Still Lives

Still life Photographydepiction of inanimate subjects or a

group of objects which are either natural or man-made, via the means of a photograph.

Photographer makes pictures rather than takes them.

Three things to consider:

Composition

Background

Lighting

Arrange objects in an interesting way and let the objects tell their own story. Arrange and rearrange until you find a composition that is most appealing.

Find ObjectsLook out for interesting arrangements of objects left where they are. The challenge is “seeing” the subject.

Experiment with the CompositionTry using the Rule of Thirds, as well as breaking it.

Look for (or create) interesting backgrounds…

…and foregrounds.

Black Backgrounduse black velvet type cloth, the thicker the better. Watch out for creases, folds, etc.

White backgrounduse white poster board that is stiff yet flexible enough to bend without creases.

Variation in the background will take away the monotony, just don't let the background distract.

Look out for interesting natural lightingand that means interesting shadows too.

Create your own artificial lightingUsing flash, lamps, ambient light… and note shadows

Assignment: 40 Image Contact Sheet + 2 BestSpecific Criteria for still life scenes –

➢ Still life #1 – use the same objects, but try them in different compositions (10 pics)

➢ Still life #2 – use a new 2nd set of objects and try them with different backgrounds and foregrounds (10 pics)

➢ Still life #3 – use a new 3rd set of objects and try them in different lighting (10 pics)

➢ Still life #4+ – take a walk, find existing still lives around you, shoot each a few times (10 pics)

Due: Tuesday, March 22nd