Large paper is hard to photograph well and easy to photograph in a way that hides everything a buyer needs.
The shot that sells
The whole sheet, flat, square on, in even daylight, with nothing cropped. If it is too large for a table, use a floor and shoot from above standing on a chair.
The shot that prevents the dispute
The reverse. Tape, backing, repairs and old mounting all live there and none of it faces the front.
The list
- Whole sheet, flat and square on
- The reverse, whole
- Fold intersections, close — this is where separation starts
- Corners and edges
- Any tear, pinhole, stain or loss, deliberately
- A tape measure along one edge, because formats vary and the measurement is the fact
- Printed text, close enough to read
Light
Even, indirect daylight from two sides if you can. A single overhead bulb gives a bright patch in the middle of a large sheet and a falloff at the corners, which reads as fading.
For surface condition — creases, abrasion, ripples — drop the light low and across.
Squareness
Directly above, parallel. A poster shot at an angle looks trapezoidal and buyers cannot judge trimming or proportion from it.
What goes wrong
Shooting it on a wall with a flash, cropping the edges, and photographing only the front. And flattening a folded sheet to photograph it, which is restoration. Common mistakes.
Questions people ask
How do I photograph something larger than my table?
On a clean floor, from above, in daylight. Two overlapping frames if you must, plus one whole shot.
Should I show it under glass?
No. Glass reflects and hides the surface.
Is a measurement photograph necessary?
For anything valuable, yes. What a poster is worth.