Subject photography still life. Still life: how to shoot levitation and steam. Set the right lighting

Today we will tell you about what a still life is and how to create it. We are talking, you understand, of course, about a photographic still life. From this article, you will also learn how to make a beautiful image of objects in just a few steps in an ordinary apartment.

So what is a still life? Translated from French, still life (nature morte) means dead nature. In relation to all types of fine arts, a still life is an image on a plane of various objects. A still life can depict jewelry, fruits and other fruits, household items and household items, antiques and much more, or rather, anything.

So how do you shoot a still life?

First step. Idea

Everything starts with her, with an idea. Absolutely any business. Including work on a still life. Before you start shooting, you need to firmly understand for yourself: without an idea that you have clearly formulated for yourself, you will not succeed. Some amateurs sometimes think something like this: “now I will scatter objects on the table, and I will immediately understand what will come out of all this, what will I get.” But let's tell you right away: such an approach to business will only take your time, and perhaps even discourage the desire to shoot a still life. The idea of creating a still life matures in the photographer on the basis of his imagination, desire to shoot, and in general various worldly impressions. During the aging period, the idea is gradually cleared of various superfluous and unnecessary details, falls within certain limits, the composition of the future image is built, objects, background, draperies, etc. are selected for this image.

By the way, the search for objects to bring to life the idea of a conceived still life is a rather difficult and sometimes costly business. Some of the photographers buy these items, some take them for a while from friends and acquaintances. Quite often, the composition of a still life arises on the basis of any one thing. Then this composition is overgrown with other things, one, second, third ideas of still lifes arise in which this particular subject will appear. After you think about the plot of the still life, finally decide on the composition, then you will need to constantly keep in mind those items that you have available. Well, at worst, buy them or acquire them in other ways. In parallel with this, you need to mentally draw yourself a composition of the picture in which your items will be located. You need to work in this regard until the still life is finally “drawn” in your imagination.

Second phase. Backdrop and table preparation

It is best to build objects from which you will create still lifes at home on a coffee table that can move on wheels. Such a table can be easily positioned as you like, for example, in relation to a window or to another light source. The table is just a base, a stand for objects. It won't show up on the actual picture. What will be visible in the picture, which will serve as a background for objects, is usually called a backdrop. A backdrop for a still life may well be a sheet of fiberboard measuring about one and a half meters by one and a half meters. On the one hand, for example, it can be painted with light or gray paint, on the other - with a dark stain. Such a backdrop is quite enough for work. You will also need such a thing as a bedding. What it is? The bedding can be, for example, a piece of burlap or other beautiful textured fabric of different colors, various boards made of different types of wood, cardboard, pieces of glass, etc. The main thing is that both the bedding and the backdrop would not be too active and would not distract the attention of the viewer would not fall out of the general tone of the still life.

Third stage. Arrangement of objects

The great Spanish surrealist Salvador Dali once said: “If your picture is clear to you already before it is written, you don’t have to paint it.” What does it mean? And the fact that in the imagination of the artist, the picture is usually drawn somewhat differently than the way it will be in real embodiment on the plane. The reason for this phenomenon is a lot of different little things. Not a single artist, even the most talented and educated, will ever tell you exactly how the proportions will line up in a given situation, for example, roses in a vase in relation to an apple located a little further from it, how the light will fall on this whole composition, and much more. That is why the layout of objects for a still life, placing them on the desktop, is just the embodiment of your fantasies. And our life, as you know, is quite far from ideal.

True masters of still life often take a very long time to arrange objects. Sometimes they can do this for hours. Indeed, every millimeter counts in this case. Sometimes, having placed objects on a plane, the photographer realizes that he did not succeed, that the objects do not fit together at all, do not live a single life, that the still life being built turns out to be completely wrong and boring. In this case, you just need, as they say, to strain your brains and return to the original idea of \u200b\u200byour still life, and squeeze everything that is really possible out of this idea, to the last drop. But, unfortunately, often nothing comes of this. However, if you see that the composition is somehow developing, there is no point in breaking it. It's easier to refine it and still take a picture. By the way, sometimes it happens that a still life acquires its completeness only after processing the image in Photoshop. Don't forget about that either. Or a situation may arise and exactly the opposite: you created, in your opinion, a decent, simply wonderful still life, but the audience did not like it at all and they did not appreciate it.

