SHOOTING STILL LIFE WITH INEXPENSIVE GEAR
SUMMER SCHOOL 2019, CLASS ONESUMMER SCHOOL 2019 CLASS ONE
SHOOTING STILL LIFE WITH INEXPENSIVE GEAR
Class by Barbara Sherman, Flagstaff, Arizona
I don’t own much equipment and no studio so my images are often made by a window in the corner of my bedroom using white and black boards, pieces of reflective paper and anything I can put together for a background and sometimes a single speedlite.
I first set up my background board in front of the window so light was coming over the top and around the sides.(It’s an old fence section cut down to a small size and rubbed with chalk).
For this photo, I wanted to have “sparkly” water while lighting the fruit so added a speedlite bouncing off a white wall and back through a diffuser to the left side. A piece of black construction paper was clamped onto the diffuser to flag the light on the left side of the glass so the highlight would be the size I liked. To add some contrast and eliminate reflections on the right side of the glass, I placed a small black card on the right side of the water jug. Notice the jar is sitting on a large beer mug turned upside down so the spigot is at the right height …Staying cheap here!
I shoot alone most of the time and have found a wireless remote set to a 3-second delay works great. Get in position, hit the remote count to 2 ½, start the action, move your hand quickly out of the way…..REPEAT.
Homemade backgrounds, limited equipment, found space and your imagination and you can shoot anything.
Creating an Ambient Look with Speedlights on Location: Tech Sheet
Here we are for our second Tech Sheet of the year. How to create a natural light look to a photograph when there is little to no ambient light to be had. We will be using a couple of speedlights for this Tech Sheet. It has been a wild first couple of weeks for me, and...
Using a Speedlight for Environmental Images that Pop
I have been working on a personal project, shooting some of the old mining towns in Eastern/Central Arizona. Sometimes I shoot natural light and sometimes I like to pull out my speedlights for a little drama. Let's take a look at some easy ways to add a sense of...
Working on the Edge of the Light: A Natural Light Assignment
Our Natural Light Assignment this week is a lot of fun and so easy to do. You only need a model or subject, a camera and lens, and a setting sun. And maybe a building or two... your call. These shots were taken in downtown Phoenix at a fun group shoot we were doing at...