Photographing objects
Compared to portrait photography, shooting still-life pictures seems like it should be a breeze. When you're taking product shots for an online auction, for example, you don't have to worry about a flash reflection causing red-eye, as you do when photographing people.
But if you've done much still-life photography, you know that inanimate subjects can prove every bit as challenging as living ones. Objects with shiny surfaces are incredibly difficult to photograph because they reflect not just the bright light of a flash but also everything else in the vicinity, including the photographer. Skyscrapers may be patient posers, but capturing their vertical lines without distortion is often impossible. This section offers tricks for solving these and other common still-life problems.
Creating a still-life staging area
If you regularly take product pictures, you may want to build a dedicated staging area for shooting your still-life projects. One simple set-up involves nothing more than adjustable shelving brackets and supports, a pair of white melamine boards, a curtain rod, and some clip-style curtain rings.
Total cost: About AU$50 and one trip to the hardware store.
You can build a simple yet versatile still-life staging area for about AU$50.
Simple as it is, this arrangement is quite versatile. The shelving supports are about 120cm tall, and you can raise or lower the base platform to get the exact camera angle you want. The white boards serve as a good backdrop for many product shots, but if you need a coloured background, just clamp poster board or matte board from the art-supply store to the melamine boards. (To prevent the vertical board from accidentally falling forward onto what you're shooting, run a length of cording through screw eyes along the top and tie the cord to the curtain-rod brackets.) For shots that require a fabric background, take down the vertical board and hang the fabric from the curtain rod.
This commercial still-life kit includes a pair of lights
and interchangeable base and background panels.
Choosing a backdrop
Just as the right clothing can make or break a portrait, the background you use for a still-life picture can enhance your subject or detract from it. Consider the computer cable shown in the image below. When working with a subject that seems visually uncompelling at first glance, your initial instinct might be to use a patterned backdrop to add some interest to the scene. But rather than enhancing the image, a busy backdrop just draws the eye from your subject.
For a better result, switch to a plain background and think more creatively about your composition.
For the cable image, below, instead of using a busy background (left),
the cable looks more striking on a plain black background (artfully arranged like a snake).
On occasions when you can't move a subject to improve the background, you may be able to use these tricks to get a better image:
- For small subjects, slip a thin piece of poster board or matte board behind the object. You may also be able to hang a temporary fabric background by clamping it to two light stands or other supports.
- When all else fails, use your camera's largest aperture to throw the background out of focus as much as possible. You need to switch the camera into either aperture-priority autoexposure or manual exposure mode to control aperture. (Remember, to get a larger aperture, you choose a lower f-stop number.) If your camera doesn't offer either mode, try using the portrait scene mode, which also results in a large aperture.
Shooting framed art under glass
With framed artwork, the obvious, easy answer is to remove the glass from the frame and then photograph the piece. In many cases, though, that's not an option, and you have to shoot through the glass. However if you're not careful, you'll capture your own reflection in the image.
If you simply light the artwork properly, you should be able to shoot it straight-on without creating much of a reflection, if any. The secret is to use two diffused light sources, one to the left of the art and one to the right. Position the lights at about a 45-degree angle from the art and at about the same height as the art. This lighting set-up -- known as cross lighting -- should enable you to stand right in front of the art without creating much of a reflection. But if you still see some hint of yourself or the camera in the glass, put the camera on a tripod and then drape both with a black cloth. Use your camera's self-timer function to take the picture so that you can step out of reflection range before the image is captured.
Another technique to avoid reflections when photographing framed art is to tilt either the frame or the camera. But this approach distorts the parallel lines in the picture, and you'll need to use your photo editor to correct the "convergence" problem later.
Content adapted from Shoot Like a Pro!: Digital Photography Techniques, McGraw-Hill Publishing, and used with permission: CNET Networks © 2007, and McGraw-Hill © 2007.
Like this article? Click below to send it to your mobile for free!
Be the first to comment on this article!