History

Still life painting and photography have been around for centuries, with roots dating back to ancient Greece and Rome. However, the genre began to take shape during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance in Europe. During the Middle Ages, still life paintings were primarily used for religious purposes. These depicted objects, such as fruits, flowers, and vessels, representing the Eucharist or other religious themes. In the 16th century, still life painting emerged as a separate genre, with artists creating compositions of everyday objects such as food, flowers, and household items.

During the 17th century, still life painting reached new heights of popularity, with artists creating highly detailed and realistic compositions of food, flowers, and household items. This period is often considered the golden age of still life painting, with artists such as Pieter Claesz, Willem Kalf, and Rachel Ruysch becoming well-known for their still life compositions.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, still life painting began to evolve, with artists experimenting with new styles and techniques. For example, impressionist artists such as Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir created still life paintings that focused on capturing the essence of light and colour. In contrast, modernist artists such as Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque experimented with abstract forms and shapes.

In the 20th century, still life photography emerged as a popular genre. Photographers such as Edward Weston, Imogen Cunningham, and Irving Penn created stunning compositions of everyday objects. Today, still life photography continues to be a popular and vibrant genre.

Subjects

A wide variety of subjects can make for interesting still life photography. Some examples are:

• Flowers and plants: Fresh or dried flowers, potted plants, succulents, and other botanicals can make beautiful and visually appealing compositions.

• Food and drink: Fresh fruits and vegetables, baked goods, wine bottles, and coffee mugs. These and other culinary items can be arranged artistically to create mouth-watering images.

• Household items: Antique cameras, old books, vintage telephones, and other household items arranged creatively to create visually intriguing still life images.

• Personal items: Sentimental objects such as jewellery, souvenirs, and keepsakes. These items capture their sentimental value and tell a story.

• Natural objects: Rocks, shells, feathers, bird nests, seed pods. All create a sense of calmness and serenity.

Flowers in Still Life

Vases and containers: Choose vases and containers that complement the colours and shapes of the flowers you are shooting. You can use clear glass vases to create a minimalist look. Alternatively, choose more colourful or patterned containers to add visual interest.

Textiles: Consider using fabrics or textiles as a backdrop for the flowers. You can choose a simple white or black background or go for something more colourful or patterned to create a more dynamic composition.

Natural props, such as branches, leaves, or rocks, can add context and make the flowers look more natural. You can also add water droplets to the flowers to create a more organic look.

Lighting props: Using lighting props such as reflectors or diffusers can help control the lighting and create the desired mood for your shot. You can use these props to create soft, diffused lighting or to add dramatic shadows to the flowers.

Other decorative props: Consider using props such as candles, books, or decorative objects to enhance the overall composition and add visual interest.

Remember, the key is to use props that enhance the flowers and create a visually appealing composition. Keep the focus on the flowers while using props to add context and interest to the shot.

Food in Still Life

Plates and bowls: Choose plates and bowls that complement the colours and textures of the food you are shooting. You can use white or neutral-coloured dishes to make the food stand out or use more colourful and patterned plates to add visual interest.

Utensils: Including utensils such as forks, spoons, and knives in the shot can create a sense of context and a more natural look. You can also use props such as cutting boards, rolling pins, or whisks to enhance the composition.

Linens and textiles: Tablecloths, napkins, and other textiles can add texture and visual interest to the shot. Choose fabrics that complement the colours and textures of the food. Alternatively, go for a more contrasting look for added drama.

Backgrounds: Consider using backgrounds that enhance the colours and textures of the food, such as wooden boards, marble countertops, or colourful tiles. You can also use textured paper or fabric as a backdrop to create a more cohesive composition. One background set I bought came from Amazon, and I love it. You get two double-sided foam core boards with brackets to stand them up. One panel has a different concrete look on either side, and the other has two different woodgrains.

Garnishes: Adding herbs, spices, or fresh fruit can add visual interest to the shot and make the food look more appetising.

Natural Objects in Still Life

Natural backgrounds: Consider using natural settings such as fields, forests, or beaches as a backdrop for the objects. You can also use raw materials such as rocks, sand, or moss to create a more textured and interesting background.

Other natural objects: Consider using flowers, leaves, or branches to create a more natural and interesting composition. You don’t have to have fresh flowers all the time. Good quality silk plants work, too (like the ivy in the blue jug above). You can also use water droplets, dew, or frost to add texture and interest to the objects.

