How to take still life photos for beginners

1. Introduction to still-life photography

Still-life photography is a genre of art photography that focuses on non-moving subjects such as man-made or natural objects. How to take still-life photos to create unique artistic photos is a real challenge for the photographer.

With this type of photography, the photographer can actively arrange and use materials, light, and composition to make the frame more prominent. They allow the photographer to control every aspect of the photo. 

Still-life photography is a way to help you discover the beauty and interest in small details, helping to express emotions through photos.

2. Popular types of still-life photography

Still-life photography is divided into many types that we can mention such as:

Product photos: Often used in advertising and online sales. These photos are high quality and are used to introduce and promote products professionally.
Artistic photography: With this type of photography, photographers can freely express ideas and emotions through images with creative arrangements and layouts to create unique artistic effects.
Portrait photography: This photo allows you to focus on capturing subjects such as: Clay, dolls, human-shaped objects, etc. with the ability to create expressions, as well as unique effects to breathe life into the photo.

3. Things you need when taking still-life photos

3.1. Choose the right subject to shoot

The subject is the most important factor to ensure that it is suitable for the artistic purpose that the photographer wants to achieve. This factor, if well prepared, will contribute significantly to creating the most impressive photo for you.

When choosing a subject to take a photo of, you need to pay attention to choosing objects with attractive shapes and colors, but must be consistent with the message you want to convey through the photo.

3.2. Necessary props and accessories

Once you have chosen the right subject, the next important thing is to choose props and accessories during the photo shoot:

Background and backdrop: Prioritize simple backgrounds to help draw attention to key subjects. You can also choose bright backgrounds to create contrast and make your subjects stand out more.

Props and accessories: The props you can use include mirrors, artificial fire, etc. All props used need to be suitable for the subject and have a complementary effect to help the subject stand out and have a more unique effect.

4. Share basic still-life photography techniques

4.1. Shooting angle

The shooting angle factor can determine whether you can create a special photo or not. You can try different basic shooting angles such as: From top down, from bottom up, shooting from different angles,...

Try out all the angles to find the one that works best for your subject.

4.2. Light

Light is a very important factor when taking photos for all other types of photography. Therefore, when taking still-life photos, you need to pay special attention to this factor to bring the most beautiful lighting effect to the photo.

The lighting used can be natural or artificial, depending on the needs of the photographer. Experiment with soft or hard light to create contrast and detail in your photos.

4.3. Aperture, shutter speed and ISO of the photo

Photographers need to pay attention to choosing aperture, shutter speed and ISO for photos to ensure they are suitable for the shooting process. These factors will determine the shape, light and aesthetic value of a still photo. Therefore, photographers need to pay special attention to this factor when taking photos.

Hopefully, with the interesting and detailed sharing above about how to take still life photos, it will help you create photos that are full of art and your own personal mark.