Still life photography is a fun art and one of the most demanding of all photography genres. But the best part is that it is also the most demanded genre! Agencies dealing in stock photography are always working to fulfill the demand of people asking for various photographs of items like keys, fruits, stationery and million others.

What separates still life photography from other forms of photography is the arrangement. It is often said that in still photography, photographs are made and not taken. This means that a photographer needs to arrange a group of objects, compose his frame, apply the desired lighting and then take the photo. It is called an art since its mystery will separate real photographers from camera just camera owners. Well taken still life photographs are pleasing to watch, but it can be challenging to achieve such results. Here are some tips on how you can master the art of still life photography.

Composing

Composition is very vital in still life photography. One of the main objectives of composing in still life photography is to come up with a very pleasing arrangement. This can be achieved by following basic photography rules like ‘rule of thirds’, ‘leading lines’ ‘frame within a frame’ among others. Your choice of objects will also determine how the final frame appears. It’s good to have a little bit of contrast but don’t pick very contrasting objects that your photographs lacks its meaning.

The background

Many still life photographs are taken against clear or solid color backgrounds. This separates the object from the background and makes sure that the background won’t distract the main subject. It is highly advisable that you use such solid background but it’s not compulsory. Experienced photographers are able to take great still life photographs without taking the photo against such a background but use their camera DOF to eliminate the background details when not needed.

You can construct a simple set up at home to take still life photographs and some of the materials you can use for background are velvet cloths and chart papers. Avoid using materials that may reflect back the light or even their color to your subjects.

Lighting

Soft boxes or light boxes are mostly preferred for lighting still life photographs. However, if you can’t afford to buy some, you can easily improvise yours by use of table lamps with compact fluorescent bulbs. If you don’t have that, you can use natural light, either the one coming from outside through your windows or you can have a set up outside and use overcast day light conditions as your ‘soft box’. As an amateur, you may not be able to get perfect lighting on the first try, but you should experiment with different lighting set ups till you get the desired results.

Framing

With all the elements in place, it boils down to how you frame your photograph to spell success or failure. One way that can almost certainly win the day for you is filling your frame with your subjects. You can do so my taking very tight close ups of your subjects or by coming close to then.

Props

Use of props can add some flavor to your still life photographs. For example, if you are taking a photograph of cutlery, adding a slice of orange at the background can make your photo really juicy at the end of the day. Care should be taken however when using props so as not to make your frame crowded with unwanted details.

Angles

Another thing that can spice up your still life photography is taking your photos from various angles. An angle can turn a boring shot to an interesting one dramatically. Move the camera around your set and you may come up with very great shots.

	Quick read: What separates still life photography from other forms of photography is the arrangement. It is often said that in still photography, photographs are made and not taken One of the main objectives of composing in still life photography is to come up with a very pleasing arrangement It is highly advisable that you use clear and solid background in still life photography but it’s not always compulsory Soft boxes or light boxes are mostly preferred for lighting still life photographs Use of props can add some flavor to your still life photographs An angle can turn a boring shot to an interesting one dramatically

Photos by Nathan Gitonga