Still Life Photography

What is still life photography? Essentially, it is the photography of objects. Sometimes this is for commercial use such as advertising brands of food and other products, sometimes it is to create an aesthetically pleasing image which may be used as greetings cards (for example).

As with other photography, still life is all about composition. Considerations include lighting, focus, depth of field, and content of the photograph. Some of the most effective still life images are plain and clutter-free, often set against a neutral background without shadows.

Lighting is particularly important for still life images. Natural light falling through a window can be enough to create the image which you are seeking. In a studio, soft box lighting may be the most effective means of setting up your picture (as shown in the image below).  

The still life photography which I have tried to date has relied on the old adage that less is more. In other words, simplicity of the set up leads to better clarity of the end result.

When shooting still life images, use manual focus and pick out whichever bright spot is closest to the lens. Focus on this to draw the viewer’s attention into the picture. Taking the picture above, I have focused on one of the light reflections on the vase (circled on the image below).

I talked earlier about depth of field being one of the key factors in still life photography. Controlling the focus can contribute to how deep or not the image is. The images which follow are the same basic set up but the second image feels deeper because I have switched the focal point to the stones beyond the vase.

You can see that I have also brought the part of the image which is in focus into the centre of the frame. This allows the viewer’s attention to go first to where the focus is, and then move to explore other elements of the picture. As before, this is a simple image with a small amount of light and minimal shadows.

I mentioned simplicity and clarity in terms of less being more, but sometimes moving away from a single colour or texture background can complement the focus of the picture. In the following images, I used a golden throw behind the vases which works well with the green leaves and the blue of the flowers and the glassware. 

In the black and white image, the texture of the throw is more visible and the design again complements the flowers and leaves within the main image.

Although there are more objects within these pictures, I have focussed once more on the bright patch of light which is closest to the camera. These patches are circled in the images which follow.

Although I didn’t come to photography feeling that still life was particularly my calling, I find that I enjoy taking still life photographs. They are simple to set up but can produce very effective end results. Although this post is tagged as studio photography, the pictures do not have to be created in a traditional studio. A bit of light and a plain background at home can produce similar results.

My final image for today is a slightly different still life picture. A doll family tea party complete with family, food, furniture, and low lighting. The dolls are deliberately out of focus and your eye is initially drawn to the spot on the brass hook at the top of the cake holder. As well as the dolls’ house lights, I used a soft spot light which was positioned slightly behind me to draw out some of the detail of the food and the furniture. 

This is a set up I would like to explore more in future shoots, combining the slightly unnerving expressions on the dolls’ faces with low lighting to create eerie pictures of what, on the face of it, are simply children’s toys.