos will change.

Use enough lights (2 or 3) — position them around the project so there are no dark or light spots — but still preserving the details.  Move them to different positions and see how the carving changes.

If possible, diffuse your lighting. Cover your lights with fire retardant cloth, tracing paper, or use a photo booth. Try taking your photos outdoors on a slightly overcast day.

BACKGROUND:
Reduce clutter in the background. 
Clutter takes attention away from the carving. If you are shooting outdoors please use a backdrop.

If possible — use sloped, seamless paper for the background. 

If you use cloth — make sure it covers the entire background and is not patterned or wrinkled.  A patterned backdrop takes attention away from the carving.

The background color you use depends on the color of the carving. It shouldn’t contrast too much from the carving. Blues and grays are usually safe choices.

PRINTING PHOTOGRAPHS:
We cannot publish copies of photos. We cannot publish photos printed from a copy machine or a printer (even a photo printer).

The only printed photos that are acceptable are 35mm that are printed by a professional developer.

SUBMITTING PHOTOS:
Photos should not be included in the text. Text and photos should be separate files.

Photos cannot be imbedded in a document. They should be separate files.

Please make a copy of your submission so it doesn’t have to be returned.

Please copy photos to a CD and send to:

Marnie Whillock
Carving Magazine Editor
1018 8th Street SW
Faribault, MN 55021

When submitting photos, please describe each one — name, size, kind of wood — and if you’d like, the motivation behind carving it.

If you are not able to take high resolution photos, please contact me. You may send selected carvings to our publisher’s office to photograph.

For more specific photography details, we plan to publish an in-depth article in a future issue of Carving Magazine! Don’t let your subscription lapse!! :-)

For general article submission requirements please see our submission page.

Marnie Whillock (Editor)
editors@carvingmagazine.com