Background props: Consider using other objects or props to create a background or context for your shooting objects. For example, if you are shooting a bird’s nest, you could use feathers or twigs as a background.

Other decorative props: Consider using candles, books, or other natural objects. These enhance the overall composition and add visual interest.

Making your own backgrounds

There are many different ways to make your backgrounds for still life photography. This depends on the look and feel that you want to achieve. Consider the colours of your objects. The background should help make them stand out. I find working with a solid colour is best.

Use fabric or paper backdrops: You can easily create backdrops using fabrics or papers with different textures and colours. For example, you could use a plain white sheet as a backdrop for a minimalist look. Conversely, a colourful piece of fabric adds visual interest to the shot. You can also use patterned or textured papers, such as scrapbook paper, to create a unique look. For example, woodgrain wallpaper will give the look of a timber tabletop without storing multiple tables.

Create your textured backgrounds: Using wood planks, textured wallpaper, or even concrete slabs, you can create textured backgrounds. Self-adhesive tiles from eBay make great backgrounds; attach them to your chosen boards. I previously did a post on DYI backgrounds here. Foam core board, MDF and Plywood all work great as a base. Then, paint or cover them with your desired texture or colour to create a backdrop that fits your vision.

Where to source your props

My two primary resources are around my own home or op shops. The kitchen cupboards yield a feast of plates, bowls, and jugs: my linen cupboard – tablecloths, tea towels, and even white sheets for backdrops. I look for old silver or wooden spoons, jugs, herb jars, trays, crockery, vases and glassware in op shops. One of my favourite objects is an old rusted kitchen scale I picked up on eBay relatively cheaply.

still life photography scene ideas

1. Food: Arrange fruits, vegetables, and other food items and capture their textures, colours, and shapes. Experiment with lighting, shadows, and backgrounds to create a dramatic effect.
2. Flowers: Choose a beautiful bouquet and capture them from different angles, emphasising their shapes, colours, and textures. You can also play with depth of field, blurring the background and adding props such as vases, ribbons, or books.
3. Objects: Select a collection of vintage or everyday objects, such as books, glasses, keys, or toys. Use a plain or textured background, and experiment with angles, lighting, and shadows.
4. Art supplies: Gather pencils, paintbrushes, paints, and other art supplies and create a creative scene. Try adding some blank paper or canvas to stage the scene, emphasising the idea of creativity and inspiration.
5. Musical instruments: If you can access them, try capturing their textures, shapes, and colours. Experiment with lighting, shadows, and reflections, emphasising the idea of rhythm and harmony.
6. Household objects: Use everyday household objects such as glasses, mugs, plates, or utensils. Experiment with angles, lighting, and reflections, and add some complementary items such as flowers or fruits.
7. Natural elements: Capture the beauty of natural elements such as rocks, shells, leaves, or branches. Use close-up shots, emphasising the textures, colours, and shapes.
8. Vintage items: If you can access vintage items such as cameras, typewriters, or telephones, use them to capture their beauty and nostalgia. Use a plain or textured background, and experiment with angles, lighting, and shadows.

Camera Settings

The camera settings for still life photography vary depending on your equipment and lighting conditions. However, here are some general settings that can work well for still life photography:

Aperture: Use a smaller aperture (higher f-number) to create a wider depth of field to keep the entire subject in focus. This is especially important when photographing multiple objects in a single frame.

ISO: Use the lowest ISO possible to reduce noise and maintain image quality. This can help create a sharper image and minimise graininess.

Shutter speed: Use a tripod and a slower shutter speed. This allows more light into the camera and captures more detail in the still life. This is especially important when shooting in low-light conditions.

White balance: Adjust your white balance to ensure that the colours in your image are accurate and natural. You can do this manually or use a white balance preset based on the lighting conditions.

Focus: Use manual or autofocus to ensure the subject is sharp and focused. Pay attention to the depth of field and adjust your focus point accordingly.

Remember, these settings are just a starting point. You may still need to adjust them depending on the lighting and subject you are working with. Experiment with different settings and take test shots to find the best combination for your still life photography.

A Final word

Still life photography is a fascinating and versatile genre that offers photographers endless possibilities for creativity and expression. Whether capturing everyday objects or carefully composed arrangements, still life photography invites us to look at the world around us in a new way and appreciate the beauty in the mundane.