Fourth stage. Light

Light in still life is a separate and serious topic. You can talk about it for a long time. But today, in order not to bore you with unnecessary discussions, we will talk about it briefly.

Different types of lighting in a still life are good to use depending on the season and the plot of the still life itself. For example, in natural sunlight from a window (or in general on the street) it is good to shoot still lifes, the main “heroes” of which are fruits, vegetables, berries, flowers, and in general something that was recently alive. But the so-called "male" still lifes, in which such attributes of this half of humanity as a pipe, an expensive lighter, a beautiful knife, a bottle of good brandy "take part" are best shot in artificial light. It can be with a flash, it can be with other light sources. Artificial light gives the still life an atmosphere of night, calm, some loneliness and comfort. But, nevertheless, a lot in a still life can be changed by setting when shooting, for example, instead of one flash - two, or shooting a still life with a different white balance value. Well, and much more.

Sometimes when shooting a still life, it is good to use shutters that block the path of the light flux, or reflectors that illuminate objects with reflected light. In any situation, when creating a still life, serious attention must be paid to the light drawing. The general mood of the still life depends on it.

Fifth stage. Shooting

Well, the objects were placed on the table, the still life was put together, the light was set ... Now we start shooting. The camera, of course, must be mounted on a tripod.

We want to inform you that this stage, photography, also imposes some restrictions on the work. Sometimes it can happen that the composition of the still life, lighting, and much more may look slightly different in the picture. And then you will be forced to swap objects, move them from place to place, create a different light pattern, etc. This stage of work is very closely related to the third stage of work on a still life (with the arrangement of objects). That's why it can take many hours too. Plus, when shooting, the photographer often has to change the camera settings.

After you see a picture on the miniature display of the camera that seems to suit you, you can remove the flash card from the device and insert it into the computer in order to view the result on the big screen. Of course, at the same time, you will surely find a huge number of minor flaws and blunders in your still life. Well, for example, a blockage of the horizon, or inaccurate focusing, some kind of extra glare on the subject, etc. You have to carry the card into the camera again, change the shooting settings, move objects from place to place, replace them one with another, build a new light pattern ... Again, take a few pictures ... Then again - the big screen. And so on ad infinitum. Sometimes this can take several hours. Sometimes you can spend the whole day with one still life. Sometimes, even the light from the window can change, become different both in intensity and in color temperature ...

But without hard work you will never get a good still life. As the old Russian proverb says, you can’t even take a fish out of the pond without difficulty.

Sixth stage. post-processing

Post-shooting processing of a photo in various graphic editors (in Photoshop, for example) on a computer is a necessary stage of work. Those who deny this are deeply wrong, they believe that there is no need to interfere with photography, that this deprives it of reality and naturalness. Post-processing is required. It is sometimes simply necessary. In still lifes, you can’t do without it at all. True, in some cases post-processing is needed more, in some less. Graphic editors open for the photographer another, new, unknown until quite recently, when photographing on film, the facet of creativity.

For example, in Photoshop, a still life can be made old, or some texture can be placed under the image. We want to offer you approximately the following still life post-processing scheme:

Open the RAW file and edit it in Adobe Camera RAW.
Give the image a lively contrast.
Darken or brighten some parts of the image, even out the overall tone.
If there is a need and desire - put a texture under the image.
If possible, increase the sharpness.
Well, and, the final stage is a small retouching of the defects of the objects themselves shown in the picture: scuffs, cracks, etc.

Everything. Save all changes to the image. Work completed.

By the way, this stage of work, these six seemingly short steps, can also be quite long in time and last several hours ... Let's give one more piece of advice here. Post-processing of the image is best done a few days after the shooting. Let your head, your creative thinking rest after hard work. It is possible that during this time you may be visited by new wonderful ideas.

We wish you creative success!

You don't have to treat still life photography as a real problem because you don't know where to start. This genre is definitely worth mastering, because it can become a kind of meditation for the photographer.

Still life photography helps the photographer to hone their skills at their own pace, while at the same time creating work that can be put into a portfolio right away. This article will help you get started with still life photography: photographer Charlie Moss shares his experience with still life photography.

Lens selection

As with any other genre of photography, it is essential to have the right lens for your subject. Everyone knows that there is no universal lens. But for photographing still lifes, you will not need.

