What Is Still Life Photography?
Most of the subjects of still life photography are inanimate. This means that a simple fruit, or a flower or even a mug of coffee can become subjects for still life photographers. Still life capturing is more like the art of making a simple object appealing through your own aesthetic vision. To really appreciate still life photographs, you have to go in depth and understand the artistic vision behind the photograph. The true essence in still life photos is the creativity that reflects and out of the box thinking that is involved in creating such pictures.
There are no set rules or dogmas that can be followed while in still life photography. The quality of the photo completely depends on the creativity and artistic capabilities of the photographer. However, there are certain general pointers which should be kept in mind while creating still life photographs. Although you can play around with shadows if you have a good camera, poor lighting often ruins still life photographs. Lighting conditions play a pivotal role in determining the quality of the photograph. If you are working outdoors, you should make optimum use of the natural light available. If you are working indoors, artificial lighting is usually required. Halogen lights and fluorescent lights are the two artificial sources you can use. Halogen sources generally consume more power and generate more heat than fluorescent ones. Remember to adjust your lighting conditions so as to suit the creative image you have in mind. In still life photography, you must be somewhat clear about how you want the image to turn out, so you can adjust the lighting accordingly. Once you have the lighting conditions mastered, you should think out of the box. Remember, the same ideas will not work for every photograph. You have to be versatile and your ideas should constantly evolve.
Still life photography requires a great amount of skill, talent and experience. The most important prerequisite for being a still life photographer is formal training and technical expertise. The more creative and artistic you are, the better will be your photograph, as long as you are able to fill your expression with creativity in the photograph. Some of the best still life photographs hang in famous art galleries and fetch millions to the artists. Although there isn’t much scope for still life capturing in out and out commercial fields, a lot of newspapers, magazines and websites do buy still life photographs.