Digital Camera World » still life photography

Lastolite ePhotomaker review: the light tent designed for eBay photos

jmeyer — Mon, 06 May 2013 10:00:39 +0000

The ePhotomaker light tent packs flat and is designed to diffuse simple light sources to create a perfect environment for eBay photos, product or still life photography. But can it deliver on its promises? Find out in our Lastolite ePhotomaker review.

Designed for avid online auction sellers, the ePhotomaker provides an optimal environment to shoot eBay photos or other items for sale, but it’s also useful for macro and still-life photography.

The tent works by diffusing the light from a desk lamp or spotlight through its translucent side panel.

The opposite side has a reflective coating to help fill shadows, while a one-piece white base and backing cloth gives a seamless backdrop.

Lastolite also includes a blue filter gel to help recreate daylight temperature light, plus a double-sided grey/white card for setting white balance and exposure.

Even a mini tripod is thrown in to avoid camera shake. End results really look the part with well-softened shadows and a crisp white background that closely resembles professional e-commerce product shots.

Much like a conventional light cube, the ePhotomaker packs flat for easy transportation, though the backdrop is prone to creasing. You can iron it smooth, but it’s a hassle.

The ePhotomaker is available in two sizes and offers an effortlessly easy means of showing off your products and macro subjects at their best.

Price: £95
Buy it: www.lastolite.com

Score: 4/5

Shadow Art: abstract photography effects with everyday items

jmeyer — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 13:00:03 +0000

Find out how you can use common household items to create striking shadow art. These simple photography effects can be achieved by anyone and can be shot anywhere, using anything!

Get creative this weekend – all you need for this project is a lamp, a plain wall and a bottle. By deliberately using shadows as part of a composition you can give a unique feel to your still lifes.

Glass props work well for this project, as they give off interesting shadows under a strong light.

We set up our glass bottles on a table, placing a flower in one to give a stronger silhouette, and lit the scene from the side using an anglepoise lamp.

You can also use a flashgun as a light source, but you’ll need a cable or wireless trigger so that the flash can be placed away from the camera.

Another option is to set up your bottles behind paper or muslin and shoot through it – the shadows will fall softly against the surface.

How to photograph shadow art

01 Set it up
Set your props up in a dark room and place your light source to the side of the table. Now it’s just a case of playing with angles until your bottles cast a strong shadow on the wall behind them. Try overlapping shapes and colours, and mixing transparent props and opaque ones.

02 Settings
Put your camera on a tripod. This will allow you to use a low ISO, such as 100 or 200, and leave your hands free to adjust your props. Use a small aperture, such as f/11, to ensure everything stays sharp. If you’re struggling to give your shots an abstract feel, try changing the White Balance.

03 Get experimenting
Don’t stop at bottles – scout around the house and you’re sure to find a host of objects that will give you interesting silhouettes. Anything translucent works really well, or try shooting the shadows left by everyday items like a fork or a wedding ring to see what effects you can get.

9 creative photo ideas to try in April

jmeyer — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 00:00:36 +0000

As part of our ongoing series to help you get more creative with your digital camera, each month we publish some fun, seasonal, creative photo ideas to help inspire your imagination. Along with some amazing images, we’ve also provided some quick photography tips by both amateur and professional photographers who are experts in these fields.

This month our list covers fun projects like shooting out of focus, experimenting with humorous still life photography, wildlife long exposures and looking for faces where they don’t normally belong!

On each page you’ll find a stunning image and an explanation from the photographer on how it was made.

If you attempt any of these photo ideas, don’t forget to share them on our Facebook wall!

We’d love to see how you get on.

01 Shoot twilight portraits

Now that the clocks have sprung forward, evenings arrive at a more civilized time. Make the most of this opportunity by shooting low-light portraits in the fading light of dusk.

The soft light and cool color temperature at this time of day can add incredible mood to your pictures.

Although the quality of light might be softer, it will also be lower. This means that your pictures may be blurred unless your technique is spot-on.

