Still Life:
Candid & Studio Shot: |
Photographing still life is one of the easiest ways to sharpen you compositional skills while creating original pictures. Still lifes are simply arrangements of inanimate objects. The variety of subject matter is limited only by your imagination.
They can be candid or found subjects that the photographer just happens upon, or they can be studio arranged groupings carefully set up by the photographer. The advantage of still life is that they allow you to work at a leisurely pace, giving extra attention to how all the elements work together in the final image.
Photographing a still life in a studio or another controlled setting, rather than photographing an arrangement you happen upon, greatly increases your control over how the final image will look. You take charge of not only selecting and arranging the subject matter, but also of choosing the background, camera angle, and lighting.
Look for combinations that are visually distinctive. Experiment with your camera angle until your scene shows the elements in the most pleasing balance and don’t be afraid to improve upon a scene. Try using natural lighting or using reflectors or in shadowy areas, fill-in lighting.
Your assignment this month is to take one Candid Still Life and one Studio Still Life (2 images total in each division, print or slide).
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