With the correct technique and a keen eye for detail, anyone can create striking and memorable still life images that capture the essence of their subject matter. Whether you’re a professional photographer or an enthusiastic hobbyist, still life photography is a rewarding and engaging pursuit that offers endless opportunities for growth and discovery.

The post The Beauty of Simplicity: Still Life Photography Techniques appeared first on Bevlea Ross Photography.

Home Studios

If you have been thinking of setting up a home studio yourself and were put off by the cost, or don’t know where to start, don’t be. Having a designated room or even a corner somewhere can improve your creativity. It’s if there, set up, and ready to go. Therefore, you are much more likely to take photos when otherwise you wouldn’t because you have to drag everything out, set up, and pack up.

It can be done on a budget and be a small corner in the study. Or better yet, a spare bedroom or in your garage. The cost of setting up, plus the size needed, depends on what style or genre you want to photograph. For still life, product or toy photography, a corner of the study, or a smallish spare room works fine. If you’re set up for portraits, then a bigger bedroom or the garage would work better. Your basic studio can be set up for under $500, and you can add to it – as time and finances allow. So, what essentials to start?

Lighting – Allow $80-$500

Be it for portrait or product – you will need some form of lighting. I got by for ages with good window light and camera on a tripod, allowing me to use longer exposures to add the light. As I got more organised, I added artificial lighting. After your camera, lighting will probably be the most expensive purchase for the studio. I originally bought two softboxes on stands as they were cheap ($80 for two. They did work well, but they are bulky and consumed too much space in my small room. If you have space, then softboxes available on eBay will work fine. You can also use a flash – two are better than one, allowing you to work with one off-camera and triggered wirelessly.

I wanted continuous lights, so I bought Neewer LED lights. The lights are dimmable, and the colour temperature can also be adjusted. They can be used on a light stand or self-standing on your table if doing still life, toys, or product. Another plus was that they come with a power cord or use rechargeable Sony Li-ion batteries. I have now added the batteries to my setup, as that means there are no cords on the floor to deal with.

I also splashed out on buying the Godox AD200 with a wireless trigger. This light works similar to a flash and is great for splash photography. The Godox has interchangeable heads, and you can start with the basic kit and build on it. The beauty of this one is its size – it’s quite portable, and I can use it outdoors for fungi in forests or on the patio without cords when doing splash photography. If you start getting super serious, it also has a big brother, the AD600.

Backdrops $10-$150 each

Again – regardless of the type of photography, you will need some sort of backdrop.

Portrait photography backdrops

You can use black, white, or coloured sheets for backdrops. A single bedsheet works excellent. DO iron it before you hang it, or steam it between shoots if it has creases. I can’t tell you the number of images I have seen, ruined by a crumpled backdrop. Similarly, make sure they don’t drape or fold. I didn’t see the folds in the photo below until I started editing. Now I can’t unsee them. Finally, use clamps on the sides of the backdrops to keep them taut.

Looking for printed backdrops for our portrait and concept shoots, I purchased 1800mm x 2700mm cloth backdrops from Ali Express. The vinyl ones are quite cheap (around $35au), and I started with these, but they are a pain to iron as the creases are hard to get out, aren’t seamless, and do discolour with age. They are also not washable. I changed over to polyester backdrops, around $115au to $145, but they are worth every cent. The creases just drop out with light steam, and the colour is much better and can be washed if need be. If you are storing them on a shelf between shoots, they roll up and aren’t too bulky. I would strongly recommend spending the extra money and getting the polyester backdrops from the start, as the vinyl turned out to be a false economy.

Toy Photography backdrops

For the 1/87 figures – as they were so small – I printed out backgrounds on A4 matt photo paper and stored them in a plastic sleeved display book. The images from expired landscape calendars also make great backgrounds. When using them, I just blu tack them to a glass vase to hold them up and place them behind my scene.

Product or Still Life backdrops

You can make your own backgrounds relatively cheaply for product or still life, either painting stretched canvas boards or MDF or using a black or white foam core board. I did a mini-tutorial HERE on making painted board backdrops. Wallpaper also makes great backdrops or bases – especially the wood-panelled looking wallpaper. This means you can have the look of several wooden tables without the space they would take up. Double-sided backdrop papers are now also available with a different backdrop on each side, giving you two backdrop papers for the price of one. I just ordered several of these. They aren’t huge, but they are a perfect size for product, still life, etc.

