Making ordinary and simple objects look exceptional and creative is a skill that every still-life photographer should have. Still-life photography is a kind of photography that focuses on inanimate objects or subjects. The photographers breathe life into their subjects by simply playing with different lighting, layouts, and compositions.
The subjects included in still-life photography can be man-made objects (items of clothing, consumer products, etc.) and natural objects (plants, food, rocks, etc.). You do not have to deal with the models or search for any location or opportunity to click a picture. One of the main advantages of still life is the liberty to rearrange the items to get a decent shot.
Still-life photography is all about the props you are going to use. Photographers are constantly on the lookout for the perfect object or setting to inspire their clientele. Creative props can help to create a design that both speaks to the art and looks fantastic to a person.
But what sort of objects can look stunning and bring creativity to the picture? Here are a handful of options that you can use to make the photograph more appealing and striking.
Few Props that are useful to improve still-life photography
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Old or Modern Shaped Objects.
By observing the shapes, distinctive flows, and sizes of the product, you can craft a still-life photograph. Using a mid-century design can often give a creative and novelty feel to the image. Clean lines, organic curves that feel natural, and elemental craftsmanship are all characteristics of mid-century design.
Natural and man-made materials can combine in surprising ways, such as a natural wood backdrop with acrylic accessories. For instance, you can use paper or foam to shape and create figures to make still-life images. Or use a variety of natural and artificial figures in the photograph to show the juxtaposition of the two styles.
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Trinkets or heirlooms
The use of heirlooms and trinkets in visual imagery to communicate stories can instantly connect us to the image in front of us. You can create a fantasy look with props, such as Alice in Wonderland or an Easter look. Consider what occasions or holidays are coming up that people will be looking for when building a look using trinkets or heirlooms.
For example, you can pair the trinkets or heirlooms with natural items such as flowers, fruits, or dried branches for a proper balance. Buy antiques and trinkets which seem suitable in different settings. Make a trip to your local antique store and begin compiling a collection of oddities. A vintage glass, a one-of-a-kind sculptural bust, or an illustrated china set are worthwhile purchases.
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Monochromatic Elements
A monochromatic image features the color of a single hue. You may want to style all your props and backdrops to be of a similar shade. It can draw the attention away from one element, enabling the eye to focus on the entire picture.
Choose a central theme and coordinate your props with it. Shapes and linework objects work best. Concentrate on how the shapes of the objects that you are using work together to tell the tale of your still-life photography.
Colors such as green, yellow, and red can evoke specific meanings while also looking fantastic in photographs. For instance, you can use solid-color props that share the same common color shade and arrange them together to create a masterpiece.
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Ikebana
Ikebana is a Japanese style of flower arranging. It is all about balance in a basic floral design. This technique draws out the intrinsic aspects of the flowers while combining them with natural materials to produce a specific emotion. The photographer can deliver all of the visual impacts that are useful to draw attention to a product without making it complicated.
Place the flowers in a way that they fill up the space and draw attention to the product you will be photographing. However, you can keep enough white space to preserve a minimalistic feel in the image.
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Levitate the objects.
You can say goodbye to dull and old pictures, by levitating still-life photography. Yes, you can make it float, but how? We do not have a magic wand to perform “Wingardium Leviosa” on the object, right! But you can create an image of objects that appear to levitate or move through the air by having some technical knowledge.
It will be easy to manipulate and adapt smaller products to this design. Any object, such as a cosmetic product, wall art, a device, or even clothing, can be placed or modified to make it float in mid-air.
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Use of Ingredients in Products
The ingredients of the products are a great way to use as props in one of your images. This idea always works to enhance the product in the image, especially in product photography. For instance, if you are capturing the image for a shampoo infused with rose petals, use rose flowers as a visual image.
This helps to communicate the story of the product you are capturing. It is also a simple prop that you can use for almost any product. All you have to do now is think about what goes well with your product.
Parting Thoughts
Before planning to shoot still-life photography, create a mood board depending on the project. Once the ideas start to take shape, make a mood board according to them. Have patience when moving the objects to achieve a good image, which can take a long time. I hope this blog will help you to create your unique still-life photograph. If you are still unsure about the originality and execution of your project, then contact a photography agent or rep. They can handle your creative project for you.
