1. Light and Texture
Texture Representation
The representation of texture is a primary aspect of still – life photography. To bring it out, apart from using certain props, the key lies in lighting. For rough – surfaced wood and stone, when shooting, the lighting angle should be low, and side – backlighting is often used. For porcelain, front – side lighting is mainly employed, combined with soft light and refracted light. Highlight should be retained at the corner of the bottle mouth, and reflection should be minimized in areas with patterns. For leather products, backlighting and soft light are usually used to reflect the texture through the natural reflection of the leather itself.
Soft Light
Soft light is suitable for expressing a hazy and tender sentiment.
Direct Light
Direct light is suitable for presenting some hard – textured objects, bringing a sense of clarity and toughness.
Side Light
Since front light is not conducive to showing the three – dimensionality of an object, it is generally used as fill light. Side light, on the other hand, can better represent three – dimensionality and is most suitable for presenting the texture of an object. Therefore, side light is commonly used in still – life photography.
Backlight
Backlight can prominently show the outline of an object and is suitable for shooting objects that need to highlight the outline and emphasize the sense of transparency. However, due to the small illuminated area and strong contrast of backlight, backlight is rarely used as the main light in still – life photography.
Top Light
Top light is closest to the direction of sunlight, giving an almost natural feel. Many works use this light as the main light.
2. Composition in Still – Life Photography
The Golden Section
In painting and photography, divide the picture into three equal parts horizontally and vertically. The four equal – division lines intersect at four points, and each of these four points is the best position to place the center of interest of the work.
Diagonal Composition
Diagonal composition is the most impactful and dynamic. If used appropriately, it can produce excellent results.
Triangular Composition
Triangular composition, also known as the general “pin – shaped” composition, has a strong structural force and is most suitable for expressing solemn and serious themes.
Scattered – Point Composition
Scattered – point composition fills the entire picture with objects without deliberately highlighting a particular one. It has a completely free and loose compositional structure. However, it organizes the picture through density or color, placing the seemingly disorderly picture in an orderly manner.
Contrast Composition
Contrast is a form of composition expression. Extreme polarization of contrast is widely used, such as color contrast, texture contrast, size contrast, and light – dark contrast. Most works that can successfully use contrast composition are extraordinary.
Curvilinear Composition
Curvilinear composition is relatively rare in still – life photography, but it has strong expressiveness, being graceful and charming, often embodied through lines.
3. Practice in Still – Life Photography
Metal Products
For metal works with strong reflectivity, obvious surface planes, and large light – dark contrast, soft light and refracted light should be the main lighting methods to increase the contrast.
Handicrafts
When shooting handicrafts, pay attention to their three – dimensionality. Side light is often used. It is best to distinguish different brightness on the top, side, and front surfaces. The spatial depth of the object should also be presented through the contrast of light and dark tones and the setting off of the background. The light ratio during metering should not be too large. Generally, it is better that the background color is harmonious with the main body. A distinct contrast can also be used. It is advisable to use a camera with a larger format and a larger negative. In this way, after enlargement, the texture, detailed layers, and tone of the handicraft will be better.
Glassware
Glassware is special. Its surface is smooth and prone to reflection. When shooting, the light can be directed onto a reflective surface and then reflected onto the glassware, or the soft reflected light from the background can be used as the only light source to show the outline lines and transparent texture of the glassware. To prevent the camera’s shadow from reflecting on the glassware, a 50 – centimeter – square black cloth with a hole cut out for the lens can be placed in front of the camera. When shooting glassware in a showcase, shoot from indoors to outdoors, using the backlight from outside to show the transparent texture of the glassware.
Machinery
To clearly present machinery, it is best to use a large depth of field, a medium – focal – length lens, and a small aperture. For indoor machinery shooting, the lighting should be even. The main light can be used in the front, and the fill lights can be arranged horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. For outdoor machinery shooting, different lighting can be selected according to the color of the machinery. Side light is suitable for light – colored machinery, and flat light is better for dark – colored machinery.
Buildings
Buildings are generally best shot in the morning or evening using front – side light, which can increase the three – dimensionality of the building. Front light and backlight are generally not used. Generally, use an oblique – side angle to aim the lens at the most important and representative part of the building, and also appropriately include the side part to show the depth and three – dimensionality of the building. When shooting buildings, the vertical lines of the building should be parallel to the edges of the photo. The camera must be held straight during shooting. If the building is very tall, the camera can be moved a little further away and the shooting angle can be appropriately increased, but over – 仰拍 (over – shooting from a low angle) should be avoided.
Flowers
When shooting flowers, close – up accessories are often added in front of the camera to obtain a larger image. To make the flowers stand out, a large aperture can be used to blur the background, or a simple background can be chosen. When shooting color films, a polarizing filter can be used to reduce the polarized color tone, with the blue sky as the background. When shooting black – and – white films, the blue sky is often used as the background. If a gray tone is needed, a yellow filter can be added. If a dark – gray background is required, an orange or red filter can be added. To show the texture of the flowers and the layers of the petals, side light, side – backlight, or backlight effects can be created using natural light or artificial light. At the same time, fill lights or reflectors are needed to assist the brightness in the dark areas and reduce the light – ratio contrast.
4. Tone and Emotion
Tone is the protagonist in expressing emotions. In still – life photography, different tones are often created through the selection of props, colors, the arrangement of lighting, and the choice of background to express different emotions. Sometimes, a tone with a strong – contrast color in it is like a pleasant high – note inserted into a soft melody, which is particularly refreshing. This technique is also often used in still – life photography to highlight the main body.
5. Expression of Ideas
Direct Narrative Expression
A commonly used method is to directly display the object by choosing props, utensils, background, and lighting that are directly related to the main body.
Hazy Expression
This is often used in modern photography. It indirectly expresses ideas in an implicit way, allowing viewers to enrich the content of the original work based on their own experiences. At this time, the shape of the object and the selection of props are very important. Soft, hazy light can be used, and the contrast is controlled within a certain range to create a thematic atmosphere in the picture.
Abstract Expression
Abstract expression is a non – thematic way of expression, pursuing the physical form, light and shadow representation, and texture contrast of the object. In terms of lighting, special attention is paid to the use of the shape of the shadow, considering it as a compositional element. By understanding the external and internal connections of the object more deeply, ideas can be expressed through image thinking, highlighting the author’s personal characteristics and ideological feelings.
