Contributing to the John Krogmann Web Site

Do you have a Krogmann painting? Or some information to offer?  Here is how you can contribute to this site:

1. Log in to WordPress.com if you have a WordPress account.  If you don’t, first create one and then log in.
2. Leave a Reply at the bottom of this page.  Your comment will NOT be publicly viewable. Tell us what you have to contribute.  Be sure to indicate:
   • What you have (painting, story, news article, etc.) and any information you know about it.
   • How to contact you by email
3. When we get your comment, we’ll review it.  We’ll get back to you by email.  If your contribution will be a good fit for the site, we’ll make you an author.
4. Once you get the email indicating that you have authorization to author posts on this site, come back, log in, and create a new post.
5. In your post , please
   • Create a title that describes your painting or content.
   • If you have a painting, please insert a photo of it as the first item in the page. You can do this by clicking here:
     You will then be prompted to load your file.  Click on Choose File to Load…
     Select your photo. It will say “crunching” as the photo loads. When it completes, enter a title and caption that briefly describes the painting (the title and caption can be the same, or the caption can also contain information such as the year, size, and type of painting).  In the description, provide basic information about the painting, such as the size of the painting, the type (probably oil on canvass), and the year it was painted.  Feel free to add historical information too (e.g., if it was a gift to someone or commissioned.)  You can leave the alignment to None, set the size to Medium, and click Insert into Post.
   • You should see your photo in the “word processing” area now.  You can add additional information if you wish.
   • When you’re done, click the Preview button on the right to take a look at how the post looks.  If it looks okay, set the Publish Status to Published, and click the Save button.
   • You’re all done!  You should now be able to click on the Visit Site button at the top of the page and it will take you to the site’s home – and your posting should be there, front and center.
     

Tips for Photographing Artwork

Getting good photos of art is a bit tricky and may require some set up.  If you have the painting properly hung and well lit already, you may find that simply setting a camera on a tripod is sufficient.  However, if it is simply hanging on a wall in your house without proper lighting, you’ll probably need to take some time (and a lot of shots).

If you have the inclination to really do it right, follow the advice of someone who really knows what they are doing.  There are some web sites with information on how to photograph art.  Here are two:

• Photograph Your Art Digitally (Berman Graphics)
• How to Photograph Your Artwork for a Portfolio or the Internet (emptyeasel.com)

If you want to try to do it simply with your digital camera, here are a few tips:

• Hang the painting outside on a sunny day.  Or, if indoors, make sure you have two lights, one on either side of the camera.
• Use your camera’s macro mode if you have one.
• If your camera can show a grid on the view finder, use it.  It will help you get the painting square.
• Do everything you can to ensure that the painting and that camera are perfectly parallel.  If you don’t, you’ll notice when you go to crop the photo.
• When you crop the photo, you may have to crop out part of the frame.
• If you just can’t pull it off, you can always bring the painting to a photo studio.