Still life photographers often tell us that lighting their scenes is the biggest challenge they face. In fact, lighting is one of the most common photography problems in any genre. In this tutorial, Ali Jennings of our testing team singles out 4 foolproof still life photography lighting techniques that you can use anywhere.
Each still life lighting technique shows you how to adequately light some of the most common subjects for still life photographers: flowers, fruit The key to successful tabletop studio photography is the lighting, and how you use it to create different effects, without spending a fortune on equipment.
We’ll use a variety of different simple light sources – window light, a pocket torch, and a pair of common-or-garden desk lamps to cut down on the additional kit needed.
But you will also benefit from a few extras – such as some fabric and paper for the backdrops, and a reflector and a light tent for creating a more even lighting for some of our close-up set-ups.
So, find a bit of free time and clear some space, and have a go at our four still life photography ideas in the comfort of your own home. But first, let’s take a look at some….
Essential gear for still life photographers
01 Desk lamp A small lamp with a flexible head, such as an anglepoise, lets you direct the light, so is ideal choice for small home studio projects. Using two adds foreground and background lighting and boost other lighting on dull days.
02 Black velvet This fabric has the amazing ability to absorb light, so when lit correctly it looks as though a subject is literally floating in black. Buy a couple of metres at a material shop, but make sure you don’t buy the crushed sort!
03 Torch Light painting is a quick, easy way to manipulate the light in exactly the way you want. A small powerful torch, such as a Maglite, can directed as needed, and with a focusable beam it gives you creative control.
04 A2 paper An inexpensive and easy solution for creating backdrops, as well as being cheap and readily available from all art stores. When you make your selection, a paper with a matte and subtly textured finish will help to avoid reflections.
05 Light tent The advantage to these simple translucent structures is they create even lighting for product photography using nothing but natural light from a window, and cut out reflections.
06 Reflector Even with diffused light shadows can be a real issue, but with a small reflector these problems can easily be resolved. For still life projects look for one with both silver or white surfaces
The still life photographer’s guide to lighting flowers
Place the vase of flowers close to a wall but leave enough space to position a lamp to create the backlighting.
On the wall, tape a piece of A2-size coloured paper that complements the flowers, and make sure it covers the full frame of what you see through the viewfinder.
Now place the first lamp behind the flowers pointing up and slightly towards the paper. For the main lighting place the second lamp in front of the flowers just off to one side.
Kit needed ■ Kit lens (18-105mm) ■ 2 x desk lamps ■ 1 sheet of A2 coloured paper ■ Remote release
Two angle poise lamps will provide all the light you need for this simple set up.
With small apertures and long exposure times there are two essential pieces of kit that will help you to capture pin-sharp images every time.
The first is a remote release. These enable you to fire the shutter without touching the camera and introducing shake.
The second is a tripod. Any tripod will do, but the more solid it is the better!
The still life photographer’s guide to lighting fruit for high impact
Position a length of black velvet cloth over a box, making sure you have a good amount of length in the foreground to place the fruit on, so that once composed the subject will be surrounded by black.
Position the fruit in the middle of the cloth. We want the lighting in the room to be as dark as possible, so the only light shining on the fruit is that produced by the torch.
Use thin paper (a cupcake case is ideal) to diffuse the light; this will reduce reflection on the skin.
Kit needed ■ Kit lens (18-105mm) ■ Black velvet ■ Maglite ■ Thin paper ■ Tripod ■ Shutter release
A torch provides strongly focused light; diffusing it will stop highlights being too harsh
If your camera has the Mirror Lock-up feature, switch it on. It’s usually positioned on the dial under the mode dial. If not, using Live Mode when shooting will lock the mirror up, helping to avoid small vibrations that can be caused when shooting.
What canon say about still life lighting;
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