How to take still life photos-detailed steps

When you think of still life, you may think of classical painting, but it is a very creative form of photography. You don't have to think about sports or real life themes, so you can completely control your composition. Practice shooting common still life arrangements or playing in modern installations with similar colors or textures. Still life photography is not product photography, it is an expressive art form, so we should find our own unique style in the game.

Method one. theme

1. If you want to shoot a classic still life, please use delicious food. Drinks such as fruits, vegetables and wine are very popular among artists for a reason-they are different in color, texture and size. You can slice them, save them as a whole, or use them to create patterns. You can even use fake food if necessary!

Learn classic still life paintings and get excellent examples of food still life combinations. Simply put, you may see a pitcher in the background, surrounded by fresh fruits.

Still life of food is not necessarily boring! Try to arrange the grapes in geometric patterns and shoot them on a white background to make the color of the fruit really stand out.

2. Choose objects with matching colors or textures to realize modern still life. The items you choose are meaningless without being together-for example, you don't have to use the vase on the table to shoot the flowers of a book. You can collect all items with similar colors, styles or textures. For example, look for twisted metal parts, transparent glass containers or natural materials.

Remember, there are no rules for choosing a still life theme! Don't choose objects with the same color or texture, but try to shoot objects with contrasting styles.

3. Collect the found items and arrange them happily. Challenge yourself to capture images of objects in real life. After finding the theme, you can take photos of it (for example, falling from a tree into a nest on the sidewalk) or arrange them into the image you want to build.

For example, you geometrically arrange tools, shells, or buttons to present a unique combination.

4. Use objects to speak in your still life paintings. The picture tells a story, but you can add interest and detail by turning objects into letters. Use wires, flowers, buttons and even cookies to shape letters! Write words on the surface of still life with your own customized letters, and then shoot them down directly so that the audience can understand the words.

If you don't want to form letters from objects, please put a template on the shooting surface. Then, sprinkle some free-flowing things on it, remove the template, and you can display the text. For example, this is good for sprinkling water, coffee powder or flashing.

5. Find something to tell a story with. Don't arrange objects by texture, size or pattern, but consider what kind of scene or story to make and find objects that can illustrate this situation. For example, create a still life painting, depicting an object put by a writer on a table or a gardener in a greenhouse.

Your background can be part of the story, or you can keep it simple by staying neutral.

Method 2: Works

1. Choose a simple background that won't distract your topic. In most still life scenes, a pure white or black background will be very useful. Put on an ordinary white cloth or support a big black poster board behind the main body. If you want to use a bright, clean and concise style, please use white; If you like moody and dark scenes, please use black.

For example, black is a popular background for displaying high-end drinks or rich fruits and flowers. You can use white to shoot clear or modern things, such as a stack of glasses.

Do you want to try a bright or textured background? Forward! Still life photography has no rules, and you may find that bright and colorful patterns can make your subjects really popular. Just use your favorite background as long as it doesn't interfere with your still life theme.

2. Outline the arrangement until you find the required setting or grouping. Some people like to start sorting things on the desktop, while others like to put forward their own ideas first. This can really help you imagine the final result. Need some popular arrangements to help you get started? Try:

There is a pot of flowers and fruit on the plate.

A teapot or coffee pot on a cloth.

Scarf and a bottle of perfume jewelry

Books, clocks and candles

3. Shoot images equivalent to traditional still life. Most of the still life paintings you may have seen are placed on the desktop and taken from the side. This makes your photos look more like classical paintings, which is a good way to practice this type.

Try shooting from different angles-the line of sight is just the starting point! Raise the camera slightly or shoot from a position slightly below the eyes to get different angles of view.

4. Stand on your still life and take a bird's eye view from above. Put your things on a flat surface and stand on it. You can create patterns or recognizable shapes. For example, put flowers flat on the table and scatter petals on the table instead of supporting them in a vase. In this way, when you shoot from top to bottom, you will get more two-dimensional images.

This is an interesting little exercise. Spread trinkets, stones, shells or beads on a flat surface. Then you can make them into patterns and take pictures from them.

5. Make your own rules and create a completely unique still life. There are many useful guides when choosing and arranging still life themes, but don't let them get in your way! Look for inspiration in daily life, and don't be afraid to try some settings that are not carried out in stages.

Carry a camera with you. You never know when you will see something that will bring wonderful still life.

Method 3: Lighting

1. Use natural light to obtain soft and realistic still life. You don't need fancy studio lighting to capture wonderful still life photos. Set a still life by the window, or take photos in a room with good natural lighting. You can even create still life outdoors!

Remember, you will get different natural light all day. For example, as the sun goes down, you will get more shadows, which can bring a dramatic feeling to your still life.

If you want to control where the light falls, please aim the light directly at your subject. Natural light may be great, but if you want to better control where the light shines on the subject, please use studio lighting. According to the area you want to highlight, put the desk lamp on the front or side of the main body.

For example, you may have arranged what you found, but you really need to focus on a specific project. Because light attracts people's attention, please put it where you want the audience to watch it.

3. Use shadows in the background to create a dramatic and emotional feeling. If you use natural light, please take photos when the sun goes down so that the subject can cast a long shadow. Want to be a shadow? Place light bulbs or studio lights so that they are aimed directly at your belongings. Keep moving the light closer until the shadow becomes longer.

Make shadows part of the layout. For example, use a photo fork or bottle to make the shadow form a clear pattern on the background.

4. Place a mirror near the subject to create a bright and ventilated atmosphere. If you want to shoot a bright and modern still life, please put the mirror on the side of the still life opposite to the light source. In this way, light is reflected from the reflector and returned to the object.

If your still life painting has a simple and modern feeling, please try to use a mirror. It can minimize shadows and highlight objects.

Method 4: Camera Settings and Equipment

1. Fix the camera on a tripod to focus on still life shooting. Although it is ok to take a camera when shooting, a tripod can really help you. It can keep your shooting stable and let you focus on setting the scene or rearranging the project.

You can also hang the camera on the remote control, so you can capture images without standing behind the camera.

2. Shooting with a standard or telephoto lens can capture the whole still life. You really don't need fancy lenses to stay still, so in most cases, a standard 50 mm or 85 mm lens will be a good choice. If you want to shoot a large still life or leave a lot of space between the subjects, you may need a telephoto lens so that you can stand and include everything in the photo.

Avoid using wide-angle lenses because they will stretch or distort objects.

3. Try using a macro lens or using a camera zoom to focus on small details. You don't have to pay attention to all the topics in Still Life. If you want to play with shapes or textures, please tidy up your things and put the macro lens on the camera. Then, focus on a small detail or just one of them. This will pull out the details and make other items fade out of the background.

For example, list some fresh peaches. Instead of making a composition to focus them all, it is better to choose a fruit to focus on, so as to truly show the texture and color.

Is there no macro lens? You can get the same effect by using the zoom function on the camera.