Julie Powell is a photographer, writer and educator, offers unique photographic opportunities and inspirational ideas to help YOU become the photographer you wish to be.
All in Still Life
I have been running a series of photographic workshops this year for the Melbourne Camera Club, this time I took a slower approach and taught the Art of Still Life.
Styling product photography photos can seem like a daunting task. But with some basic knowledge and a few simple tips, you can create stunning images that showcase the products in the best possible light. Here are some tips to help you style your product photography photos.
Sometimes when working with natural light, you can’t always get the most flattering image, especially when it comes to food photography. That’s where using a supplemental speed light can help dramatically.
Depending on where you live it’s either Spring or Fall. Either way, chances are you’re bound to have a few days that the weather is just miserable and you really don’t feel like leaving the house and having a photography adventure. But don’t let that bring you down, why not make the most of the dreary weather and have an indoor photography adventure?
Look at pretty much any of my previous articles and I will tell you natural light is great for still life photography. And it is. It’s free, it’s beautiful and easy to work with. But…it’s not always available. One thing I have learnt over the last 18 months is you need to be flexible. So how to shoot still life with studio strobes if that’s all you have available?
As with food photography, I love hunting for props and backgrounds to put in my images for still life photography and I really like a variety of items. I still adore using colour, but I tend to tone down my colour palette for still life, using more soft muted colours.
Most people believe that still life is just flowers and kitchen stuff, but it’s much more than that. It’s true that I photograph a lot of flowers and I have a real penchant for vintage kitchenware, but that is not all there is to still life.
Still life photography is not just about sticking a flower in a vase and taking a photo of it — it requires a little more planning and studying than that. Still life has been around for a very long time, and sometimes we can learn from that.
I recently attended an Ikebana (Japanese Flower Arranging) class with Shoto Ikebana in Mount Martha
You don’t need a fancy studio and all the gear to capture great food photos — a little bit of space and some great natural light.
When creating still life photography, finding the right background is essential in the overall look and feel of the image, as well as the story you are trying to convey…
