On location, in the Lounge

When the weather is a bit dodgy it can undo a lot of good intentions - going out on location suddenly isn't such a good idea. It's cold, it's wet, the camera can't cope with low light levels, I have a hole in my sock etc - there's suddenly many good reasons to put it off.

If this is the case, why not just take your photography inside - all you need is your camera, a window, a small table, and a tripod and away you go. As you position your table next to your window think about - what you'd like to shoot, what you've been meaning to try, where you could put a nicely framed shot, who's got a birthday coming up and where you could put a cup of coffee….

Kit

A tripod will allow you to shoot at an angle or why not shoot from above or from one side? If you have a lazy Susan (not a demotivated other half but a circular stand that spins) you can place your subject and move it - rather than having to keep changing position. If you've got a bridge or a compact you can experiment with the macro setting and if you've got a DSLR there's macro lenses, close-up filters or extensions Tubes to consider. Macro lenses are superior and can provide 1:1 magnification and you retain all important AF, the close-up filters screw onto the lens and magnify but they have limited use as the depth of field is normally shallow. Finally there's extension tubes which are normally sold in sets of three - each ring gets you closer but as they're basically hollow you lose out on AF and must focus manually. However you can use them singly or stack them which is pretty neat. If you want bags of aperture it's best use a cable release or use the camera's self-timer (if you get nice and close any camera movement will be pretty obvious.) I'm sure you'd keep an eye on the lcd but if in doubt fire away and bracket - you can do a lot in Photoshop but with memory cards now so cheap you may as well just go for it.

Accessories

Window light is wonderful but sometimes you could do with a little reflection or a small fill (just look what he did for Eastenders) - there's no need to search far, as you can use a sheet of paper, a piece of white card or for extra zing a flat piece of foil. If you prop up your reflector at around 45 degrees against an open book or similar it will do it's job and shouldn't disturb your subject matter. If the light from the window is too bright you can soften it with a piece of curtain netting/sheer fabric or a large piece of tracing (aka greasproof paper.) Other bits and bobs that may come in handy could include blu tac - for sticking stuff together, coins for propping up things, cellotape - handy for securing things and easy to retouch away if required, pocket mirrors etc. Fruit can be sprayed with water to suggest freshness or if you want total control you can add individual drops of glycerine (but it's not something you'd find in every kitchen.)

Backgrounds

To keep things nice and simple you could start off with a plain white background and this would work well with small groups of flowers, fruit and/ leaves. If you want something a little more dramatic there's nothing better than black velvet - it soaks up stray light and provides a wonderful deep background, there's no need to buy yards of material, a velvet shirt can be up to the job.

If you want to try something brighter, next time you're in town you could try the haberdashery dept and see what offcuts they have. I've previously bought some brown satin and this always looks amazing.

Wrapping and handmade paper can also look good as can the ever-popular brown wrapping paper - screw it up for a good bit of texture. I think you can still visit certain DIY stores and tear off samples of wallpaper but limit this to one or two samples or be prepared to explain that you have a house with 6 bedrooms and a terrible memory for colours. Talking of DIY old tiles (esp slate) can look wonderful if you place natural subjects on them such as leaves or seed heads.

It can also be a good idea to check out other stores - I once bought two bottles - one blue and one black of something called coloured sand (normal use is apparently decorative and 'around candles') and this works brilliantly when shooting silver coloured items.

Subjects

Groups of items such as coloured glasses, beads (SL9.jpg) pencils, pencil sharpeners, sweets etc are very popular but it could be a good idea to start off with a single item such as a piece of jewellery, mobile phone, coin or item of food and take it from there - some of the most successful still life images are incredibly simple.

Another idea may be to look at texture - you could try different types of wood, pebbles, rope, yarn, ribbons, wire. Check out the garage for any old wooden tools/distressed paintbrushes or gather up some garden twine and bulbs from the shed. You never know what you might find and rather unlikely items can become great subjects.

You can have lots of fun with edible items and groups of nuts, bread or soft fruit can look very effective - beware though - if shooting around lunchtime you could find your subject gets a bit smaller or suddenly disappears!

For added inspiration check out the photographic work of Irving Penn and Robert Mapplethorpe and the highly detailed paintings of the Dutch masters such as: Jan van Huysum, Rachel Ruysch and Jan van Kessel.

If you want something a little more challenging move your table to the side of a room where it's half-lift and this will help to pull up any texture and you'll be able to highlight areas by using your reflectors/mirrors - the results will be more subtle but very effective.

If you get a really great result you can always reshoot it outside when the weather clears. Uuntil then you can stay warm and snug as you begin retouching & printing. But most importantly, don't forget to clear the table when it's time for tea.

SOURCE

technorati tags:photography, practical-tips, backgrounds, environment, kits, accessories, subjects