Still Life Photography
When taking still life shots with your camera, it’s all about composition and lighting. You are in control and you create the image that you want to take. Ultimately you are an artist with a camera. It takes time and patience to master these techniques and to become the master. By master we mean that you and not the equipment is in control, not the other way around.
With still life, you can tell a story and what you chose as a background becomes as important as the subject you’re about to shoot. You need to consider if the background should be prominent or just fade away into nothingness. You achieve this with props but mainly with the control of lighting – various softboxes, spots and snoots. To paint with light and to create the drama between the foreground (the main subject in the photo) and the background. This interplay between the two requires your creativity and this will come as you develop as the artist. With your own preferred style that you create.
The Photo Light Tent
There are times when a more formal still life image is required. I thinking here of product photography. Where the image needs the same careful posing and lighting but where the background needs to be removed. And for that you need a Photographers Light Tent, like the ones shown here Light Tent
The light tent removes all noise from the background and makes the subject the one and only element in the frame. This is desired result as the subject is key and we’re trying to remove any annoying reflections. This is more difficult if the subject is very shiny as it picks up reflections from in front of the camera and reflects them straight back. But you can control this to a certain extent by changing your camera angle.
Develop Your Style
But remember practice makes perfect and as you perfect your technique you’ll develop your own style. Which will be pleasing to you and to your appealing to your customers.