You’ll need to select wider apertures and higher ISO settings if you’re shooting handheld, and you’ll need to be accurate with focusing if you’re forced to use the widest aperture on your lens.

Select a focus point that corresponds with one of your subject’s eyes, or use the centre AF point and lock the focus on their eyes before recomposing.

To emphasise the cool, blue quality of the light, use the Daylight white balance preset. If you rely on Auto White Balance to make adjustments, it’s likely to try and warm the scene up too much, removing some of the mood as it does so.

Of course, you can always shoot in raw and make adjustments later – although dialling in the Daylight white balance will give you a more accurate impression of colour on the rear screen.

Get started today…
* Use focal lengths of 50mm and above to create more flattering portraits.
* Shoot in Aperture Priority, but keep a close eye on the shutter speed in the viewfinder – it needs to be the equivalent of 1/focal length of the lens for sharp handheld pictures (so 1/50sec for a 50mm lens on a full-frame camera).
* Use the camera in continuous drive mode, and fire in short bursts in order to capture any change in expression from your subject.
* The soft light of dusk can lead to low contrast pictures – you might want to boost the shadows and highlights later using Levels and Curves.
* Consider using an off-camera flash with the power dialled down in order to add a catchlight to the eyes.
* This style of portrait works equally as well early in the morning, with the advantage that you won’t be working in fading light.

PAGE 1: Shoot twilight portraits
PAGE 2: Shoot still life photography with personality
PAGE 3: Shoot a film noir style
PAGE 4: Shoot quiet landscapes
PAGE 5: Shoot out of focus
PAGE 6: Shoot faces in unusual places
PAGE 7: Shoot pictures of weather
PAGE 8: Shoot wildlife with long exposures
PAGE 9: Shoot baby sheep

Professional Photographer to the Rescue: interior photography tips for ideal homes

jmeyer — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 11:49:43 +0000

In our latest Professional Photographer to the Rescue post we set up indoors, as our pro shares his best interior photography tips for taking perfectly lit photos at home.

Meet our professional photographer

London-based photographer Max Attenborough, 33, trained as a fine-art painter before turning his attention to photography. He went pro three years ago, but has already built up an impressive client list that includes John Lewis and Waitrose. He specialises in still-life photography, and likes to work with natural light wherever possible. To see more of his work, visit Max’s website.

Meet our apprentice

Julie Stevens is an interior designer based in Kent. She has been interested in photography for as long as she can remember, and confesses to using her DSLR like a point-and-shoot, and came to us for advice on how to shoot better lifestyle and interior photography for her work.

Technique Assessment

Before Julie got started, Max cast his eye over her camera settings and made a few suggestions as to how she could take more control of her shots

Take more control
“Julie was shooting in Auto mode,” says Max, “but being able to set your aperture manually is essential. With a tripod you don’t have to worry about camera shake at slow shutter speeds, so you can set ISO to 100 for grain-free shots and then select an aperture based on how much depth of field you’re after.”

Shoot in raw format
“Julie’s camera was set up to take medium-res JPEGS,” explains Max, “but even high-res JPEGS don’t offer sufficient detail. Raw format files allow you to fine-tune exposure without introducing artefacts, and when you’re having to balance lots of light sources, white balance is easier to adjust in raw too.”

PAGE 1: Meet our professional photographer and apprentice
PAGE 2: Interior photography tips for during the shoot
PAGE 3: Final tips from our professional photographer
PAGE 4: Our professional photographer’s recommended gear
PAGE 5: Shot of the Day

DIY Photography Hacks: make a table-top studio for easy still life photography

jmeyer — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 12:16:56 +0000

In our latest DIY Photography Hacks post, find out how to use a few common items from around the house to make a simple table-top studio that’s perfect for still life photography.

This week in DIY Photography Hacks we’ll take you step-by-step through a project that’ll help you unleash your creativity.

Using nothing more than a camera, a flashgun and a sheet of black velvet, we’ll reveal how to make the perfect table-top studio for your still life photography and other creative photo projects at home.

