I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of creating interesting still life images.
I don’t know where it started; maybe it’s because I love looking at them, and I always try to figure out what it is about a certain image that makes it so appealing.
There’s also a high demand for still life images if you’re thinking of selling them through stock photo agencies. The subject could be anything – coffee mugs, tools, flowers and feathers. Whatever you can think of, someone is probably already looking for it.
But it takes a lot more than arranging a few items and taking a snapshot to create a good still life image. These tips from Picture Correct will get you started!
LIGHTING FOR STILL LIFE PHOTOGRAPHY
Professional photographers usually use a soft box or a light box to shoot their still lifes. Although soft boxes can help out a lot, they still aren’t absolutely necessary to get good results as you’ll see shortly. However, if you do want one, you can find a softbox online or you can easily make one using instructions you find online. The purpose of these lighting tools is to provide even light on the subject.
COMPOSING STILL LIFE PICTURES
When composing your photograph, you need to arrange the objects in a pleasing composition. You should consider using classical composition techniques like the “Rule of Thirds,” “Leading Lines” or “Frame within a Frame” for ideas of how to best compose your pictures.
LOOK FOR A GOOD ANGLE
Instead of shooting from your height, hold the camera so that it is level with your subject. You should also try shooting from a variety of different angles. Hopefully you can start applying these still life photography tips immediately so you can start seeing a difference in the quality of your still life images.
FILL THE FRAME WITH YOUR STILL LIFE SUBJECT
When taking still life pictures, always remember that your subject should be the only thing that you see in your viewfinder or LCD screen. You need to remove any distractions or clutter from the background so you can have a clean and up close image.
Read the full article over at Picture Correct.
Source: Picture Correct
