Artists and galleries, you’ve been working hard. And one day a writer is going to call you. That writer might be someone like me. Someone calling to interview you for a feature article in a newspaper or magazine. That writer will schedule an interview to talk about your art and will take the next day or two to write up a thoughtful intelligent article promoting your work. That writer is also going to ask you for high resolution print ready images. Will you be ready? You had better be, because there is a great chance that you may lose an opportunity to show your best work to a wide audience if you don’t have goods.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve interviewed an artist or gallery and they aren’t prepared with high resolution quality print images to accompany the article. Not only will you need these images in case of fame, but you’ll also need them for advertising, direct mail marketing, postcards, and portfolio and exhibition requirements.

I write this post because just recently I interviewed an artist. I was assured that she had high res photos of a certain piece of work which was to be mentioned in the story. I wrote up the story while waiting for the images only to find out that the artist only had low resolution images. This puts the artist/gallery in a poor marketing situation (because low res images look like hell in print) and it endangers the writer of missing deadline if the writer has to wait for you to prepare imagery. “Can’t you take the image off my website?”  Answer: NO!!  Here’s why…

Images prepared for the web are low resolution images. They are usually compressed to 72 dpi and about 1000×1000 pixels in size at the most. Images for the web are not suitable for print publication because they are teeny tiny or will display with those nasty jagged edges. You need images which are at least 350 dpi and approximately 8×10 inches in size. (Smaller photos such as 4×6 will also work but just in case that writer wants to splash a BIG photo of your work for a page spread… well, you know where I’m going with this, so just in case, keep those 8×10’s handy)

Here’s how to prepare your photos for print:

Selecting images.

You’re a professional artist or a professional gallery and these images should NOT be snap shots. You are selling high end ART… show your art to it’s best advantage and show that you are a professional. If you can’t take the photos yourself, hire a photographer. (Just a little plug here… yes I’m available to photograph your work.) It’s well worth the money to show your work in it’s best light. A professional photographer will provide you with gorgeous detailed imagery. The photographer will crop out any unnecessary background chaos and use post processing to ensure the color pops and that the image is crystal clear and color accurate. Also that photographer will take high resolution photos and will also usually provide low resolution images if you need them for the web as well.

Select images which are interesting, compelling and marketable. Quality content and clear bright images are essential. Ensure that all horizon and vertical lines are level and that the art sits straight and proud. Crazy angles, unless it’s a fine art photo, are not the best choice for publication. Photos of your art opening should include people… lots of people. But if the people don’t look their best, skip the photo and select another. Again I emphasize quality quality quality and HIGH RESOLUTION.  If you have a photo on your hard-drive and are not sure if it’s high or low res, look first to it’s size to give you a clue. If it’s size reads something like 620KB… This is most likely a low res image. Start looking for images that are maybe 3, 5, 10mg. From there you can weed out the low res from the high.

Creating photos on your own.

There are two things you need to be aware of here. First is the image size (dpi = dots per inch) and the image’s dimensions (1000×1000 pixels or 8 x10”). Your camera setting will provide you with a couple of options for this. Select the largest or highest quality setting. You can always make a large photo smaller but you can’t make a small low resolution photo bigger… or at least you can’t do that and expect a solid successful print.

You’ll need some photo editing software and there are several great ones available. Make sure to crop your photo and depending on your Lightroom or Photoshop skills you can tweak the photo for clarity, vibrance, brightness, contrast and more.

When you have collected a variety of shots for your promotion needs put those in a folder for marketing and promotion. Keep the high resolution images in one folder and the web ready images in another. This way you will be ready to go in a moment’s notice when that special writer comes calling.

Oh… and one more thing. Very Important. Don’t forget to include the title, size and medium if you are submitting photographs of artwork. The publication is going to want this information to include in a caption or in the copy.

In the case of the artist I wrote about above… well, she had a new work which she very much wanted to promote. However, because she didn’t have the image prepared, we had to change the copy and display an older image. What a shame and what a lost opportunity. Don’t let this happen to you.  So even if you have images… spend some time organizing them into folders and subsets so you are not hunting around your hard-drive looking for the ONE photo that you know you have somewhere.

Good luck.

Did you like this article or do you know a friend who might benefit? Please feel free to comment and to share.

I spent many hours in my basement over this last weekend (a place which kind of creeps me out) pursuing a new photo essay which I titled the Wicked Witch of Westbrook. It’s been a valuable learning experience which has been not only tons of fun but it  also found me dealing with many different lighting situations. In fact, there were several aspects of the project which challenged me.

Because I’m just starting out with photography, I have no real lighting equipment and so was forced to make do with what I could find available. Dealing with compositions which require making photos from a dark basement into the light of the noon day sun and vise versa was a challenge. Working with animals, where I don’t just make a photo of them sitting around passively, but trying to get them to “pose” was considerably less difficult than I expected (maybe because my cats actually listen to me? Or maybe because they really are my familiars).

I remember when I first discovered blogs. I spent an entire week, nearly 18 hours a day, reading. I was giddy with the discovery that somehow I had tapped into a previously unknown online world of intelligence and talent.  I was hungry for knowledge and expression and it seemed that with the discovery of these new writers, a whole new world opened. It was all quite exhilarating and exhausting.