We’ll take you step-by-step through the process of setting up your mini makeshift table-top studio, which takes no time at all once you identify the items you need.

For our project we shot smoke trails, but you can tailor your table-top studio to shoot just about anything!

How to set up your DIY table-top studio

Take control
For ultimate control over your exposure, switch the camera and flash to Manual, and shoot in raw format. When you’re working in a controlled environment there’s no need to rely on your camera’s automatic and semi-automatic modes. In fact, they can get in the way and start trying to alter your exposure when you don’t want them to.

Manual focus
Switch your lens to manual focus. It’s really difficult to focus on moving smoke against a black background, as we were trying to do, so autofocus will search backwards and forwards for something to lock on to. We got the best results by switching to manual focus (MF) and pre-focusing on the point where we anticipated the smoke would rise – using the tip of the incense stick as a starting point. If you ensure there’s no draught, the smoke should rise fairly evenly.

Secure your flash
We used tape to secure our off-camera flash, which, due to the short length of the remote cable, wouldn’t stay in the correct position on the table-top. It’s always a good idea to carry some kind of tape in your kit bag – it has some surprising uses!

Use a flashgun
We used a Canon Speedlite 580EX flashgun attached to our Canon via a dedicated flash cord, rather than our SLR’s pop-up flash. This way, we could light the smoke from one side, rather than from straight on, and the cable kept the camera and flash synchronised.

Control the smoke
As we were shooting smoke trails, it’s nearly impossible to control the pattern that smoke makes, so we needed to experiment. If you, too, are shooting smoke trails set up your DIY table-top studio in a room free of draughts, because even the slightest air movement will interrupt the flow of smoke. We used a fly swatter to manipulate the smoke while looking through the viewfinder!

Take plenty of shots
Because capturing the perfect smoke pattern is going to be a little hit and miss, it’s best to shoot as many images as possible, leaving you with plenty to choose from. Ensure you’ve got lots of space on your memory card and try different techniques to get the smoke to behave in different ways.

Cyanotype Process: digital photography using traditional techniques

jmeyer — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 12:32:30 +0000

Living in an age of sophisticated digital camera technology it’s easy to forget the extraordinary origins of the photographic process. In this tutorial we’re going to combine elements of digital photography with one of the medium’s oldest techniques, the Cyanotype process. We’ll capture an image using a DSLR and then make a cyanotype print in the beautiful hues of Prussian blue.

The cyanotype process was discovered by Sir John Herschel in 1842 and popularised as a photographic method by the British scientist Anna Atkins, who used it to make photograms of her botanical specimens.

Since then the technique has also been adopted by engineers and architects, who used the process to make duplicates of their large drawings – hence the term ‘blue print’.

After taking a photograph of a flower, we’ll show you how to turn the image into a digital negative in Photoshop. We’ll then explain how to make a cyanotype mixture using raw chemicals, which we’ll use to coat fine art paper.

Next, we’ll expose it to ultraviolet (UV) light – this causes a complex chemical reaction in the iron salts of the mixture, which creates  a rich blue dye (also known as Prussian blue). The final result will be a striking image on the paper.

Once you’ve made your cyanotype mixture you can store it in brown bottles for future use, giving you plenty of opportunities to experiment with the technique.

Try making photogram silhouettes from pressed flowers and leaves, or playing with different exposure times to create unique and striking prints.

The cyanotype process is an amazing technique that captures the magic of the photographic method  in its entirety – and it’s not nearly as complicated as it sounds. So let’s get started…

PAGE 1: What is a cyanotype?
PAGE 2: What you’ll need for your cyanotype kit
PAGE 3: The cyanotype process step-by-step
PAGE 4: How to make your cyanotype print

The still life photographers’ guide to lighting: 4 techniques, 4 different effects

jmeyer — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 11:29:57 +0000

Still life photographers often tell us that lighting their scenes is the biggest challenge they face. In fact, lighting is one of the most common photography problems in any genre. In this tutorial, Ali Jennings of our testing team singles out 4 foolproof still life photography lighting techniques that you can use anywhere.

