Dive into Still Life
Still life photography allows you to enter the wonderful world of your own imagination. The scene that you set up to capture speaks volumes and can have the pleasant side effect of making you an expert in framing.
The still life photographer builds a scene from scratch, almost like a sculptor, tweaking and adjusting camera angles, lighting, and of course the objects that the image is composed of, until their artistic vision is aptly communicated to the viewer.
Choosing Props
To begin with, you’ll want to sit down with a pen and pad and brainstorm what it is you’d like to achieve. What are you trying to communicate to an audience? Then comes one of the most fun parts of still life photography: letting your inner magpie run riot choosing props from the high street, charity shops, online retailers and auction sites, or anywhere else you can think of. You might find discarded items on the street, or things lying around your house.
Make sure you have a clear concept (clear enough that you could explain it to someone in a couple of sentences), otherwise you risk wasting money on things that you think might work, but will probably eventually go unused.
Lighting
First, you must choose your location. If you have a studio and/or studio lighting equipment then fantastic, if not then you’re likely working from home. Either way, your first consideration is going to be the lighting. Depending on the kind of images you want to end up with, you may want to stick close to large windows or pools of natural light. If this is the case, then be aware of the time of the day when your chosen location gets the best sunlight. You may even be after the dramatic shadows that the setting sun can create.
Setting the Scene
Finally, you must assemble the props that you have sourced so that they are aesthetically pleasing, as well as making sure that they tell the story you want them to. It can take hours to set up a scene properly, whether that means clearing adequate space for the scene or hanging a backdrop perfectly. Try to do as much as possible in advance so that when the perfect light hits, you’re ready. You can take photos as you go to give you fresh ideas, too.
The camera that you’re using will of course influence the final shots, so if you want to sell second-hand cameras that you own and replace them with something more suitable, we would be glad to help. Simply contact us for more information.
