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How to Photograph Still Life
Kamera Express
Still life photography — how do you do it?
To photograph a still life, you don't need a professional photo studio. What you do need is a large dose of patience. You are personally responsible for all the small details — the light, the styling, the composition, and so on. Since you as the photographer are responsible for everything in a still life, it's the ideal opportunity to practise telling a story.
What exactly is a still life?
Many people know the still life from art of the past, but even today it's something that's done a lot. A little less with a paintbrush and a little more with a camera. If you look it up in the dictionary it's simply explained: a composition of lifeless objects.
The composition can take any form — think of flowers, crockery, musical instruments, or an everyday meal. If you prefer not to capture the standard still lifes, then look for your favourite objects to photograph.
Tips for creating a good still life
1. Combining and arranging
Once you've decided on the main object for your still life, it's time for the fun but tricky work. Which other objects do you choose, what forms beautiful combinations, and what creates cohesion? Remember, your still life should not look like a jumble sale — no randomly gathered chaos. The point is that your combinations together tell a story, or at least follow a theme. Once your theme is clear, you can start placing the objects.
2. Getting to work on the composition
You're not done with just the objects of the still life. The background and surface are just as important as the objects themselves. Look for a surface that matches the atmosphere you want to convey — choose a tablecloth, for example, or a robust wooden plank. Do exactly the same with the background and combine them beautifully.
3. Building up
Time to go back to the drawing board and think about the ideal composition. How do you want to place everything, what looks good together, but most importantly, what tells the story you want to convey? Make a sketch of the ideal composition, pick up your camera and put it on a tripod. Regularly check your sketch and look through the viewfinder to see whether you've created the image you imagined.
4. Light
Now that you've set everything up in the right place, the next step is to look at the light. Normally you might choose to use natural daylight, but for still lifes the use of softboxes and flash umbrellas is recommended. Why? Simply because you have the freedom to control the light exactly as you envision it. After all, light is what transforms a nice shot into a work of art.
5. Shutter speed
When you start working with artificial light, it becomes even more important to keep a close eye on your settings. In particular, the shutter speed is crucial for good exposure in your photos. By setting the shutter speed correctly, you ensure that your still life is clearly visible in the photo. Playing with this allows you to see whether the artificial light is positioned well, whether more lights are needed, or whether everything is perfect. Want the photo to be darker or lighter? Then adjust the shutter speed or the exposure triangle. Besides the amount of light, the shutter speed also determines your chances of motion blur. A shorter shutter speed means taking the photo faster with less motion noise. But if you want to be certain that your still life is well-exposed with no motion blur — choose to always work with a tripod. Safety above all!