It is recommended to start with 50 mm. When it comes to still life photography, a 50mm lens is considered a wide-angle lens. If you're shooting only one or two subjects, or if your subject is just small, the surface it's on or the background will take up too much of the picture. You will need to get very close to the subject to get rid of everything unnecessary in the frame.

Scale is a very important aspect of still life photography. Some objects may appear wider or taller in . And a large amount of background visible in the picture can simply overshadow the entire subject.

Choosing the right props by color and mood

Once you've picked up the right photography equipment, it's time to brush up, because you'll really need them when creating still life images. Colors provide harmony and contrast in a photograph. If you were to shoot something with a blue tint, for example, and use a blue and green background, you would get a very harmonious and perhaps calm image.

On the other hand, adding yellow or orange tones to a scene will create a certain amount of tension and result in a more dynamic overall feel to the shot.

Color can be added to a still life photograph in a variety of ways. Backgrounds, fabrics, plates, bowls, vases - all of these things are part of the scenery in the shoot, which you can start collecting to create a color library of props. Don't forget about natural objects like flowers and foliage; very often they can really bring a picture to life.

Make sure the props you use look cohesive. For example, if you're aiming for a vintage look, keep all the details in the same retro style. Don't use shiny rose gold cutlery next to an antique silver tray. It might look pretty, but it won't do much for visual storytelling.

Think about keeping most of your props neutral so they will blend well and look together in many shots so you can get the most out of them. Sometimes, if the props are too bright, it can distract the viewer's eye from the main subject. It should be remembered that shiny objects in a still life can be quite problematic. Sometimes photographers have to spend a whole day to get the right shot of a shiny kitchen appliance because it reflects the whole setting.

Background selection

Your background color will often be the most dominant color in the scene, so choose wisely and remember that the background will be difficult to change once you have all the props on it. Choose a background according to the feel you would like to create in your final image.

The role of the backdrop can be played by anything that visually matches the scene you are creating. It could be a marble top, a beautiful old rustic table, or an extra piece of fabric. Anything that helps set the mood for the image.

In addition to the background color, think about its texture. A worn, tarnished old baking sheet will create a completely different feel from, for example, draped silk. Think about how you feel about choosing them for your scenes and decide what suits the story you are trying to tell with your photography.

Still life textures

Along with all the other elements of still life photography, texture really sets the right mood. Search both on the main streets of the city and in art shops. Do you shoot something rustic in country style? Then the beautiful rough fabric will perfectly convey the story in the frame. Or maybe you're photographing a more modern scene that would benefit from the use of sleek, shiny props?

Texture also adds interest and depth to the final image. Human life is a riot of different textures, they affect the senses both visually and through touch.

Since you can't touch objects in a photo, you need to tell the viewer what they look like. The use of texture is the primary way to visually convey the feeling of physically touching a frame. Keep in mind that it is the textures that tell the viewer the information that is embedded in your frame.

Create a beginning, middle and end

Like a good story, a snapshot needs a beginning, a middle, and an end. Except that in photography it's usually called foreground, middle ground, and back ground. This layering effect in shots helps to create depth in the frame.

To maintain focus and hold the right framing while judiciously positioning the main subject. Place the element of interest in the foreground. It could be petals if you're photographing flowers, or maybe a folded corner of table linen if you're photographing food in a still life. Anything that brings the eye to the frame, while not too distracting from the main focus, is good.

Finally, place the background element in the frame. In the shots above, the photographer has added a yellow doily that both creates interest and adds contrasting color, but you can get more creative. The background itself can also be a background element if it's interesting enough. In this case, it should play the role of the "ending point" in the composition; stopping the viewer's attention in the same way that a period ends a sentence.

You may find it easier to play with compositional colors and shapes for the foreground and background if you use a shallow depth of field. Keeping these elements out of focus in the frame will help keep the viewer's attention on the main subject of the image.

Completing an image in post-processing

In creative still life photography, there are no rules that require colors to be true to life. Using different colors - or even turning a shot into monochrome - can change the mood and story.

Processing still life photographs in Adobe Lightroom allows you to try different color schemes by comparing copies of images side by side. The best thing about Adobe Lightroom is that editing doesn't destroy the original file. This means that you can try anything from wild acid tones to something more conservative and always return to the original file.

