Mitch Rossow – Minneapolis Artwork Photography Expert

Professional Artwork Photography for Oil Painters and Fine Artists

I’m Mitch Rossow, a Minneapolis-based artwork reproduction photographer with over 15 years of experience photographing paintings for top-tier oil painters and fine artists throughout Minnesota. I work out of a custom-built studio in the Uptown Lakes District, designed exclusively for photographing flat artwork like oil paintings, acrylics, watercolors, drawings, and mixed media pieces.

I don’t shoot portraits or weddings. I specialize solely in museum-quality artwork reproduction. That means my studio, camera gear, lighting setup, and color correction workflow are all dialed in for one thing: capturing your artwork accurately and making it look its best.

How I Became an Artwork Photographer

My journey into artwork photography started organically. I was studying Plein Air painting with Joe Paquet and working as a freelance web designer and product photographer. As I built websites for other artists, I realized how difficult it was to photograph paintings well. Lighting issues, glare, color accuracy; it’s a tricky process that isn’t really photography, it’s engineering.

But I had an unusual background that gave me the tools to solve this puzzle.

I grew up in my family’s print shop and spent my after-school hours in the darkroom, operating a half-ton process camera. One of my first jobs out of art school was at a film separation house, where I had to pass advanced color vision tests (not just the standard dot test, a real one). I learned that I have perfect color vision, which is a huge asset for fine-tuned color correction. In school, I loved studying pigments and color theory: different brands of the same color photograph differently.

With that foundation, I built my own studio from scratch, custom-ordered a landscape-format digital camera and prime lens, developed proprietary lighting and color correcting techniques, and began serving some of the most respected painters in the Midwest.

Trusted by Professional Artists

I’ve had the pleasure of working with well-known plein air painters, atelier artists, abstract painters, and art educators across the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota. Whether they need images for jury submissions, Giclée prints, a fine art book, social media or online portfolios. They come to me because they know I’ll get the color, detail, and texture right.

Many of my clients have built successful careers in art and want someone who understands the stakes when photographing a body of work. I’m known for being efficient, responsive, and easy to work with, and I deliver high-quality images that meet the standards of juried competitions, fine art Giclée printing and galleries.

The Temporary Collector

One of the unexpected joys of this work is that I get to spend time with beautiful artwork before the public sees it. I lightheartedly refer to myself as Minneapolis’s largest “temporary art collector.” Every week, I get to study new paintings up close, fresh off the easel. I get to enjoy the brushwork, color harmonies, and composition in detail while I’m photographing and color-correcting the images.

I’ve learned so much from the artists I work with, from rising students finding their voice to award-winning professionals refining every stroke. It’s a privilege to learn from them while helping their work reach the world.

More Than Just Photos: Support for Your Art Career

In addition to photographing artwork, I also help artists with their digital presence. I design websites, set up online galleries, and built email newsletters that help artists connect with collectors and drive sales. I know how important great images are to your brand, and how frustrating it can be to do it all yourself.

If you’re an artist in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area looking for high-quality artwork photography, I’d love to help.