Artwork Photography Pricing
Artwork photography pricing for oil paintings, watercolors, acrylics, pastels, and all flat 2D media. Sessions take place at my South Minneapolis studio by appointment. Turnaround is typically 24–48 hours. Here’s what it costs and what you get.
Session Pricing & Fees
- $35 each for paintings up to 24×36 inches.
- $50 Setup charge per session.
- Setup charge waived for 20 or more paintings.
- $15 each extra for oversized paintings, up to 48×80 inches.
- $10 each for Topaz Gigapixel AI upsizing of files for larger printing.
File Formats & Sizes
- High-resolution JPEG image. 36 megapixel image, sRGB jpg 100%.
- Facebook & email friendly size. 2000px long edge, sRGB jpg 50%.
- Optional: MN State Fair competition files. If you have other specs, please send them and I can produce files to meet requirements.
- Custom formats available: i.e. Adobe 1998, TIFF.
- Files delivered by WeTransfer. Or USB drive.
- Cropping options: to edge of image or edge of canvas.
Terms
- Payment is due at pickup. Pay by check (payable to Mitch Rossow Design Inc.), cash, Venmo (venmo.com/mitchrossow), or Zelle (612-702-9571).
- Paintings must be unframed. Standard frames cast shadows and reflections on the painting surface. Floating or shadow frames that sit flush with the canvas face are fine.
- Turnaround is 24–48 hours. Larger collections may take a bit longer. If you’re on a deadline or coming from out of town, mention it when you schedule — I can often arrange same-day turnaround.
- Tips for transporting your paintings safely →
Color Management Experience
- Advanced color correction professional experience.
- Perfect color vision (independently verified).
- Experience working with Minnesota’s top artists.
- Professional high-end Nikon equipment and professional studio lighting.
- System set up just for photographing paintings.
- Bachelor of Science degree in art, studied landscape painting with Joe Paquet.
Extras
- Pickup and Delivery available. $3.00/mile plus parking.
- If you aren’t in the Minneapolis area you can ship your artwork to me.
- Archival services. Images pulled from archive and emailed, from $25.
Color Management for Artwork Photography
My color vision has been independently verified as perfect — not the standard dot test, but a clinical assessment. That’s a meaningful credential for color-critical work, not a marketing claim. Before I photographed paintings for a living, I worked professionally as a color separator in the commercial print industry, where color accuracy was a contractual standard. I understand pigment chemistry, how different mediums respond to light, and what a painter is trying to achieve with a passage of color. Every file I deliver is corrected toward your original — not toward what a camera algorithm thinks it should look like.
Professional Equipment and Focused Skill Set
I use professional-grade Nikon equipment and custom studio lighting in a studio built exclusively for photographing paintings. The setup is engineered for precision alignment and the entire space is monochrome to prevent color reflections from contaminating the image. This isn’t a general photography setup adapted for paintings — it was designed from the ground up for this one purpose. I hold a Bachelor of Science degree in art and studied landscape painting with Joe Paquet, giving me a working understanding of what I’m looking at when I correct your work.
Shipping Paintings to Mitch Rossow Artwork Photography
If you are not in the Minneapolis Metro area and would like artwork photography pricing and services for your paintings, you can ship them to me. I do not travel to photograph paintings. My studio is configured exclusively for photographing artwork. The setup is complicated and engineered for precision alignment. Also, the entire studio is monochrome to prevent color reflections.
- It is my experience that UPS is the best shipper, they handle the packages carefully and deliver them to me most responsibly.
- Get 2 shipping labels. One for sending it to me and a return label. Include the return label in the package. Once the artwork is photographed, I will remove the original shipping labels and apply the return label then drop it off at the UPS Store.
- Tell me in advance how many pieces and their sizes, I will send you an invoice so that you can include payment in the package as well.
- Schedule with me before you ship so I know when it is coming.
- Send me the tracking number.
- Pack you artwork securely. Damage in shipping is your or the shipper’s responsibility.
- For internal packing, be aware that I need to repack your paintings. Foam pieces, foam core and cardboard are preferred.
- Don’t use gaff tape, duct tape, packaging tape or other aggressive tapes. I prefer blue masking tape or something similar because if the tape comes in contact with the artwork it won’t damage it.
My Address:
2886 James Ave S, #208
Minneapolis, MN 55408
Image Copyrights
You retain full right to reproduce and distribute the photos I take in perpetuity. I provide several sizes for you to use including the full high resolution image (up to 36 megapixel). Of course I would gratefully appreciate if you mention that I photographed your art on your website or publications and link to this website, but it is not required. My goal is for my work to be 100% derivative, so I cannot claim a copyright for my photos.
Image: Balancing Act by Steve Levin — detail of 36 megapixel artwork photography