Backdrop Stands – $30-$150 each

There are loads of stands on eBay, from small to huge, they aren’t expensive, and the quality is pretty good. You will need one large stand with at least one backdrop for portrait photography. You can get away with a 2m x 2m but a 2m x 3m will be better as you can then do family shots or stage more than one person against it. For tabletop photography (toys, product, still life), the Neewer T-shaped backdrop stand is ideal.

At the moment, I am using the tabletop stand with Black or White PVC to create a seamless backdrop, but the new papers I ordered will also fit this. When I want to have a reflective background, I use Black and White acrylic sheets that I bent to a 90° angle so they self stand.

Clamps

Clamps are one thing you need in plenty of, like 8-10. You will use them to attach backdrops to stands at the top and sides, as well as clamp the reflector to a stand. They are cheap as chips, around $2 or less for a pack of 5 from Bunnings, eBay, or the hardware section of the Chinese variety stores.

A helping hand

These are fabulous to hold flowers while photographing them if doing macro photography. Just clip the stem to the alligator head, bend the wire as desired, and either clone or crop it out in post.

Reflectors $20-$70

Reflectors are also great to have and cheap as chips. Having a reflector means you can often work without artificial lighting unless the day is particularly dark. Then, with the window light to one side and the reflector to the other, you can bounce the light back and create an evenly lit scene. The reflectors have a loop on the top, and I just attach them to one of the backdrop stand poles with a clamp. They come with removable slipcovers – giving you five different reflectors in one to cover a myriad of lighting temperatures.

Table – $40 – $100

While a table is unnecessary for portrait photography, you will need one for still life, product, or toy photography (the little miniature people). I picked up a second-hand wooden table on eBay for around $60 that’s about 900mm x 1200mm, and it works great for what I do. Bunnings also sell folding tables in several sizes that won’t break the bank.

Chair or stool

For portrait photography, a nice accent chair makes a great prop. A tall stool also works great and allows you different posing options with your model. Check out FB marketplace. I picked up a fabulous chair for the studio for half of what it would cost retail.

Shelving $varies

Whether you do portraits or still life, you will need some sort of shelving to hold your props, etc. I have been collecting cups, vases, bowls, old eyeglasses, etc., which has temporarily come to a halt with all our shops closed. I use a bookcase and boxes at the moment. I need more boxes, but, again, it will have to wait until shops are allowed to reopen. I am a tad anal about organisation – so for me, labelled boxes are a must. For my little people, I bought a drawer set to keep them organised. The front of the drawers are labelled, and I keep an excel spreadsheet of their product numbers on my PC, so I know which ones I have bought and don’t double up.

A photographers stool

It helps to have a stool to sit on while you are working. All that bending over the table is not kind to the back. So I bought a little padded stool on wheels from a salon supply shop online for $75. It’s small, mobile, and I can scoot around all angles on it.

The Setup

I set my table up in front of a south-facing window with sheer curtains to soften the light. As a result, it gets good light but no direct sunlight. I was in another room first that had lovely morning sunlight coming in the window, but as the sun went in and out of clouds, the light kept changing, as well as creating shadows on the table. I tried diffusing the light coming in and eventually gave up and swapped to another room.

I have the Neewer tabletop stand set up with the white vinyl PVC on my table, and I taped it down to the front edge of the table with Magic Nano Tape. All my other boards lean against the wall behind me, where they are accessible for quick changes when I want them.

I have my camera on the tripod at the front of the table and have a light on the side opposite the window to even the light out when needed. The reflector also hangs on the wall behind me, so it’s easy to grab if I need it.

Finally

Having a designated space for a home studio is fabulous – when you get an idea for an image, you can just run with it. Before I had it set up, if an idea came, it was such a chore to get organised and set up that most of the time, I filed it away for another day.

Initially, my complete home studio, table, softboxes, backdrop, stands, stool cost around $350 to set up. From there, I replaced things as I could afford them, but in the meantime, I had use of it and went in there regularly. Had I waited till I could afford everything at once, I would never have started it. So look around – do you have somewhere you can use? If so, go for it!

The post Setting Up A Small Home Studio appeared first on Bevlea Ross Photography.

