Basic knowledge of still life photography

Still life photography has a vast world in material selection. After selecting materials, we can deal with these objects at will, because objects are inanimate and can move from multiple angles at will to achieve our creative intention. Let me share with you the basic knowledge of still life photography, and welcome your reference.

1: Clever polishing, highlighting the metallic texture.

The metal surface is easy to reflect light, which will reflect the objects in the surrounding environment to the metal surface. Therefore, shooting metal is generally operated in a dark environment, and the fully enclosed or semi-enclosed lighting can achieve the ideal effect. Shooting metal objects focuses on highlighting the texture and three-dimensional sense of metal, and choosing a single background according to the color of metal can effectively highlight the subject.

2. Backlight displays the transparent texture of the glass.

Backlight shooting is a shooting method that puts the subject between the camera and the light, which belongs to the light that is difficult to master. Whether it is portrait photography or landscape photography, it is one of the common shooting methods to express the subject through backlight. In still life photography, this method is beneficial to show the transparency of glass products and the modeling characteristics of glass.

3. Use shadows to express the heaviness of the exhibits.

In order to protect the exhibits, the lighting in the museum is dim, because the stronger the light, the more serious the damage to the exhibits. When we use digital cameras to shoot exhibits, museums are usually not allowed to use flash, and flash will also destroy the picture effect when shooting. Therefore, with the help of field light, the large aperture is used to present the real light and shadow effect of the museum in the picture, and the heavy feeling of the exhibits is shown in combination with the shadow.

4. Use reflection to enhance the three-dimensional sense.

Successful still life photography works not only need accurate exposure of the picture, but also highlight the texture and three-dimensional sense of the object, giving people a real feeling. When shooting exhibits, because the indoor light is dark, using the built-in flash of the camera to flash directly will cause the picture effect to be unnatural due to reflection. At this time, metering is particularly important. The strong contrast between light and shade and the change of light and shadow in front of the camera can highlight the visual effect of the exhibition. At this time, the spot metering mode should be selected to measure the light of the subject. In order to make the picture color correct, it is necessary to adjust the white balance properly. You also need to use a large aperture and a low-speed shutter to express the texture of the object, and use the light and shadow effect to express the three-dimensional effect of the object.

5: Remake the picture with soft light.

In addition to shooting scene objects directly, in some special cases, we can also remake existing photos. When remaking, make sure the light is sufficient and soft. When shooting, the remake object should be placed flat on the desktop to make it receive light evenly, and the photographer should also pay attention to avoid the vibration when holding the camera. In order to get the best resolution, we should choose a lens with no aberration and strong resolution for the remake of the lens.

When retaking in the sun, there is plenty of sunshine, so you can shoot quickly in focus, or you can use a reflector, but you should prevent shadows. After shooting, you can also make post-adjustment through software to make the tone of the picture more full.

6. Establish a simple still life studio

When shooting still life, you can set up a studio at home. First of all, we must determine the size of the studio, build a simple studio according to the required size, and use white paper or white cloth with good light transmittance to form the shape shown in the upper left picture. Next, according to the characteristics of the subject, choose a suitable solid background or cardboard, then polish the subject with a desk lamp or flashlight, and use white cardboard as a reflector.

7. Use soft light to represent objects with high reflectivity.

Soft light refers to the light that does not produce obvious shadow when it shines on the subject. It belongs to diffuse light, and the directionality of the light source is not obvious. Generally speaking, the soft light illumination area is large, the light is relatively uniform, and the photos taken with soft light are relatively flat. For objects with high reflectivity, such as glass, metal, water, etc. Soft light shooting is often used, which is conducive to avoiding the reflection from destroying the picture effect and highlighting the characteristics of the subject.

When shooting glass products, the photographer uses the soft light outside the window to shoot, highlighting the texture of the subject. At the same time, the composition of the banner enhances the perspective of the picture.

8. Highlight the three-dimensional sense of still life with strong light

The object photographed by strong light has obvious shadow, and the object photographed has obvious light receiving surface and backlight surface, so the obtained picture has great contrast between light and dark. Using this light and shadow effect to shoot rough objects can truly show the texture and highlight the three-dimensional sense of the subject.

When shooting wood products, under the irradiation of side light, the picture forms obvious shadows, and the contrast between light and dark increases, which enhances the three-dimensional sense of the subject and truly presents the color.