I have found a still life subject, but I'm at a loss how to photograph

[Ptah]

it










I'm on dial up.

Tucson, AZ

Any suggestions about lighting, framing and focus are encouraged.

:hi:

[ConsAreLiars]

1. The first thing to do

is to use whatever "aperture priority" option you have on your camera and set it at something close to its widest setting (f2.8, f/4, f5.6, or so - the numbers are fractions). The result will be that only stuff close to where you focus at will be sharp and the stuff further away (or closer) will be out of focus and even just blurs of color.

Try playing with this type of control and you will soon get the hang of it. The point is to eliminate all the irrelevant crap from the image, like the trees or the building detail, so the viewer sees only what is important.

Another thing is that since the object picks up all kinds of color from the environment, watch carefully to see what is getting included as you change position, and maybe try at sunset.

[NV Whino]

2. I would move in closer and try shooting through

the objects, which are very cool, by the way. Maybe include a slice of undistorted background to contrast with the distortion through the object. And low light going through them--sunrise or sunset. Part of the objects with projected reflection on buildings from low sun.

Bring your tent, camp out and wait for the right light.
;)

[priller]

3. Here are some guidelines I try to follow

-- When shooting objects like this, the tendency is to try to get the whole object in the frame. But what you end up with is usually kind of uninteresting; it's a picture that just basically says, "Look at me, I'm a big rock". Instead, try to focus on what you find interesting about that object. Think to yourself, what is it that draws my attention? In this case, the rocks have this cool glassy transparent quality -- zone it on that.

-- Think about the background. That's the main problem I see with these photos is the backgrounds are sorta kinda just there. In this case, since you want to focus on the rocks and their texture, I would suggest making the backgrounds rather plain and simple. May just a cloudy sky or water or something like that, and you can do the shallow depth-of-focus and blur the background. Or you can just put a plain sheet of construction paper behind like a studio shot.

-- Look at the light. These rocks will probably do amazing things with light. Put them in the sun, or put them in a dark room and train a light on them. The get close with the camera.

In any case, just keep in mind that taking good photos requires some thought. But it's also a lot of fun playing around with them. These rocks are great subjects. Good luck!

[alfredo]

4. Light and form is what the rocks are all about.

Get close up and personal. Play with every aspect. The back lit image is the most interesting.

No telling what you can catch shooting through the glass.

If you are shooting digital, take all the pictures you can fit on card. Try every angle possible. Be creative. Try to see it differently from what the average viewer see. Make it a game.

Now go home, download the images to your computer, recharge your battery and return at a different part of the day. Repeat the above advice above.

Download and inspect all your images. Separate the good and bad. Work with the good in your photo editor.

If you have something you like, good for you.


Remember, work with a copy. You may want to revisit earlier photos to apply what you have learned since. Have a system for keeping track of your work. I put a "1" after images I have resized for the web. If I am making them for printing I put the image size in the name like "highbridge8X10.jpg."

Oh, and I would be remiss if I didn't suggest going black and white. It might work better that way. Might not. Sometimes color gets in the way. See how that reddish wall works if you change the image to black and white. It might change it from a distraction into a supporting role. Play with the contrast some to see what happens.

Have fun.


Changed mode to grayscale, then adjusted the curves, cropped and resized and applied resharp mask. Notice how the wall doesn't matter as much, and in someways more interesting. With color there was just too much information.


This could be a real fun subject. Go crazy.