Still life photography is one of the excellent ways to express your creativity. Still life photography also helps you to make money with stock photography or through the sales of art prints.
The main merit point with still life photography is that you don't need to have a fancy studio, or a lot of space. You can easily just start with just a window. So at the very top end still life photography is a very lucrative business just because various magazines, catalogues, art galleries all need the product shots. There are many merits of working to still life which are often underestimated.
What is still life?
There are many reasons as to why still life photography images are important. It is basically a kind of fine art photography. The subject matter is an inanimate common place object. Composition is the main key to still life photography, and you have plenty of time in the world to perfect your vision.
Thus still life is the foundation skill that every photographer should learn to master up. It offers a complete control to photographers, which in return gives them enough time to practise until they get it right.
1. Tips on how to get started on Still Life Photography!
Select the subject that speaks to you
What you are capturing that is totally up to you. Just have a good research on everything as you can find something simple but an interesting one to start with. Think outside the box and don't go for shooting flowers and plants as every photographer does the same thing. Think something different with being overly ambitious.
2. Find Exclusive props for still life photography
The exact prop can add more to your still life photography. There are many household items which can be used as props such as old books, teapots and glasses. Moreover, different shots of unique cutlery and fresh vegetables can take your photography to its best.
Have a look in your home and find out what the items you have and how you can put them together to make a nice story. You should ensure that the props you are using will work together visually. For instance if you're in a mood to have the vintage shoot then keep everything vintage looking.
You must think about the color variant as well as texture while choosing the props. It is always recommended to have a simple look that you keep your props just neutral coloured.
3. Select the appropriate background
Whether you are capturing overhead or straight on, you will always need a proper background for the still photography. There are various companies who also offer the background for still life and Product photography.
So this is another era where in backgrounds also you can show your creativity. You can create your own background with some elbow grease and ingenuity for some part. The options and possibilities are to the infinity.
It is best to use neutral and subtle colours in still life photography so that they will not overpower your shots and subjects. So your background can mean in many ways.
4. Have control over your lighting equipment
One of the greatest things about still life photography is to be able to rearrange the lightings according to your likings and preferences. You can easily move the fruit all around the bowl, but will spend all day just getting the perfect lighting or will enhance the post shoot work for you.
If you are just a beginner then try having the lights which will pass directly to the viewer’s eyes. Light has the power to accentuate the textures in your image. Changing the light source angles can lead to some dramatic changes in the mood and appearance of the picture.We have a great article on using for Photography Lighting Equipment you can check too.
5. Post production have no bounds
There are no rules in still life photography, but post production is a place where anything can be put. The editing routine of any photographer or editor is totally up to them. Many photographers do it to the minimum possible, as over editing leads to bad photos sometimes. Still life is the only work of fine art so doing the post production to its minimum will give you the perfect shots as per your desire.
6. Planning the shots
Photography can be sometimes technical as well. We can lose sight of the artistic side. So take an adequate amount of time to think wisely the whole story you want and execute it well.
First just have a rough idea of your final image as what you exactly want from your shoot. One another funny approach can be having some random items. Just seeing any of them will help you to create a visual effect but keep in mind to be cohesive.You can select the Best Camera brand for a shot.
7. Be creative with Post-Production
Adobe Lightroom is the best way which will provide you what you need to make some nice and beautiful still life photos. Presets of lightroom and photoshop can be very useful to create a constant workflow. Using these will curtail your wastage of time which you spend in front of the computer.
Post processing work for your still life shots is a bit involving tasks but you need not have to worry where there is Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop. It all depends on what genre of still life you are shooting.
Conclusion
The most essential thing to think about is adequate time, you have to take good time in still life photography. There should be no time boundation in still life photography. There are plenty of ideas for shoots on the internet.
Just pick any of the photography sites or publications and you will get to know each and everything from balck and white to still life photography and to futuristic digital creation as well. For the creative artist shooting a bowl of fruits is just a stepping stone.
It is the secondary thing that on which stage your career is, your portfolio website will always be the centre for your marketing strategies. It is the best way to create a presence in your market.
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