Each still life lighting technique shows you how to adequately light some of the most common subjects for still life photographers: flowers, fruit, images for eBay and stock photos. Follow these techniques and you’ll be well ahead of other still life photographers!

The key to successful tabletop studio photography is the lighting, and how you use it to create different effects, without spending a fortune on equipment.

We’ll use a variety of different simple light sources – window light, a pocket torch, and a pair of common-or-garden desk lamps to cut down on the additional kit needed.

But you will also benefit from a few extras – such as some fabric and paper for the backdrops, and a reflector and a light tent for creating a more even lighting for some of our close-up set-ups.

So, find a bit of free time and clear some space, and have a go at our four still life photography ideas in the comfort of your own home. But first, let’s take a look at some….

Essential gear for still life photographers

01 Desk lamp
A small lamp with a flexible head, such as an anglepoise, lets you direct the light, so is ideal choice for small home studio projects. Using two adds foreground and background lighting and boost other lighting on dull days.

02 Black velvet
This fabric has the amazing ability to absorb light, so when lit correctly it looks as though a subject is literally floating in black. Buy a couple of metres at a material shop, but make sure you don’t buy the crushed sort!

03 Torch
Light painting is a quick, easy way to manipulate the light in exactly the way you want. A small powerful torch, such as a Maglite, can directed as needed, and with a focusable beam it gives you creative control.

04 A2 paper
An inexpensive and easy solution for creating backdrops, as well as being cheap and readily available from all art stores. When you make your selection, a paper with a matte and subtly textured finish will help to avoid reflections.

05 Light tent
The advantage to these simple translucent structures is they create even lighting for product photography using nothing but natural light from a window, and cut out reflections. A Hama light tent costs as little as £30/$45.

06 Reflector
Even with diffused light shadows can be a real issue, but with a small reflector these problems can easily be resolved. For still life projects look for one with both silver or white surfaces. This Lastolite Trigrip costs £55/$70.

PAGE 1: Essential gear for still life photographers
PAGE 2: The still life photographer’s guide to lighting flowers
PAGE 3: The still life photographer’s guide to lighting fruit
PAGE 4: The still life photographer’s guide to lighting eBay images
PAGE 5: The still life photographer’s guide to lighting stock photos

Car Photography: simple, creative ways to make your Toyota look like a Ferrari

jmeyer — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 16:00:39 +0000

Car photography often conjures images of Ferraris and models in bikinis, but unless you’re a very famous photographer, we’re guessing you’re like us and drive something a little more modest.

Whatever it is you drive, many photographers don’t realise the potential their cars have for great still life photography. In this tutorial we show you some simple ways to shoot creative car photography that’s safe at any speed.

All of us have a camera and most of us have a car, so why not combine the two and set yourself a little project this weekend, which is to capture some artistic images of your motor?

It’s labour intensive, but a good polish before you head off will save hours of cloning later! When you arrive on location for your car photography shoot park it so the best background area is behind your car.

A good tip is to angle the front wheels before shooting, so they’re visible and give the car a more aggressive and pleasing stance.

When you’re ready to shoot, a wide-angle lens will help you take in much more detail so don’t be afraid to shoot from quirky angles. In fact, we encourage it!

Leave the camera in an Auto or Semi-auto mode so you can forget about exposure and concentrate on the best angles that will transform your daily driver into a work of art.

All images by Ben Birchall

In the field
A great piece of equipment to help your car photography is a polarising filter. Not only will it increase overall colour saturation and contrast, but it will also render the glass surfaces transparent. Take a look at the windscreen on this image to see just how effective this impressive filter is.

PAGE 1: Essential car photography tips
PAGE 2: Classic Car Photography: Get the look
PAGE 3: How to shoot creative car photography

Ring heart shadows: how to make fine art photos you’ll love

jmeyer — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 12:30:01 +0000

Ring heart shadow pictures are some of the most commonly bought stock photos and a staple of greeting cards. In this simple still life photography tutorial we show you how to set up and light your own ring heart shadows from the comfort of your living room.

