Sitting down and evaluating a project or skill you have can be a good thing. I’m not talking about bashing your work. I’m talking about giving yourself some honest constructive criticism. Over the past six months or so, I have been taking a hard look at how I create photos for my website and classes. I have thought about what I might want those photos to look like and how I would use them. My goal is to take better photos overall, however, I realized that photos of products or projects were not quite where I wanted them to be. I also came to the conclusion that I would like to shoot more of my own photos for use in color palettes. Once I figured out what my goals were, I had a direction to follow. I needed to improve my still life photography skills.
Concentrating on one photo project can be a good thing. You need not have a large budget to accomplish it. Part of planning the project may involve a little research and an examination of the tools you have on hand. You need to determine whether or not you need additional equipment. If so, you can then set a time frame for acquiring needed items on a schedule that fits your budget. Remember, it isn’t always necessary to purchase everything you need all at one time. In some cases, you may already have all of the tools on hand.
I began approaching product photography earlier last year. When I realized I wanted to teach on-line classes, I knew I would need to be able to photograph the projects and supplies in an appealing way. There are a lot of tutorials on-line with tips and tricks for making light tents and photographing products. Though I considered making my own tent and purchasing the lighting separately, I discovered that, in some cases, it might just be less expensive to go with a kit. I also have a tripod set which I had purchased in 2012. This was pretty much the basic equipment I felt that I needed .
My next step was to observe and learn more about photographing products. I approached this with a mentality similar to someone who scraplifts. I began looking at how items in still life photos and mood boards were arranged. I asked myself which things I liked and disliked in each photo, including product placement, color, and lighting. Over time I started to gain a sense of what I wanted. However, I still needed a little help. In December, I learned about a free still life photography class which seemed to be just the thing I needed.
I also realized that having a few props around might not be a bad idea. I allotted 2 large plastic bins( shown in the photo below). One holds my tripod set and extra lighting. The other holds props such as small dishes, bowls, trays, place mats and artificial flowers and leaves. I purchased some of these items during after Christmas clearance. Others were found around my home. I chose a basic color palette for my website, and based my prop decisions around those colors and the website theme. The bins make the items inside portable. I pull them out and keep them close at hand while I am shooting.
My back drops are fairly simple. I have a few black and white foam board pieces. I prefer the foam board to the poster board many sites recommend. Sure, I could bend the posterboard a bit, however, it still requires a frame to hold it up. I don’t have to worry about holding the foam board. I can prop it upright with ease.
I have had the best success shooting photos next to the window in our spare bedroom. As you can see, it’s nothing fancy.I shoot my layouts here as well as project and supply shots. I use my son’s desk to prop the foam board pieces upon. I prefer to rely on the sunlight that streams through the windows versus using the lights that came with the tent ( keeping that in mind, you may find it unnecessary to buy a light tent-experiment with your photos first). I am aware of which times of day provide me with the optimal lighting for my projects. I am still making some use of the lights from the kit. I moved them to my desk and use them to light my space during process videos.
Now that I have an area set up for photographing still life images, it’s time to play a bit.
This was one of my first attempts. I seem to struggle a bit with light reflecting off of objects n the photo. I don’t hate the composition. However, I am not fond of the background I chose.
I decided that it might be better to try a different angle for the shot. I switched the plate and the backdrop around a bit, then changed out the place mat. I definitely liked this photo better than the first one. I have realized I tend to like the plate partially cut out from the photo. I took multiple shots on different settings at this angle, but this was, in my opinion, one of the better ones. It still needs improvement but I feel like I am getting somewhere.
After recomposing the shot again, I went back to an overhead view point. This yielded my favorite shot of the day. If I had to pick it apart a little, I would say I didn’t pay enough attention to the details. Not all of the oranges were turned the same way. Some have their stems showing while others don’t. Still, I have to say I am a bit more satisfied with my progress and now, I have a photo I feel I can use for a color palette.
I know I have not arrived at the point I wish to be with my still life photos. I am however, quite happy with how I am progressing. I’ll be practicing more, learning all the while. Meanwhile, expect to see some of my better practice shots making their way into my Project Life Spreads or into color palettes and product shots for the website.
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