Over the course of this pandemic and isolation, I have bought a few eBooks, looking to upskill myself, ready for when I can venture out again. I found, overall, most were good to great. Informative, lots of tips and secrets divulged. Easy to checkout and download, tick, tick. And conversely, one, quite disappointing with basic content that I could pick up with just as easily with an internet search.

Price

Overall, the price of eBooks is something that really bugs me. Yes, the author has a lot of time putting it together. But after it’s ready, that’s it. Upload it, advertise it, sit back and wait for sales. No more work is required, and it keeps (hopefully) bringing in money month after month for years, with no more work required. Money for jam. So why are they priced equal to or dearer than print books when they don’t have the overheads? There are no printing or distribution costs. No commission or markup to retailers. Yet the price doesn’t reflect this.

Buyer beware

I read voraciously on my iPad. Mostly fiction, with some photography related ebooks. The fiction books are always $10 to $20 cheaper than ‘textbooks’, so not a big investment. However, textbooks are usually a lot dearer. So I try to be selective with them. A boring or badly written fiction book at $15 or less is easier to stomach than a photography ebook where I learned nothing but paid $35 – $40. And I really wished for a money-back guarantee with the last one I bought. Some do give it – some don’t.

Reviews

Be aware; these are my opinions only. You may feel completely different about the books. I also purchased all these books – none are paid reviews.

Landscape Photography: On Location

by Thomas Heaton

$6.58 on Amazon

One of my favourite eBooks. I have been following Thomas via his YouTube channel for ages, so I jumped at the book when I found it.

It contains loads of useful, well explained technical information for all skill levels. While it’s not a ‘how-to’ manual, it contains many tips, pointers, and inspiration. And for the price, you can’t go wrong.

Photographing Fabulous Flowers

By Leanne Cleaveley

$19 from Photzy

This book is well written, filled to the brim with loads of helpful tips and hints on getting the perfect shot. Leanne covers everything from settings to composition to editing and printing. The book also comes with a bonus checklist plus a flower waterdrop tutorial. If you’re not satisfied, it’s also backed by a 365-day money-back guarantee. No money-back is needed on this one. If you are into flower photography, this one is definitely for you.

For the Love of Food

By Julie Powell

$25 from Julie Powell Photography

This is a great little eBook.

Seventeen pages covering composition, lighting, hints, and tips on backgrounds and props.

If you are getting into food photography and looking for where to start, you will be on the right path.

No money-back guarantee (not that I want one), but for the price, definitely value for money.

Captiviting Color

by Mitchell Kanashkevich

$19 from Digital Photography School

This was one of the first eBooks I purchased on photography, and it made a huge difference to how I “see” images. It aims to teach you how to understand and use colour. This, in turn, influences your viewer’s attention to the image and use colour and subjects for maximum impact.

Includes six practical exercises to help you implement what you have learned. Comes with a 60-day money-back guarantee.

The Creative Photography Cookbook

by Dina Belenko

$39 Available from Expert Photography

In a word. Awesome. This book has to be the bee’s knees for creative food photography. Dina Belenko is the queen of ‘conceptual still like photography’ with 44k followers on Instagram.

Her book covers composition, props, setups, techniques. 31 projects with loads of pictures, giving you step-by-step directions from props to setup to editing on creating your own amazing images.

Includes bonus ‘recipe’ sheets. One of the more expensive books, but it’s 374 pages big! It also comes with a 90-day money-back guarantee.

Miniature Worlds

by David Gilliver

£20 from Davids website

I had to hit one turkey sooner or later on the law of averages.

David is a fabulous photographer from Glasgow, Scotland, renowned for light painting and miniatures. He has been featured in many newspapers for his small world figures and has over 2.5k followers on Instagram. The book is roughly the same price as Dina Belenko’s but 1/6th size.

However, his book of ’52 pages’ sounded great. He said his book “is packed full of advice and detailed information on camera gear & settings. Additionally it included information on where to source the figurines and props. He claimed to have “not held anything back and have shared everything that I have learned over the past 20+ years”.

I agonised over this book for a week or more. I really wanted it. But there was no money-back guarantee. In the end, because I had never asked for my money back before, I bit the bullet and bought it. And so wished I had saved myself the $37 Au. We didn’t get information on how to do these figures till page 13. The first 12 pages are fluff. The next seven pages contain images and descriptions. Nothing you couldn’t work out yourself by looking at them on his Instagram page.