Clever lighting will make your images stand out as fine art photography. Using shadows to create pleasing shapes and tones is an exciting form of fine art expression. Here we’ve managed to reproduce a classic heart shadow effect by placing a ring between the pages of an open book.

How does the heart shadow effect work? Well, using a single desk-lamp to light the ring from behind results in the shadow forming a heart shape as it falls on the curved pages in the fold of the pages.

Normally, on a flat surface the ring would cast an oval shape depending on where the lamp was positioned – a long oval from a low angle and a smaller squat oval from a high angle.

In itself this can be a great standalone shot, but we’ve taken it one step further to create real fine art.

Experimentation with different shaped objects and various backdrops with irregular shapes can throw up some very artistic shadows.

The bonus of this still life photography technique is that using lighting this way doesn’t require as much post processing using toning and texture Layers, as the impact is provided by the atmospheric and moody lighting.

Setting up your ring heart shadow still life

To get the best shadow possible use a powerful bulb and place it more than a few feet away from the ring. Darken the room by drawing the curtains.

(Right) Elevate the lamp slightly by placing it on something to enable the shadow to form a tight heart shape.

(Left) Shoot the ring and shadow from slightly above and at a shallow angle so the shadow is well defined.

Get the best composition

Wrong ring
Although it still makes a heart shadow, keep the ring upright for the best effect.

Too tight
Make sure you leave plenty of space around the ring and shadow to allow for various crops.

Square crop
Don’t forget to crop square (as we’ve done in our final image at the top of this page) or try to balance the image symmetrically using the crop marks in Photoshop.

PAGE 1: How to set up and light your ring heart shadow still life
PAGE 2: Convert your heart shadow still life to black & white for a timeless effect

Still life photography ideas: how to instantly age props

jmeyer — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 11:30:54 +0000

There’s no better place for great still life photography than your own kitchen. However, the problem with using utensils and other items from your kitchen is that they’re often too shiny and new to give your image that nostalgia that works so well with still life photography. In this tutorial we’ll show you a quick way to instantly age your props. And this isn’t a tutorial for kids or the feint of heart.

Unusual utensils and battered cooking items can make perfect subject matter for a still life photography project. Obviously, the scissors in our shot were fairly new and shiny so, as they were a spare pair, we decided to give them character by ageing them.

However, our baking tray was well past its best and ready for the dustbin – perfect for use as a fine art background.

There wasn’t much thought about how we’d shoot the scissors apart from we wanted then to be slightly open in order to give the illusion of action.

The addition of the red thread was an afterthought and we shot it both intact across the open scissor blades and also cut into two halves, as pictured here.

We didn’t bother using any fancy lighting set-up for this shot as most of the art was injected afterwards in the digital darkroom.

In fact, the whole process was very organic because without including the red cotton we wouldn’t have been inspired to post produce the image with the colour only remaining in the thread.

Instantly age still life photography props

It’s simple to cheat and age metallic objects by years.

Obviously safety is paramount so do this bit outside in the open!

Stick your props on an old metal baking tray, squirt on some lighter fluid and carefully setting light to it.

The result is tarnished and sooty old scissors – voila!

Setting up your still life shot

Simple set-up
Create your studio using a couple of desk lamps angled at your subject. Use plain white paper as a diffuser to avoid hotspots. Crumpled tinfoil makes a great reflector. Set your scene on the floor and shoot vertically downwards for a more comfortable shooting position.

Camera settings
Choose Spot Metering and shoot in Manual mode to retain full creative control. Use the lowest ISO your camera permits and shoot in RAW file format. Set the White Balance to Sunny for a warm feel and use your self-timer to fire the camera’s shutter.

PAGE 1: How to age props for still life photography
PAGE 2: How to fine-tune your aged props in Photoshop