Still life stage photography

Shooting still life is a unique photographic experience. When shooting an inanimate object, you need enough time to conceive and create the camera settings and the theme of the photo until you find the best shooting position, which is the ideal lens.

Still life photography looks simple, but it takes a lot of creativity and practice to fuse living and inanimate objects. If you are confused about lighting and framing, you need a lot of practice. So, how can we avoid the six misunderstandings of still life photography?

Error 1- improper lighting

Rule 1: The subject must have enough light. After all, this is the theme of your photos, and using natural light usually produces excellent results.

If you shoot indoors, you need to polish the subject more creatively. One of the common mistakes is shooting under artificial light sources, such as LED and fluorescent lamp. Why? Because these light sources change the natural color temperature, the subject looks unnatural. In addition, they keep inanimate objects in their original state.

Solve the lighting problem when shooting still life.

Place the subject near a natural light source, such as an open window, and be creative when the light shines on the subject. Does the light look good when it hits the subject from the side? Or does backlighting look more attractive?

Another important problem to worry about is that natural light will shine on the object you are shooting. Avoid shooting in direct sunlight. Bright sunlight will destroy the fine details and colors of objects. As a solution, if you really need to shoot in the sun, use a light adjuster such as a soft light box (or a translucent mirror) to help create a soft effect and scatter direct light.

Error 2- Distract background attention

The next common mistake in still life is to put objects in a distracting background. To ensure that the background does not contain interference, anything that attracts the viewer's attention from the main theme to the background behind it is not desirable. For example, taking vase flowers with household furniture as the background.

Solve the background problem of distracting attention when shooting still life

Choose a monochrome wall painted with a neutral color. If there is no such wall, please cover the background with a piece of white paper to avoid distracting the main object. Another trick is that if you shoot the subject on the table, it's best to cover the table carefully with white cloth or paper and focus on the main theme as much as possible.

Error 3- Missing tripod

If you need to use a slower shutter speed, make sure you don't get a blurred image. Such as decorative indoor fountain. You may need to capture the action of pouring water when the shutter is slow. In this case, it makes sense to use a tripod, because even if the camera moves slightly, the image will be blurred.

When paired with a tripod, you can use the wireless remote control to release the shutter. Therefore, even the slightest movement of the camera will not be included. As an alternative to the remote control, a 2-second timer can be used in the camera settings.

Error # 4- inappropriate object

Cutting pictures helps to capture and fix the audience's attraction to your topic. When cropping an image, make sure that the theme fills the whole screen in an attractive way. Use the trisection, adjust your movements and try different angles, and you will definitely find the perfect shot.

Mistake 5- Lack of common sense

For professional and commercial still life photography, complexity is worthwhile. After making all the adjustments and taking a few photos, try to change the scene-move the object to a slightly different position, add something to the scene to supplement the object, use different angles and light sources, and change the view again and again.

Error #6- Wrong shot selection

Still life is about creating depth and displaying objects in a way that directly interacts with the audience. How to achieve this kind of attention? Shallow depth of field is recommended.

This applies to very detailed topics, such as flowers, leaves and fruits. In this scene, you need to be close to the subject, set the camera to AV (Aperture Priority) mode, and choose the longest focal length possible. The telephoto lens is the best tool for this kind of photography, because the long focal length can compress the angle of view and make the subject stand out.

This does not mean that only telephoto lenses are suitable for still life. If you want to show the details of the subject, please shoot with a telephoto lens. On the other hand, if you need to shoot everything on the table, you can use a standard 50mm lens or a wide-angle lens.