Conclusion

Don't be afraid to work slowly and try new things when shooting still life. Take your time, do not limit the number of options. You will surely notice that the shot later will be the best result of the photo shoot. Also, remember that sometimes the most beautiful compositions are the most minimalist. If you don't know which decision to choose - simplify!

If we talk about professional still life photography, then this is also a very profitable business, as such photographs are used in all kinds of magazines, catalogs and websites. There are many benefits to still life painting that are often underestimated. Today we will tell you some basic rules about still life photography and maybe this genre will interest you.

Getting Started

Contrary to popular belief, you don't need a studio or location to start still life photography. You can start by simply using the space at home, window light and a simple background can help.

When photographing a still life, you need to take into account much less detail to create a frame than when shooting landscapes or when shooting models. When preparing to shoot, and thinking about the future of photography, you have much more control over the position of subjects.

Object selection

What you photograph is entirely up to you. If you look around, you can find many interesting and fascinating things that are worthy of a frame. Do not follow the stereotypes and do not shoot flowers and fruits only, there are many more possible subjects for shooting. Non-standard thinking is welcomed even in the most standard genre.

Pay attention to things around you, try to find images and plots for still life in ordinary everyday things. Look at one or another potential subject from different angles and from different sides. When photographing, try to avoid reflective surfaces such as glass and metal, these surfaces can distort light and spoil the frame.

Lighting

Lighting for still life photography doesn't have to be expensive. If you can't afford to buy studio lighting equipment, then you can get by with improvised fixtures. Remember, you have full control over the shot, so if you want to find a room where you can completely eliminate natural light with blinds or curtains, you can create original shots with artificial light installed by yourself. If this is not possible for you, create attractive photos using natural light.

Using standard lamps can be very productive if you know how to work with them. Be sure to try to illuminate the object from different angles, the direct lighting option is not always successful, and sometimes just boring. If you have a bright and beautiful light source from a window, try photographing with them as well. Sometimes you have to use a reflector, especially when shooting with natural light. If you don't have a reflector, you can also create one yourself, for example, from foil and cardboard.

Tripod and shooting angles

Depending on the lighting, you may need to use a tripod. The use of a tripod has a fruitful effect on still life photography, with their help you can observe the plot. Also, it will help you to use long exposures and still create beautiful shots.

Try to make sure that no matter how the tripod limits you. Change angles and point of view, do not be lazy to rearrange once again, or reconfigure the camera and mount it on a tripod in a new way. Otherwise, you will get a whole series of the same type, even boring, shots with slight changes in the plot.

Choosing a background

The presence of a beautiful and successful background is already half the success of a still life. It is best when the background when shooting is simple, beautiful, so that it does not distract from the objects of the still life. Monochromatic walls or a large sheet of white or colored paper with a simple pattern, or no pattern at all, work well as a background.

Think about how the background contrasts with the subject. If you do not want to shoot against a simple background, then think about what shade would look good and harmonious with your frame and could complement the image of a still life. For small objects, you don't need a background per se, but instead you need a surface to place the items on. Here, as a background, black velvet will look good, or just a solid black surface that absorbs light well.

Still life composition

The compositional element of your photo is the most important component of a successful shot. When composing a photo, keep the rule of thirds in mind and think about how they can be applied to your shot to create a strong composition.

To create an interesting and memorable photo, it is very important to think outside the box. Where does the eye fall when viewing the frame? How do you use white space in a frame? How to present an object to the viewer so that it looks as attractive and advantageous as possible? By answering these questions, you can create a good composition and successfully photograph a still life.

Atmosphere and mood

No matter how ridiculous it may sound now, but believe me, the quality of the created photos is affected by the atmosphere and your mood. And this rule works not only when shooting still lifes. When you are relaxed, focused and enjoying the process of shooting, you can be almost sure that your attempts will succeed. When photographing a still life, it is important not to rush anywhere.

Unlike street and reportage shooting, where the composition of the frame changes all the time and you need to have time to take a shot, still life is static. It can take you as long as you want to create one still life photograph. That is why, you should pay attention to the little things and prepare for the frame as much as necessary. Set the lighting, subjects and see what happens, if necessary, make adjustments and start shooting.

When shooting still lifes, you will have no excuse for fuzzy and blurry shots. You have an unlimited amount of time to focus. For subject photography, a macro lens is perfect for you, if you don’t have this type of optics, then you can just try shooting in macro mode. In this case, this may be the best option.

