For this Brief I chose these objects because they were easily accessible, and have a good shape to them and have great stand out features to them, and they are all very ordinary.
The First object I took using very high lighting upon the object. I did this because it really shows up the white and the brings attention to the detail of the painting on the object. I also increased the exposure in post-production as well to improve the lighting but this is only post production work done to this image. I used ISO 800 and a shutter speed of 1/40, this was to expose more light and let more to let more light in than would be done on normal setting or on automatic.
I would say this is a very strong photographic with very well-lit and very well focused. However, I would say some select areas of the image are slightly over exposed, and a bit too harsh on the eye. Overall I am very happy with this photo for this project.
The second Object is the Russian Standard Vodka bottle. For this image is used ISO at 1600 and shutter speed at 1/10, this is because I wanted to make it even more sensitive to light so you could really see the light shining through the transparent bottle. I also used very little post production for this image, with me just simply cropping the image to the right size. I placed the object in the middle of the triptych because the other two objects are fairly similar which means they look good either side of the bottle.
What I like about this photo is how the light shines through the bottle really lighting up the whole image so you can see a lot of the detail of the bottle, it somehow lights up the black on the bottle more than background so it is visible from the background. However, what I don’t like is the fact that a lot of what is in frame is dark and really brings dull mood on the whole image.
The third and final image is the vase with flowers on it. Here I went with the same theme of high lighting and a dark background to really show of the object by using ISO 800 and shutter speed of 1/40 same as the first image. I also increased exposure and contrast letting more light again and making the whites brighter and blacks darker. This is why the background looks slightly different to the ones in the other two images. I did this because I wasn’t happy with the shade of white on the vase, however I think it improves the image.
What I like about this image is the framing because the vase really fills the whole frame being dominant focus point in the image over the background. But I don’t like how you can see the light reflecting off the vase in the middle of the photo.
Before I got my final images I experimented a lot with background firstly using a white wall in my bedroom however this did not seem to work as two of my objects were very white and the whole image seemed to be very exposed. Even changing the camera settings and less lighting the exposure would not go as low as I would like.
So I decided to use white paper as a background instead to try and create a shadow behind the object, but I realised to get a shadow I needed to shine light on the object which is already white which created high overexposure again. So I fiddled a lot with the camera settings turning the ISO down to decrease light sensitivity which I hoped would decrease the exposure which it did but not enough to the extend where I was happy.
After this I decided that a white background was not going to work for this particular brief so I bought some black card and covered my wall and desk in it and used it as a set. Which worked very well.
Research
My first inspiration for my still objects brief came from this image by Magda Indigo. As you can see the whole set up is very similar to the work that I have produced. Using a very dark background and bringing intense light on to the object, to really make it the focus of the image. Also the colour of the object in question is white which means there is a high contrast in this image, which really brings the object alive.
Magda was born in Belgium, and now lives and creates her photography here in the U.K. She has done a lot of still life work over her time, mostly with similar objects like flowers, plants, and fruit.
Here is some more similar work by Magda using a similar style to the first image which was my original inspiration, to really bring the attention of the viewer onto the very vibrant green and the smooth shape of the object.
To me these two images show a very distinct style of photography that Magda Indigo has, which is the continuous use of the black background this is used very effectively throughout most of her pieces. Furthermore, the objects that she uses to photograph are also related with a lot of flowers and fruit, showing a very natural look.
Another inspiration I found for my work was a photographer called Bob Norris, who was trained in still life and beauty photography. Like a lot of still photographers, he started to specialise in food, this photo in particular caught my eye. I like how he has used lighting and the focus of the camera to focus on the what is on the foreground of the image. However, I would prefer all of the image to be in focus so you can really see the detail of the beautiful shape of the bottom of the egg cup. But it is still a great photograph and thought has clearly been put into the style of the photograph, which I can still take a lot of inspiration from.
Even though Bob Norris does specialise in food it is not the only objects he photographs, for example this photo of a multi-coloured handbag. Which I think the Black background is very effective here, because it really brings the focus on the object and its colours. I prefer this image to the first one, as the bag has many different colours that are being brought to life by the incredible lighting set up. I also prefer the fact that the whole image is in focus so you can really see the detail of the bag. However, the depth of field is a bit shallow. But with the black background this is not a huge issue and a higher aperture actual helps with the focus, which is not a massive issue.
I have looked through a lot of Bob’s work and noticed that he doesn’t have a set style for his still life, granted he specialises in food. But the lighting and the background choices are not consistent like you see with a lot of other still photographers. This shows that he is willing to experiment with his photography, which is what I am planning to do with my work.
Another inspiration I found was Jenny Van Sommers who lives and works in London, she is an advertisement photographer she now has clients in the US and France. You can see why her photography is so successful when you look at her work. This image for example, the photography is so simple, but you can see from how perfect the different colours contrast with each other that a lot of time and thought process has gone into this image. She probably experimented with thousands of different colours until she chose these four for her final image.
What I found interesting about this image is how the lighting is set up, because in advertisement photography the product needs to be visible and clear to the target audience. This means the use of bright colours and high lighting should catch the audiences mind this is why Jenny has done this, because it will impress her client with how good the image shows off the product. Therefore, the client will come back to her again whenever the client needs more photography advertising doing.
Furthermore, you can see that Jenny has used a shallow depth of field in this image. I think there are two reasons why she did this, the first is so the audience don’t lose focus on the product with a massive depth of field. The second reason is that when the aperture is higher it is easier to focus the camera on the objects, this is so the product is clear to the audience.
Looking through her portfolio you can see that she is a photographer for the up market products. Taking photos for companies like Paco Rabanne, British Airways, and Fiat. This shows that she is having a very successful career.
Here is another simple photography by Jenny Van Sommers yet again it looks like the objects have just been placed there in a line randomly. But the colours that are on the cones would have been specially chosen by Jenny before taking the photo. Plus, the lighting would have been experimented with a lot because of the shadows that are coming of the objects, to make sure that they were pointing the same way, and which way looked most pleasing to the eye.
Magda Indigo. (undated) ENOKI mushrooms. Unknown: Magda Indigo/portfolio_1. Available from http://magdaindigo.co.uk/portfolio_1 [accessed November 19th 2016]
Magda Indigo. (undated) Nature Sculpted. Unknown: Madga Indigo/portfolio_1. Available from http://magdaindigo.co.uk/portfolio_1 [accessed November 19th 2016]
Bob Norris (undated) Unnamed. Unknown: Bob Norris Photography. Available from http://www.bob-norris.com/personal/04.html [accessed November 19th 2016]
Bob Norris (undated) Fendi Bag. Unknown: Bob Norris Photography. Available from http://markgibsonphotography.com/photographers/bob-norris-still-life.php [accessed 19th November 2016]
Jenny Van Sommers (undated) Flair 2. Unknown: Jenny Van Sommers Photography. Available from http://www.jennyvansommers.com/editorial/flair2/#655 [accessed 19th November 2016]
Jenny Van Sommers (undated) Abstract Ice Cream Cones: Jenny van Sommers Photography. Available from https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/96/13/9e/96139ee5f0b8b298d864b79ddb6b3607.jpg [ accessed 19th November 2016]
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