Turning Paintings into High-Resolution Prints with ProCamera

With your smartphone camera, pigments can become pixels — and artist and designer Lance Hewison reveals how.

Lance Hewison is an American-German artist and designer. Known for his atmospheric paintings in Prussian blue, he recently launched a new online shop offering high-resolution giclée prints of his works.

Since he didn’t have access to a fully equipped professional photo studio, Lance turned to ProCamera to photograph his works at home using just an iPhone, a gray card, and two LED lights.

INTERVIEW

ProCamera: It’s always a pleasure for us to see ProCamera in action — especially where professional photography and art meet. Lance, tell us about your new series Into the Blue and how ProCamera became an essential tool in the process.

Lance: Into the Blue is a collection of paintings in Prussian blue. It is inspired by classic analog photography and the sea. Each work is meant to feel timeless and at the same time dreamlike. Using ProCamera and the iPhone, I then ‘digitized’ my paintings and now offer them as high-quality prints in my online shop.

ProCamera: What were the challenges you faced when photographing your artworks?

Lance: Definitely light and color accuracy. I wanted my shades of blue to appear neither dull nor too warm. My goal was to reproduce the colors and character of my paintings as faithfully as possible. Without a photo studio of my own, I worked with what I had: an iPhone, a tripod, two LED panels, and of course, ProCamera.

ProCamera: How did ProCamera help you when photographing your artworks?

Lance: I didn’t want to leave anything to chance and needed full control over white balance and exposure. Other advantages of ProCamera were the ability to shoot in RAW format, which allowed me to work with extra precision in post-processing, as well as the option to calibrate colors using a gray card.

ProCamera: What advice would you give to fellow artists looking to capture their artworks on their own?

Lance: This is the setup I found most helpful:

• Use bright but diffused light (LED lamps with a soft box attached, or alternatively window light on an overcast day)

• Align the camera as parallel as possible to the artwork to avoid perspective distortion

• Avoid flash to prevent unwanted reflections

• Set white balance manually for accurate color reproduction (ideally via gray card calibration)

• Shoot in RAW format for maximum control in post-processing

• Use a stable tripod to avoid camera shake

• Use a remote shutter release (e.g. EarPods or Bluetooth headset) or the self-timer with a short delay to avoid shake from tapping the screen

• Edit photos carefully until they come as close as possible to the painting. I mainly adjust temperature, contrast, blacks, and sharpness.

Another practical tip is to place the already mentioned gray card visibly right next to the canvas when photographing. This provides a reliable reference during post-processing. In programs like Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop, a single click with the white balance tool (eyedropper) on the gray card is enough to automatically correct color temperature and color cast. This way, the previously manually set white balance can be checked and fine-tuned, ensuring consistent and highly accurate color reproduction.

ProCamera: Does the photo have to be an exact reproduction of the artwork?

Lance: An exciting question! For high-quality prints, accuracy and proper preparation are crucial, yet I also see the photographs as independent representations of my works. They need to appear realistic and inviting. Sometimes that means slightly brightening the image or increasing the contrast to capture the effect of gallery lighting.

Lance, thank you for giving us an insight into your current series and working process. For everyone who also feels inspired by the motifs, it is now possible to order your favorite piece in the preferred edition at www.lancehewison.com.