I always become very excited when I meet someone who has a brilliant mind or an incredible talent. To me the most complimentary thing I can say to a person is “You’re interesting”. And just like in the old days, I’m once again smitten with brilliant interesting minds that I’m discovering in a truly global arena. I’ve circled writers and photographers whose thoughts and visions encourage me to raise my own bar higher. Not only do I like that, but I had forgotten that I need it.

I’ve been on Google+ for exactly one week and have logged some pretty serious hours learning and experimenting so that you don’t have to. While the platform is still in BETA and is fairly simple in scope, the more I got into it the more compelling it became and the more there was to learn. Much of this was due to some of the extraordinary content being published there by members. I’m sure I’m going to have to post a follow up (or two or three) on Google+ but here are some of my thoughts so far and hopefully a bit of info to get those of you new to Google+ up and running.

Let’s start by explaining what Google+ is. It’s Google’s roll out of a new social media platform. A bit like Facebook, but cleaner. A bit like Twitter but more expansive. By invitation only, G+ is growing like crazy. As of this post, estimates are that G+ has amassed 18 million members. It still doesn’t compare to Facebook’s 500 million members, just announced by Zuckerberg yesterday, but considering G+ has only been available since June 28 and is not yet available for public consumption, it’s numbers are pretty impressive.

Google+ is a suite of several different start up products, with more to come. At present Google+ offers, of course, a newsfeed. Sparks culls together various recommendations based on your interests…art, design, fashion, photography etc.  Hangout is a video chat service where you can chat with one friend or hold a conference with up to ten people at a time. Huddle is an sms/text messaging service, which I’m hoping will save me lots of dollars on my international sms fees. The main cool feature is called Circles which is how you organize your friends and deal with some pretty slick privacy features which neither Twitter or Facebook can compare. There is also intergradation with Picasa, Google’s photo platform.

Living a life of art and design doesn’t just mean hanging a new canvas in your living room or designing a great new logo. We can bring creativity and beauty into our lives in many ways. Here are 40 tips on how you can live a more inspired life.

1.    Surround yourself with color – enjoy it, play with it, experiment with it. Put it on your walls, your couch and your body.
2.    Clean House – A clean house is inspiring and sexy. Get rid of clutter.
3.    Design your home or apartment – For me, my house is the place I work and where I retreat from work. Because it holds these dual purposes, it is important to separate the two. Good design creates a transition. Fill your space with the things you love.
4.    Organize your financials. Free your mind to think about other things.
5.    Take the weekend off – ‘nough said.
6.    Try aromatherapy. Good smells inspire creativity.
7.    Design yourself – Have fun.
8.    Draw or paint even if you think you suck at it.
9.    Subscribe to an art or design magazine.
10.    Join an art or design organization.
11.    Visit a museum – Great place for learning about so many things, plus they are filled with beautiful objects.
12.    Attend an art opening
13.    Visit an artist studio – Artists love to share their work. Call in advance, just in case.
14.    Find a new hobby – creativity = creativity
15.    Learn about art/design/fashion – take a class, watch a dvd, ask questions
16.    Keep a journal
17.    Listen to a wide variety of music, and dance!
18.    Garden
19.    When buying art, buy only art you love.
20.    Daydream – every chance you get

For years, I helped artists, designers, and photographers create their artist statements. It was always something they hated to do. Now a page has turned for me and I found myself creating my own artist statement. I share it with you.

My journey into photography literally started because one day I announced that “I’d like to give it a try.” In the past, I was the gal who when taking photos at family vacations would cut off the heads of my children, or compose a picture so that people appeared teeny tiny amidst a background of confusion. Not knowing of my past debacles with photography, my editor encouraged me to take the foray into digital imagery. Due to three blizzards in the winter of 2011, I found myself house bound and snow bound with two old cameras. Things seemed to work out pretty well and people responded to my photos in amazing and supportive ways which I never imagined.

I love what I discover through the lens of my new Canon. My sensibilities are drawn toward color, texture, line, light and shadow… always light, but sometimes also the lack of light and how that can effect the subject. I attempt to design my photos within the lens and usually do very little work in post production. I can’t explain how I went from being that gal who would cut off the heads of my loved ones to someone who is able to capture a moment, or a surprise in time, and share it with a community. It must be love.

My friend Natasha Lee, recently posted a quote of courage and strength on her facebook status. Natasha often leaves us with snippets of good will and encouragement but I was so taken and inspired by the quote that I went in search of other wisdoms. Here are some of my favorites:

In life at some point we all run into a personal hell, however we each personally hold the strength and the courage within our character to fight. Remember that. – as posted by Natasha

“Come to the edge,” He said. They said, “We are afraid.” “Come to the edge,” He said. They came. He pushed them…and they flew. – Guillaume Apollinaire

A few months ago, I discovered that writer Erin O’Riordan at Goodkin selected Lisa’s Blog as one of her top choices for Queens of the Blogosphere. Wow! I was, and still am, truly flattered. I don’t know why I didn’t share this news with you all sooner but as I was freshening up my blog this morning I came upon the post once again and the screen capture I had saved of it. O’Riordan places my logo right along with those of (le gasp!) Hoffington Post, The Gawker, Debbie Weil, The Mommy Chronicles and BoingBoing. That’s some impressive company.