The following pages cover camera settings and props, then more images and tip gems such as “check battery is charged, and sd card is in camera”. He may have held nothing back, but what he gave was nothing I hadn’t already learned by google searching others. In fact, I learned more from a free tutorial on the Adobe Create page.

Moral to the story

Above all, don’t buy if they don’t offer a money-back guarantee. Of all the books I have bought, those with the guarantee were worth it, and I was a satisfied customer. I guess I know why David’s book didn’t come with one.

The post eBooks- Are they worth your money? appeared first on Bevlea Ross Photography.

Wallpaper

OK, you can’t make wallpaper at home, but it makes a great background, and you can buy them online. Google ‘wallpaper’, and check out eBay as well. If you have friends into still life, product, or food photography, you can go shares on a roll. eBay sellers also have sample pieces sized around 50cm x50cm for about $5 each. Be careful and avoid the self-adhesive ones, as most have a sheen to them, reflecting in your images.

I love the ones that look like wooden panels (on eBay, search for ‘wood optic wallpaper’). It will look like a real table through the camera without the cost or problem of having multiple tables. It’s not as durable as the boards – but it’s economical enough that I don’t feel guilty when I eventually throw it out. I have used one piece over and over. It’s been sprayed with glycerine, wiped down, splashed with coffee and water, and it’s still going strong.

MDF Boards

MDF makes great DYI backgrounds. They are sturdy and can be painted in whatever colour takes your fancy. Then, when you have used and abused it to the point it’s no longer photogenic, you can repaint it for a new look.

Tongue and Groove Flooring

I purchased one piece of tongue and groove 2400mm long and cut it into four equal parts of 60mm. One side has a groove down the centre to give it a narrower board look for wainscoting – I planned to do this side black and the other side in a limewash. Unfortunately, I didn’t pay attention and noticed when I had the first coat on that, I had one piece back to front, and there was no centre groove.

So, I ended up doing both sides black – one side has three coats, and one side has two for different depths of black. I used the ‘Black Japan’ stain and applied using a cloth. The Black japan gives a nice flat, non-reflective colour but still shows the timber grain through it. Although the four pieces are still separate, I didn’t bond them together as they are easier to pack up and lock back together when I want to use them.

Perspex

Black perspex is excellent if you want a reflective base. It gives a brilliant reflection when used on still life or product photography. We even used them on a reptile shoot once. White perspex will still give you a slight reflection and works well for a minimal look. As the white one was scratched through poor storage, I added a 3D self-adhesive brick tile from eBay ($10) and put that on the back. (they are soft and scratch easily, when not in use, it’s best to put a towel or bubble wrap over them). You can also get imitation stone or subway tiles. I bought both black and white perspex 60×120 and bent them across the centre, so I have an L shape. This gives me a self-standing, background, and base in one. I can also clamp different wallpapers or fabric to the back to provide a different look.

Foam Core Board

White Foam core board does double duty. You can use it as a backdrop or a reflector. The black is also handy – it’s light, stores away well and can be wiped clean quite easily.

Stretched Canvas

Stretched Canvas is lighter than the MDF and can be painted the same. They also have a lovely linen look to them. However, dollar for dollar, they are about double the price of MDF.

Plywood

Thin sheets of plywood can be cut down and stained in different wood colours to give you the looks of other timbers. For example, a 1200 x 600 x 12mm red oak sheet will set you back at about $30. but this will give you two 600×600 boards.. .or you can cut smaller to put on your backdrops, simulating different chopping boards. You will need to avoid shooting the side of the board, though, as you’ll be able to see the plywood layers.

Paint your own MDF Board

The beauty of the MDF boards is they are double-sided, and you can do each side a different colour giving you four backgrounds for your one sheet of MDF. For example, I did one side a med grey and the other side matt black.

Supplies

Apart from the cling wrap, everything came from Bunnings.

• Selleys 420g Liquid Nails Fast Grab – $6.39
• Caulking Gun – $4.35
• Sheet of MDF 6mm x 1200 x 600 – $10.50
• Paint – I used Dulux theatre black 1L $36.90 and Dulux White 250ml sample pot $7.98
• Mini paint roller – I bought the mini paint partner 10pc kit for $8.45 but you can get two foam rollers for $4.35.
• cling wrap
• 75mm plastic paint scraper $1.29
• sanding block $1.80

This made the total cost for four DIY backgrounds, $85, with most of that sum going on the black theatre paint. It would be a lot cheaper if you used craft paint ($10 for 500ml at bunnings). From the one-sheet, I got two doubled sided boards with four different looks, and I have the paint and rollers, etc., to do more for only the cost of a new sheet of MDF. It would also be a lot cheaper if you already have mini rollers or paint at home. You can often pick up ‘miss tints’ from Bunnings for a lower price. Next time, I plan to use sea sponges and craft paint in a mix of blue and theatre black.

