Candle Photography
Candles used as the only light source in a photograph make a picture beautifully soft and warm. They add a soft glow to a still life, they suggest stillness, peace, relaxation.
And candles make beautiful images all on their own; they come into their own at particular times of the year. Birthdays, celebrations, religious festivals. They can set a scene, they can convey a spirit or a feeling, they can add warmth to an idea.
So here are some ideas to think about when photographing candles
Love
Sensuality
Warmth and cosiness
Celebrations
Religious festivals throughout the world - symbol of light and hope Retrospection
Memorial - Unknown Soldier
Keeping memory alive - tomb of Jim Morrison in Paris
Think about the shape of the candles, the colour, the candleholders too. Try them in groups, or singly. Nightlights make beautiful spots of light if you scatter them or group them on a small dish.
CANDLES DARK - Fig. 1
Details:
Canon EOS 300D
1/40 @ f5.6
Digital ISO 100
18-55mm kit lens @ 38mm
The first picture is simply some nightlights taken against a dark background. No flash, no light apart from what was coming through the window. See how they appear to be floating in the dark, and the half-seen reflections of the baubles I had on the dish with them .. half seen pictures make the brain work and they invites us to look right into a picture to see what else might be there.
What people come away with is the feelings that a picture has stirred in them. Maybe it's the connection between the photographer and the viewer to key in to the shared experience we have of the fascination with fire and that mysterious quality of light that candles give to a low light scene.
In this next one I've homed right in on the second candle to get a sense of the softness of the baubles and the warmth of the light, and to suggest depth. That's what I loved about looking at them really closely: the fascination of the flames themselves and the effect they had on the sheen of the baubles.
CANDLESTWO Fig. 2
Details:
Canon EOS 300D
1/4 @f11
Digital ISO 100
18-55mm kit lens @ 55mm
You can play around the with the focus to home in on different parts of the frame, to throw all the flames out of focus if you want and concentrate on the texture of the baubles - it's all about experimentation and exploring the scene through your 'eye' - not necessarily looking through the viewfinder but imagining the framing as you set up the shot.
Or maybe you can set up a still life with an idea already planned - in this picture I wanted to show the effect of candlelight through a candleholder and its glow against a bottle of brandy. Everything needed to be warm colours so I used apricots and sultanas, found the orange and red cushions and grouped them all together. The bread board tied in the idea of earthy, warm ingredients and added to the different textures in the shot.
CANDLESTILLLIFE Fig. 3
Details: Canon EOS 300D
1/200 @f5.6
Digital ISO 100
18-55mm kit lens @ 30mm
The theme I'd set myself was Christmas and cooking - and I wanted to suggest a wonderful warm sense of conviviality and good things to eat and the pleasure of preparing food.
I also deliberately used just the one candle because I felt it needed to be very subtle and textural.
The image should be able to stand on its own and not need any interpretation - and that's what I mean when I say you can tell stories with a picture. Convey ideas, and feelings. You can suggest scent - or in this case warm brandy and spices - just by using low light to bring out texture and warmth.
All you need is a candle and a camera and an imagination. That's all.
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Candle Photography
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