Still life and product
photography tips
✦Keep it simple. Don’t try to pack
too many objects in your composi-
tion. Having too many objects for
the eye to focus on can lead to a
confusing image.
✦Use items with bold colors and
dynamic shapes. Bright colors and
shapes can be eye-catching and
add interest to your composition.
✦Vary your light output. When
using more than one light on the
subject, use one as a fill light set-
ting it to fire at a lower power in
order to add a little depth to sub-
ject by creating subtle shadows.
156 Part II ✦Creating Great Photos with the Creative Lighting System
Table 6.11 (continued)
Lighting Practice Picture: For this shot I used one SB-600 Speedlight and
one SB-800. For the main light I had the SB-800 in a soft box
positioned up high. For the fill I placed a second Speedlight in a
soft box fairly close up on the right side. I placed the fill light
close in order to use the Speedlight to fill in the dark shadows
created by the main light.
On Your Own:Make sure your light is well diffused to soften the
shadows. Take a lot of test shots to see how the light is showing
off the texture of your subject.
Lens Practice Picture: Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 set to 30mm
On Your Own:Use a fairly wide angle lens. Using a wide-angle
lens enables you to add an interesting perspective to the subject.
Camera Settings Practice Picture: Manual mode
On Your Own:Manual mode or Aperture Priority mode to be
able to control the depth of field.
Exposure Practice Picture: 1/500 sec. at f/11, ISO 200
On Your Own: Because your subject is stationary, the shutter
speed isn’t as much of an issue. Be sure you set your aperture so
you can carry enough depth of field to ensure that everything is in
focus from front to back.
Accessories Use soft box to diffuse the light from the Speedlights.
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