Still Life Photography
Right. Today we're going for the minimalist look in the kitchen. Getting creative with light and shadow.
Ooh! Nice. Not a lot of room to move in here though. The words 'swing' and 'cat' spring to mind.
There's loads of space. All that we need anyway. Just the work surface, a couple of props, and the camera. No need for a studio or even tons of room. You can take some amazing photographs in here without even a studio light. Let's start with this.
What the devil is THAT?
I have absolutely no idea. I think it's meant to hold garlic or something but I can never get it out once I get it in there. But it's a good shape and we can play with some ideas. Just as a straight shot it would be interesting, but let's put it on a white piece of card and switch the main light on. And then shift it so that you get some shadows on the card. Remind you of anything?
Wire fencing? Lobster pots? Something to put garlic in?
How about a spider's web? That little bit of knotted metal in the middle looks suitably spidery. How about composing the picture to suggest the idea of a spider's web?
Oh, like in the corner. And I guess position the spidery thing slap bang in the middle of the angle to balance it out? How about this?
FIG 1
Canon EOS 300D
1/4 @ f4.5 DISO 100 18-55mm @ 35mm
Colour cast removed
Exactly. Very Gormenghast and spider's web and a bit creepy with those odd shadows going on. The wires and the shadows really do look like spider's legs too. Spookily weird.
OK on to the next. Grab that wineglass and the teatowel, and give it a good wipe to get rid of any water marks.
Hooray! Where's the bottle?
Not yet! We're going to photograph the glass first, so it needs to be crystal clear and clean so that there aren't any marks showing up on the photograph. Give it a good polish inside and out, and then hold it up to the light to check for any smears.
Got it sparkling? OK. Look at it carefully from different angles, from on top, the side, underneath. Look for unusual ways of photographing clear glass and to interpret the shape and its clarity
The inside looks cool. I wouldn't mind trying that.
What, straight into the bowl of the glass? Nice idea.
FIG 2
Canon EOS 300D
1/250 @ f5.6 DISO 100 18-55mm @ 55mm
There. How about that then. Straight out of camera. Focused on the bit where the stem joins the bowl to throw the rest out of focus.
Very nice abstract. Good colour too. Daylight has given it that lovely soft blue and the composition's different with the circle just off centre and the surrounding glass pushed out of focus. Like it.
Now try something else. How about laying it flat on something light maybe?
I'll use that bit of polystyrene then. Looks like a pizza base. Am I right or am I right! Is this why you save things like that? For photographic stuff?
Sure is. Pity to throw things away if they might come in handy as props. Plus it's got an interesting texture. Be good to see what effect it has on the photograph. Make sure you don't get reflected in the glass! Shift around so that you get what you're after in the photograph without ending up with a shot of yourself pointing the camera.
OK. So I've got the glass on the white background. Something white to go behind it to stop the shadows, and we're away.
FIG 3
Canon EOS 300D
1/250 @ f5.6 DISO 100 18-55mm @ 55mm
Tumax DSL20Afn Speedlite flash
Oh I say.
That's come out well. Lovely sense of light and I like the suggestion of the outline on the right without it being obvious. And that polystyrene base has given it an interesting pattern too. Really simple, elegant picture, no clutter. Just light and glass. Very nice.
Can we open that bottle now? Since there's a glass handy?
OK if you insist. But only if you grab me a glass too.
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Still Life Photography
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