Still Life Photography: What Is It Actually?

Even if you tend to associate the term still life with painting, still life is also a field of fine art photography. Still life photography focuses on photographing inanimate motifs. These are mostly everyday objects. These can be things that have been created by man, such as vases, plates or pieces of clothing. But they can also be natural objects, such as stones, shells or plants.

Still life

Even if this sounds boring at first, the great attraction of still life photography is that it offers enormous creative freedom.

What equipment do you need?

It may seem so, but the equipment needed for still life photography does not necessarily have to be expensive. At this point we would like to give you a short list of the materials and equipment you need.

Still Life Rules

  • Digital camera
  • Fast lens with short focal length
  • Tripod
  • Different materials for the design of the background
  • Reflectors
  • Various props that emphasise the effect of the main motif
  • Optionally, a colour fan can also be helpful to achieve harmonious colour combinations

If you want to do still life photography more professionally, then the following accessories also make sense:

  • Diffusor
  • Light box
  • Flash gun
  • Macro lens
  • Soft box

First steps in still life photography

The biggest advantage that still life photography offers is that you have plenty of time to "compose" your image motif. After all, the models don't get tired, hungry and can't run away. But it is precisely this advantage of still life photography that also poses a particular challenge. Because the scene must be presented in an exciting way if you want your picture to catch the viewer's attention.

Still life photography

We have put together some tips for getting started with still life photography.

Search for inspiration

Often the right idea is missing or you don't really know how to start. Therefore, go in search of inspiration. Take a look at the still life compositions of past years. It does not matter whether it is a still life photograph or a painting.

Simple motifs

When starting out in still life photography, you should initially limit yourself to simple motifs. You can often find such motifs in your own four walls. It doesn't always have to be the classic - the fruit bowl. At the beginning, it is worth avoiding complex shapes and reflective surfaces, because such motifs complicate the set-up and the exposure completely unnecessarily, especially at the beginning.

Work carefully

When it comes to still life photography, you should take a lot of time to compose the picture. Put the individual components together carefully and take your time to arrange them optimally.

Keep the set clean

Still life photography, perhaps more than other forms of photography, thrives on perfectionism. Therefore, it is important that you keep the set absolutely clean. For example, the smallest pollen or dust grains on the lens or a smooth surface can ruin the motif. This is because these are clearly visible later on the photograph. Therefore, it is always worth having a feather duster or dust cloth at hand on the set.

Exposure and light

Similar to the rest of your equipment, when it comes to exposure and lighting, it is not necessarily necessary to spend vast sums of money here. So if, for example, a set of studio lights of the time are not in your budget, then you should use whatever light source is available to you.

As natural light is usually much softer, sunlight is always a good choice. However, it is also more difficult to control than artificial light. Here, too, it pays to get creative. For example, darken the room and use the light from a table lamp.

Interesting results can also be achieved by combining natural and artificial light.

Still life modern

We hope that these tips have made it easier for you to get started with still life photography and that your curiosity has been aroused to try out this special form of photography.


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