Method

Cut the sheet into two equal pieces. This will give you 2 x 600 x 600. Give the edges a light sand.

Adding Texture

Set your liquid nails in the caulking gun and squirt over the board. Cover about 1/4 of the board at a time to give you time to work the liquid nails. Squirt it on and then spread it randomly with the paint scraper. You do not want a nice even coat. Mix it up in all different directions and leave the strokes showing. I did a heavy coat on one board and a light one on the other for two different looks. Allow to dry overnight.

Next morning give your boards a coat of white paint and allow them to dry for an hour or so

Painting

Once dry, take your black and white paint – pour some of each in the centre of the board and roll around, mixing it to grey as you go. It will blend and become grey as you roll but don’t make it a solid even colour – try and leave some of the black and paler bits showing if you can

When you have covered the entire board place a piece of cling wrap on it and smoosh the cling wrap together to create wrinkles in the cling wrap. Then lift it off. It will lift the grey paint with it exposing white areas. Do it in 2-3 spots on the boards and then discard the cling wrap and allow the board to dry.

Once the grey was dry, I painted the reverse side of my board in the theatre black, so I had a completely matt, non-light reflective board. This gave me a good selection of versatile DIY backgrounds for flat lay and still life photography.

The post DIY Backgrounds for Still Life Photography appeared first on Bevlea Ross Photography.

Still life photography is a genre of photography used for the depiction of inanimate subject matter, typically a small group of objects. It is the application of photography to the still life artistic style. An example is food photography.

In The Beginning….

The classic paintings by the dutch masters featured arrangements of bowls of fruit, flowers in vases surrounded by everyday man-made and organic objects. The still life painting has now evolved to become its own genre as Still Life Photography, using the same principles and props seen in the paintings.

Styles of Still Life Photography

Tabletop is the most common type in still life, where all the objects are arranged on a small table. Other styles of still life are product photography, found object photography, and food photography. In food photography, the entire goal is to present the food attractively by arranging other food items or tableware in the shot to complement your ‘hero’ dish.

Props and Equipment in Still Life Photography

Getting started with still life photography props is inexpensive as most of the props you can pick up in your local second-hand shops and ‘oppies’ and using items that you have at hand in the home.

A collection of jugs, cups, glasses, bottles, wooden boards, linen napkins, tablecloths, vases, bowls, etc., will get you started. From there, you can gradually acquire a few statement pieces. Julie Powell has some great props, but she’s been at it a while. For food photography, just add seasonal fruit and flowers plus cakes etc. Bowls of soup or pasta make great shots.

Backgrounds

A collection of backgrounds are also good to have as you don’t want the background intruding on the shot. White and black cardboard, coreboard, plain coloured or mottled curtain remnants stapled to a large canvas, or buy a large canvas and paint it in splotchy complementary colours to create your own mottled background. Perspex is great if you want a reflective base. Wood-panelled wallpaper pieces also make great fake wooden tabletops.

Lighting for Still Life

Lighting, like all photography, plays a great part. I like to photograph in natural light in front of a window that gets great indirect morning light. A soft voile curtain diffuses the light beautifully. A reflector can be beneficial in helping soften shadows. You can use speedlites; I prefer not to.

Lenses for Still Life

Telephoto and Macro lenses work great for this genre. You aren’t shooting in a wide field of vision, as all your images will be ‘close up’ to get more interesting images. I use my macro a lot, as well as the 50mm or 12-100mm.

I also shot all the images in this post using the macro and on F2.8 as I wanted a very shallow depth of field and soft background.

Final Thoughts

I am definitely not a still life expert as I have just started ‘playin’ in the genre after taking a class some time ago with Julie Powell Photography. However, I have found side or backlighting works great for me.

I also like to keep the colours neutral or colours all complementary. Using a tripod helps a lot too as your camera is static and you can keep tweaking your composition and object placements, without having to put the camera down and recompose your set all the time.

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