Inspiration in the classics

When creating your own still lifes, thinking about lighting, composition and ideas, do not forget to turn to the classics of the genre for help and inspiration. Picturesque still lifes have been created for hundreds of years. Perhaps you will find answers to many of your questions in the paintings of Renaissance artists or contemporary photographers.

Studying pictures will help you think about shapes, shades, and colors. Exploring various solutions will lead to creating your own unique images in photographs.

It's time to take pictures!

Find the right day when you know for sure that you will not be distracted and in a hurry. Combine all the tips received earlier and get to work.

05/03/2013

Article text updated: 11/10/2019

In my previous article, I talked about how I decided to try still life photography in a rustic style. By this concept, I mean photographs in which wooden boards, walls of old houses, fences and the like are used as backgrounds.

I spent a whole day making my own mini studio for still life photography in an apartment with light from a window. Two old pallets were used as a base.

A day of work, a lot of garbage and the studio is ready! 🙂

Mini-studio for shooting still life in natural light from the window. Using a cardboard box and a white sheet, we will create a “light pattern” on a photograph. In the foreground is a Nikon D5100 KIT 18-55 VR DSLR.

About how to set the light when shooting a still life in the case when the light source is natural light from the window, I read on the Internet. By the way, it is very difficult to find photographs with explanations of how it was filmed. It seems to me that the principles of photographing still lifes in natural light are most clearly described by the famous photographer Vladimir Darnitsyn.

First still life in natural light. How is it filmed?

So, by Saturday evening, my mini-studio was ready, but twilight came on, and I had to look forward to the next morning. The new day was sunny, and bright light flooded my wooden studio, which I set up on my desk. I mounted my Nikon D5100 on a tripod and got ready to shoot my first still life.

small digression

Initially, I wanted to photograph a still life with this room rose. According to the plan, the leaves were supposed to lie on the floor. But you won’t pick them from a living plant - your wife will kill you! 🙂 I found the solution as follows: a week before filming, I brought home several branches of birch and put them in a vase of water. I hoped that in a week the buds would blossom and I would have leaves ... But they blossomed only after a week and a half and the shooting of my still life was in jeopardy ... I had to throw spinach leaves bought at the nearest supermarket on the table. 🙂

As it turned out, the bright sun, even shining through the window, is not the best way to illuminate a still life. The light is very contrasty. Many travel photographers say that if they come to see some attraction during the day, they don’t even take a picture of it, because. in contrasting light, the photo is not interesting.

Yes, and with the composition, too, something is not right. Here he turned his rose in the other direction.

I tried some processing in Lightroom. The result is still not very pleasant. As you can see, the shadows are too sharp.

By the way, to the question of how to set the light when shooting a still life by the window. To make the shadows appear in the photo, I used a cardboard box (see the first photo with a mini-studio) and a sheet of plastic (see the white plate by the window in the first photo). So on my still life I got a bright strip of light, imitating the light falling from a small window.

The window in my studio faces south. Therefore, the light turned out to be too bright and contrasting. On that day, I had not yet thought that the light from the window could be softened, for example, by pulling on gauze or tracing paper. In one of the future articles I will show pictures in which I softened the bright light with a translucent white cloth, and created the shadow not with a solid piece of cardboard, but with various vertical objects. These still lifes look amazing!

On the same day, the sun went behind the neighboring house in an hour, and I got a bright, but diffused light from the window. It seems to me that these are the most ideal conditions for still life photography. Later, I tried to shoot a still life at the north window, but I didn’t like it, because. the shadows are faint.

So, this is what I came up with after several hours of work on my rustic still life.

Of course, please note that I am just starting to learn the basics of photo composition and this is my weak link today. So please don't judge too harshly. Probably, these photographs cannot be called still lifes. Maybe it's more of a subject?
Be that as it may, for the first time it turned out to be quite good still lifes, taken under the illumination from the window.

I called the next work "Winter is gone ... it's time to cover the skis" ...

Still life taken in natural light from a window. I called it "Winter ushal .... it's time to cover the skis. Nikon D5100 camera with Nikon 18-55 VR kit lens. Settings: shutter speed B=1.3 sec, aperture f/9.0, ISO 100, focal length 55 mm.

On the street - the beginning of March. There is still a lot of snow, but the sun is already shining through the window in a completely spring-like way.

