Photograph a Still Life for a Change

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

With our lives seeming to have come to a standstill because of the Covid-19 pandemic, it seems appropriate to photograph a still life for a change.

If, like me, you associate a still life with tables piled high with food, vegetables and fruit, there turn out to be surprisingly many other possibilities and variations. If you like styling, this could be right up your street too!

A still life is an artistic composition of objects that have been carefully selected, arranged and lit. There are many different types of still life, each with its own meaning and symbolism.

Symbolism in particular lends itself to personal interpretation. You can create a composition with the aim of depicting wealth, diligence, faith, transience or learning. Food photography, for example, is purely focused on temptation.

The most important ingredients for still life photography are, in my opinion:

1. Choose objects that you like and that have symbolic or emotional value for you,

2. Think about how to arrange them into an attractive scene,

3. Pay attention to the foreground and background in keeping with what you want to convey,

4. Find a place where you can light the whole scene nicely. Soft light coming through a window or net curtain, for example.

In the end, it is about creating something that appeals to you and others.

If you have never photographed a still life before, collecting objects can be quite difficult. But by simply getting started, you will soon find out whether something works or not.

After quite a bit of trial and error, I eventually settled on the following 'props': an old walnut cabinet (an heirloom), a roughly woven cloth, silver-coloured candlesticks and dried (flower) petals.

For the background, I first used a white wall and then black cloth. Neither was a success. Because the background is important when conveying a particular atmosphere, I kept getting stuck at this point.

It was only when I put all the items outside in front of an old, weathered, rendered wall that I became really enthusiastic.

Later, for the indoor photo, I replaced the white wall in Photoshop with a texture (an image on a separate layer). This immediately adds depth and atmosphere to your photo. So this is something you can also play around with to your heart's content!

The great thing about a still life is that you can create interesting compositions (photos) with simple objects. In this case, less is more makes it even stronger. A nice bonus is that it is also great fun to work on, trying things out until it looks the way you want.

You do not need a complicated camera or flash. You do need a tripod. This prevents camera shake and allows you to take your time checking the composition.

Any standard 50mm lens will do. I used a Lensbaby Velvet 56mm for a romantic glow effect and the Lensbaby Omni system for a playful touch.

The photos were taken in natural light. Outside on a cloudy day, and indoors with light coming through a window from the side.

With silver-coloured or reflective items, make sure that no blown-out areas appear in the photo. I had that problem, and it is difficult to correct afterwards. It is better to prevent it.

Try photographing a series of different set-ups that work well together as a diptych or triptych.

Printing these photos, for example on glossy Pearl photo paper, gives them a beautiful metallic sheen and a luxurious appearance. They become top photos that deserve to be hung up or displayed!

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