The unique creative category and photography genre of still life photography is all about erasing photography stereotypes and learning new artistic techniques while doing so. Still life photography is about capturing inanimate subjects, when compared to live subjects where you have a scope of experimenting with many factors such as expressions, posing and outfits.
One of the most difficult elements for a still life photographer to master is to capture the most ordinary objects, which would otherwise be neglected, in a way that is noteworthy and fascinating. The art of still life photography encourages creativity and motivates photographers to experiment with different techniques to create extraordinary compositions.
The commercial genre of food photography almost coincides with still life photography!
TO LOVE ART IS TO LOVE STILL LIFE PHOTOGRAPHY
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Composition
When you are capturing inanimate objects, composition matters! Remembering that there are no expressions involved in the images that convey the emotion behind your concept. So, composing the image in an artistic way that substantiates emotion lays the perfect foundation for still life photographers.
Think about what you want to convey. How do you feel about the still life? What do you like about it? What don’t you like about it? Ask yourself these questions and you will be on your way in creating emotion in your composition.
Create a still life photo portfolio
Create a photography website portfolio of your still life work. Upload your best photographs and build a unique and eye-catching online portfolio on your social accounts such as TikTok, Facebook and Instagram.
The art of still life photography encourages creativity and motivates photographers to experiment with different techniques.
Still life subject materials
You have an extremely vast area of inanimate objects to play with. Don’t stop at traditional subjects. Go above and beyond to experiment and include different subjects in your work. You can also combine multiple subjects to tell your story in one composition. There are a variety of inanimate objects that could be good for still life photography such as flowers, books, potted plants, etc.
Lighting
Another important part of creating any picture is the lighting. Be it studio lights, natural light, reflections, or backlights. They each create a different kind of effect. You need to decide which lighting goes best with your concept and decide accordingly. Experimenting with different light positions can also define perspectives for a composition.
Places to try still life photography
Still life photography is a stimulating and innovative genre for many photographers and artists. However, it is important to choose the correct locations to produce the most memorable still life. Here are a few places where you can try out still life photography.
Capture it raw
No, we’re not talking about RAW images, although of course, that does help you during post-processing. Here, we are talking about an inanimate object being in its raw natural setting. For example, many photographers capture objects that are commonly available in a shop or a plethora of handicrafts from a store. These are all captured in their true state without any additional effects on them and are still counted to be successful still life photographs.
While travelling
Carry a good quality camera with you wherever you go, especially if you are travelling on a long tour. There are a lot of regularly beautiful scenes that we tend to notice in unknown places that we don’t in our native places. For example, a closed shop, a beautiful street, a piece of building/architecture, a feather from local birds, a stem of wheat grain from a local field, a loaf of bread from the bakery, fruits and vegetables, a bunch of grapes etc.
Indoor outdoor
Apart from these, you can always shoot indoors wherein you have the option to manipulate a lot of factors like lighting, subject’s position, etc. Or you can also take your entire setup to the desired location for outdoor still life photography.
Tips for still life photographers!
As a still life photographer, here are some things you need to keep in mind!
Use the right equipment
You might need to play with focus for still life photography so use a good quality lens that you can focus manually. Maintaining compositions and set up with the correct background and foreground sets the tone of the soul of still life. It is also recommended to obtain a good camera along with appropriate lenses, tripods, and proper light sources.
Search, aspire, execute.
Consuming good content will play a major role in fuelling your still life creativity. So go through quality social media accounts, scan magazines and websites for references and continue experimenting with still life photography.
Still life photography can be a challenge
If you scroll through social media, you will see that still life photography, though unique and challenging, is used everywhere. You like a teddy bear, and you take a photograph of it, but in an artistic way, which is still life. For multiple purposes and with varied perspectives, we see a lot of still life images in our daily life as well.
How to make money with still life photography
Magazines and social media sites are always looking for photographers, especially for marketing and advertising purposes. The best part of still life photography is that it will give you firsthand experience with a lot of different photography techniques that you can apply to many other genres as well, including advertising and marketing.
You can sell your work directly online as stock images, through your own social accounts, or work as a freelancer with different brands. You would most definitely need to build a good portfolio with which you can apply for brand collaboration. With the growing trend of social media marketing, the requirement for such profiles is also on the rise.
Pursue your dreams
No matter which genre of photography you wish to pursue, still life photography is a wonderful place for you to start your journey. It will give you good exposure and knowledge that could be utilized anywhere in the future. It is your turn to start with the journey of Still Life Photography!
Have fun with still life photography!
Still life photography is the modern version of still life painting.