All my still lifes, and most of my other photos, I shoot in RAW format (on my Nikon D5100 it is called NEF). After shooting a still life, I process it in Lightroom, “play” with shadows and contrast, darken the gap between the boards with a mask, apply the “LOMO” preset and ... voila! .. My still life in a rustic style is ready!

Now I would like to “polish” my still life in Photoshop… But Photoshop for me, for now, is high school, and I go to… elementary school… 🙂

If you watch the videos of experienced photographers, you can see that they spend much more time choosing the angle, the right composition than I do. And the result, of course, is better.

When I showed the process of making my mini still life studio, I showed the remaining wooden cubes. They came in handy for me today. On my "vegetable" still lifes, you can see how beautifully the wooden texture of the cubes is drawn by the light falling from the window.

In this still life you see cucumber flowers. If you only knew what eyes the cashier in the supermarket looked at me when I put one cucumber and fifteen sluggish cucumber flowers in a bag! 🙂

And here is a salad still life:

"Salad still life", shot in natural light on an amateur SLR Nikon D5100 KIT 18-55. Shooting parameters: shutter speed B=2.5 sec., f/9.0, ISO 100, FR=48.

I am ready to admit that my still life with a cat has too many fruits and the composition is not perfect. But I like the light here. Here, for the light from the window, I left only a narrow gap between the box and the plastic sheet.

And on this still life, I put my raincoat from raincoat fabric. It seems to me that in this photo, the natural light from the window beautifully “painted” the folds of the fabric. But since the fabric is synthetic, it does not shine very nicely in the photo.

It is better to use linen matting or other natural fabrics for still life photography.

conclusions

These are the photos I got when I tried to learn how to shoot a still life in natural light from a window. Now you know how it was filmed. I will be glad to receive comments and advice from more experienced photographers.

For myself, I note that you need to work long and hard on the compositional solutions of your photos. This art is not given to me. Probably, the composition is the line that separates the simple mechanics and the talent of the photographer ... How he philosophized! 🙂

Her sumptuous still life paintings can be found in magazines and advertisements all over the world. Natasha has been living in Belgium for almost six years, and all this time she devotes herself to her favorite work. About how the shooting goes, what serves as inspiration, how to get out of difficult shooting situations and much more - in this interview.

What would you call the genre you work in?

I specialize in product photography. I can’t call myself a 100% food photographer, because I like to shoot bouquets and New Year or Easter decorations with the same pleasure. But I still shoot food more often.

What draws you to this type of photography?

In product photography, I see for myself much more opportunities for self-expression than, for example, in landscape photography or even working with models. I like to think over the plot, choose the props, arrange the composition. I also like the simplicity and accessibility of product photography. I don't depend on weather conditions or other people who have to come to shoot. And the fact that I work with stocks makes me completely independent from customers and bosses. I shoot what I want, when I want, and I don't work when I don't want to. I think that this is a sufficient reason to love my work very VERY :)

How did you start filming? Were there conditions?

There were no conditions, of course. I went with a small pocket camera and took pictures of everything that came across the streets while walking with my child. I was a young mother and I was very worried about the thought of what I would do when all my thoughts ceased to occupy the issues of breastfeeding and diapers :) Then my husband gave me a professional camera for the New Year and away we go. Well, after they accepted my first pigeon (I think it was a pigeon) and even started buying the rest of the photos, I couldn’t stop.

Do you think it is possible to do without artificial light in order to get spectacular still lifes?

You can do without artificial light - I know quite a few photographers who prefer natural light and use it whenever the weather permits. But if in your work you depend on weather conditions and the time of day, then, you see, this will not have the best effect on labor productivity, and (which is especially important!) This will not affect your mood in the best way.

Tell us a little about light. Do you have favorite lighting schemes?

I have a few favorite and familiar lighting schemes. For example, if I'm shooting a bouquet, I like the flowers to appear more voluminous, and set the backlight so that the petals appear translucent. This is good for bouquets also because such lighting imitates the light from the window, and this is exactly how we are used to seeing bouquets standing on the windowsills. Photos are very lively and atmospheric.

To shoot glass, I change the lighting scheme, use black flags, take out strip boxes and generally experiment a lot.

