The status of still life photography has been long-standing for a long time. It ranks behind landscape photography and portrait photography, but with the rise of social media such as WeChat Moments and Weibo, people are becoming more and more willing to share what they eat, play or watch in the form of images. Strongly, an obvious example is that the first thing we do before starting a meal at the dinner table is often to take pictures. As an important part of the category of still life photography, food also makes the status of still life photography itself continue to improve. However, during the actual shooting process, we may encounter such troubles: why are the effects we take far less good than what we see on site? The key to success still lies in mastering the correct method. Let us follow in the footsteps of photographer Stacey Hill and learn five things you must master when shooting still life. I believe that after mastering the secrets, your photos will definitely stand out among your friends.
1. Slow down, take a deep breath, and take a photo calmly
Excellent still life works need to have at least three major elements: light, composition and subject. Well, it sounds no different from shooting other subjects. But the biggest advantage of shooting still life compared to people and scenery is that you will have enough time and have more control. If you are shooting in an indoor environment such as home, the subject is stationary, and you can freely control other environmental factors and try again and again. For example, is the shooting angle high or low? Is the shooting distance far or near? How should the subject be placed to look more beautiful? You can adjust these repeatedly until you get the results you are satisfied with.
2. Composition is the key
For any photography subject Generally speaking, composition is a crucial part, but the significance of composition to still life photography is even more than the light and the subject itself. As a nature and landscape photographer, I used to shoot some large scenes in one photo. There are usually beautiful mountains, lakes or oceans in the photos. The sky is filled with rich layers of clouds that are dyed blood red by the afterglow of the sun at sunset. All the elements are ready. As for the composition, I just need to Placing elements like rocks or dead wood in the foreground can give the entire scene a visually grand effect, but composition for still life photography is a different story entirely. When asked to shoot a close-up shot of a mountain range When looking at much smaller objects, I discovered how difficult it is to get a perfectly composed photo in still life photography.
3. See more possibilities
This step will come naturally after you complete the first two steps. Once you have spent enough time with the subject, Put them in the right light, get them in the shot at the right angle, and they'll look their best in front of you. If you give yourself and your subject time to get to know each other, it will There will be no secrets in front of your camera. This applies not only to onions, but also to living people. More time together is mainly to be able to see more possibilities. In this way, you can start to consider What backgrounds are simpler, what plates make for better overall color, and using rough-surfaced boards can give the photo a rustic, farmhouse look.
This may sound a bit cliche, but of course you can choose a good-looking red apple from the market and justTake a couple of seconds to place it on the table, and you might be able to take a nice photo. But what if you spent 20 minutes trying to place the apple on different surfaces and photograph it from different angles? How about cutting an apple open or taking a bite? How about trying to shoot with a glass of cider next to it? Unless you give yourself more time to experiment with different possibilities when shooting, rather than just chasing the result, you will miss a lot of opportunities and limit your own growth. To be honest, I encountered a lot of setbacks when I first came into contact with still life photography, which made me very frustrated, but the setbacks also made me work harder. Once the problem was solved, the quality of the photos improved far beyond expectations, which was undoubtedly the best reward for me.
4. Try abstraction
Many times we tend to prefer abstraction when shooting To capture the entirety of the subject so that viewers can know without thinking what they are seeing. But thinking about it on the other hand, if the viewer needs to take a moment to think about what they are seeing, will this make your work more attractive? The question we’re thinking about is how can we help people remember your photos even when they’re scrolling through hundreds of them every day on their smartphones.
To achieve this, don’t be afraid to make your photos a little more abstract. Shoot in a way that hides the true nature of things, and you can blur the subject as much as you like as long as its interesting enough. But it’s important to be careful; if your photo is too obscure, it’s more likely to alienate people than attract them.
5. Choosing the right props
Props are very important in still life photography. The entire scene is composed of various props and accessories. The tone, emotion and feeling conveyed by the photo also need to rely on the props. But for me It can be said that learning to use various props and combining them correctly can be said to be the most difficult thing for me when shooting still life. It is difficult to do well without enough choices and long-term practice. This is It doesn’t mean you need hundreds of pots and pans or tablecloths and napkins, but a carefully selected variety of props will make your shooting more flexible.
However, props are also It is a double-edged sword. It can not only enhance the look and feel of the photo, but also distract peoples attention from the subject. So before using props, we need to clarify what exactly we want to convey through the photo? What kind of emotion do we want to try to evoke? Can the props match the overall style of the photo? These are all issues we should take time to consider carefully.
Summary
Still life photography is like a practice. During the shooting, Before I started taking photos, I was always in a hurry. I would do the obvious, but it didn't really satisfy me because ultimately the result was boring, predictable and no different. Now that I have changed, I will be willing to spend time preparing everything and set aside a lot of time toShoot, look for possibilities to enhance your creativity, and have fun with trial and error. Even though I don’t shoot as much as I used to, the quality of my photos has improved a lot, and I know I’ve been able to go deeper when I’m shooting. My ability to compose images and grasp the overall style of photos have improved.
