I did this little doodle this afternoon and want to remind members that it is the denoument or aftermath of the challenge next week (28th June). We hope there will be lots of fascinating shots to enjoy. So here are a few reminders.
Definitions
Still Life – A photograph of an arrangement of stationary small objects, typically including fruit and flowers and objects contrasting with these in texture, such as bowls and glassware. You may choose a variety of everyday subject matter but it must be arranged and lit by you and it must be inanimate.
Table Top – As above but may include moving elements – e.g. water drops or splash pictures, flames, etc.
The Challenge
- To arrange, light and photograph a single or a group of objects, on a surface (such as a table, board, shelf etc).
- The objects to be inanimate and motionless for “still life” but may contain an element of motion in “table top”.
- Composites not allowed in this challenge, except focus stacking and HDR i.e. it must be a single complete scene that is photographed.
Remember
- When photographing a still life subject, you are creating an image rather than capturing a moment.
- You are constructing every aspect of your photograph; from background, to subject, to lighting, to post-processing.
- With inanimate objects, their ability to stay still allows you to take time to refine your lighting, and experiment with your composition.
Tips
- Choose a suitable backdrop
- Arrange artistically
- Choose attractive colour combinations
- Light directionally to enhance your subject
- Pay attention to the angle of the light
- Light the subject to create pleasing shapes and shadows
- We are looking for pictorial not record photography – that means not just recording what was there but interpreting in your own style
Technique
- Arrange your backdrop
- Arrange the subject – take as long as it takes
- Consider depth of field
- Shutter speed may be long, so use a tripod or camera support
- You can use low ISO for still life if you use a camera support
- If you want, use a shutter release cable, IR trigger etc
- Use different views and treatments of the same setup to create small sets of work
Light Sources
- Daylight
- Continuous lighting e.g. Tungsten, halogen, LED
- Flash techniques, e.g. direct, bounced, softbox, snoot etc
- Painting with light (e.g. torch)
- Lightbox
- Candles
- In other words, whatever is available! With or without reflectors
Post Processing
So long as your shot is captured in one, any type of post processing is allowed e.g. vignette, colour changes, textures, borders…anything that you think will enhance your picture.
Have fun! Looking forward to seeing your images…
Chris Widdall