I still do not have a clear plan of action and lighting scheme when I shoot glass. Everything always turns out differently. Even if the light is well exposed and the glass objects don't blend into the white background, glass on white often doesn't have enough contrast to create a bright shot, so I often put something bright behind the glass object, for example, against which the glass looks sharp and does not merge.

In spoons and forks, the reflection turns out to be stretched, fuzzy, it is not so much the outlines of objects that are important in it, but the colors. Once, for example, I photographed a chocolate cake with red currants and a bouquet of scarlet roses in a vase next to it. Everything was chocolate red, but I didn't notice that my striped orange and blue shirt was reflected in the spoon as a bright spot. I had to retouch a lot and for a long time :)

There is a secret in photographing Christmas balls: put matte balls in the foreground, and glossy balls in the background. This way you kill two birds with one stone: you don’t have unnecessary reflections in clear balls in the foreground, but out of focus glossy toys in the background you get an excellent New Year’s bokeh with lights

Where do you draw inspiration from?

Inspiration is all around, you just need to catch it. The works of talented photographers in magazines, beautiful music, a vase in the store, in which it is simply impossible not to photograph spring tulips, and anything can be a source of inspiration.

You have a lot of beautiful dishes. How does she get into your house?

Most often, I buy dishes when I see that they will definitely come in handy as soon as their turn comes. Even if there is no script specifically for this dish, then if it is photogenic, the script will appear sooner or later. Sometimes ideas come from just one look at a plate, an old board or a glass.

How do you choose fruits, vegetables, flowers? What do you pay attention to when buying?

Despite the fact that I have a large garden in which a variety of flowers and fruits and vegetables grow, I almost never use them for shooting. The most important criterion when choosing props is freshness and the absence of any defects.

Vegetables and fruits from my garden are undoubtedly without fertilizers and are healthier than store-bought ones, but at the same time they often look "poorer", not so bright. And the flowers from my garden, having survived one strong wind or rain, will provide me with a long sitting in Photoshop.

Therefore, vegetables and flowers bought for shooting and for myself are two big differences in my case.

Garden shops sell mainly flowers grown in greenhouses and greenhouses, they are absolutely glossy, without flaws. Most likely, they, like vegetables, are generously watered with fertilizers. This can harm your health, but the photos will only improve.

Tell us about the shooting process, how it goes. When you start shooting, do you keep sketches of future shots on hand, or does everything slowly build itself up?

I always write the script. It seems to be the necessary minimum. If the shooting is successful, then, most likely, additional ideas will come that were not in the script. But the script is the skeleton of the shoot.

Depending on the theme, the necessary props are bought, the time is discussed when I can spend the whole day in the studio without being distracted by anything.

And, of course, I have my own rituals that help me tune in. Lots of coffee, lots of music, phone turned off, full concentration. If you hypnotize the props for a long time, then in the end it gives up and allows dozens of photos to be born :)

What do you rely on when composing a composition?

The fact is that I always photographed on a whim and was surprised when I found out that all this had been described for a long time. Both the "golden section" and the diagonal compositions that I use so often. I always did just “beautiful” and “so that I would like to buy”, but it turned out that I clearly and to the smallest detail followed some basic rules of composition.

Speaking of tricks, I never start with complex compositions. Always from simple and then I add. Sometimes I am very fond of additions and the photos are, in my opinion, overloaded. One of my friends in Livejournal called me a master of art placer :)

Indeed, sometimes from complex compositions there is a feeling that objects are simply scattered. But artistic :)

How much time is spent on retouching?

I try to minimize the time for retouching. The excellent quality of the props and the initially well-exposed light are great helpers in this. Sometimes you want to do complex processing, apply a texture, or somehow tint a photo in a special way, then you can tinker with processing. But this is only in exceptional cases.

What qualities do you think a photographer should have in order to create perfect still lifes?

I think he must be a bit of a sociophobe and a bit of a bore, obsessed with details and perfection :)

Seriously, in my opinion, a photographer should always sincerely love what he photographs and enjoy the shooting itself. Understand that there are no concepts of "right" - "wrong" and "good" - "bad" in the evaluation of photographs. Be bold. Show simple things in a way that no one else has shown. I think that the photographer should be able to rise a little above the ordinary. Do not be a whiner who insists that everything that is possible has already been photographed a hundred times and he will not be able to invent anything new. No one before you has shown people the world through your eyes, which means you still have a lot to do!

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