STILL LIFE PHOTOGRAPHY
YEAR OF COMPLETION / 2016
Many commercial advertising works use photographic images produced in studio as part of their visual content due to specific image quality that is associated with the commercial world. Studio photography enables the photographers to have greater control over the lighting effect (contrast, angle, mood etc.) through the manipulation of the studio lighting equipment and set up. In this project, basic studio lighting techniques with various objects will be explored in an attempt to understand the construction behind the scene in making simple yet appealing commercial still life shots.
1. The Orbit
Object: Container / Mood: Futuristic
Object: Container / Mood: Futuristic
RATIONALE:
Do you feel like you’re in space while looking at this picture?
For this shot, our keyword is futuristic. We want to achieve something like a spaceship or an UFO kind of effect. And try our best to make it not look like a container. We used the Special Rose Pink and Deep Blue colored gel for this shot. We’ve also lowered the temperature while shooting this. Therefore there’s an effect of cool and futuristic.
2. The Future Past
Object: Toothbrush / Mood: Futuristic
Object: Toothbrush / Mood: Futuristic
RATIONALE:
In this shot, our keyword is futuristic. We try to make it as modernize as we can. A toothbrush is what we used since a long time ago. With the smoke effect, it feels like it is travelling through time. In this shot, we used a Rose Pink and Deep Blue Colored Gel. This time we use dry ice to gives out the smoke effect. We shot it in this angle as it feels like its floating, blending with the smoke. As you can see, the end of the brush is blurred out compare to the bristles area.
3. The Fireball
Object: Container / Mood: Dangerous
Object: Container / Mood: Dangerous
RATIONALE:
For this shot, our key word is ‘dangerous’. Since our object is a white container, we thought of it as it containing something dangerous. For the background, we uses a black sugar paper cut out along with a redhead tungsten light with a red colored gel shinning behind it. We used a macro lens to achieve a ‘bokeh' effect. We positioned the lid and the container itself to look like its dropping as the ball of flame is coming out. Fire is a dangerous element that is why we made it like a fireball.
4. The Innocence and The Dangerous
Object: Toothbrush / Mood: Dangerous
Object: Toothbrush / Mood: Dangerous
RATIONALE:
In this shot, we try to achieve something like a 2-faced concept. With our keyword ‘dangerous’, we want to send out a message that its not always what you see that its true. For people, they have different personalities. One may treat you good while they turn their back on you, they might become demons and gossip about you. Sometimes its just better off being alone. Like superman, batman and spiderman. They have double identity. Only we ourselves know how are we like.
5. The Statue
Object: Ceramic Statue / Material: Ceramic
Object: Ceramic Statue / Material: Ceramic
RATIONALE:
We have this statue as our ‘model’ among all the objects that we brought. There is quite a lot of scratches and stains on it. And with its curvy lines, we decided to achieve an outcome of a sleek model from the front view, with a balanced lighting. With the lighting, brings out the feeling of zen and the balance of yin and yang. The bit of gritty texture portrays the nature, peaceful and down to earth feeling. It also shows an etiquette lady, who's meditating. Positioning is a key to the lighting for objects so proportioned.
6. Time
Object: Hourglass / Material: Glass
Object: Hourglass / Material: Glass
RATIONALE:
Glass is one of the most reflective object, therefore it’s hard to shoot. We tried to achieve a classy feeling of the hourglass and capture the defined lines of the glass object. We also make used of the sand, to show the flow of it, defining that time is ticking. The sand at the bottom is what its past. Time pass by faster than we notice.
We experimented many different lighting positions to get the streaks of line on the side properly defined. We also used black sugar paper as reflector to illuminate the lines. We also tried shinning the light from the bottom to make the curvy lines more obvious, but it didn't work. Therefore, We had the lights with the intensity of 2.0 from both side splashed on to the object diagonally onto a white mahjong paper light box. And the white mahjong paper reflects the light onto the object.
We experimented many different lighting positions to get the streaks of line on the side properly defined. We also used black sugar paper as reflector to illuminate the lines. We also tried shinning the light from the bottom to make the curvy lines more obvious, but it didn't work. Therefore, We had the lights with the intensity of 2.0 from both side splashed on to the object diagonally onto a white mahjong paper light box. And the white mahjong paper reflects the light onto the object.
7. Fork and Spoon
Object: Fork and Spoon / Material: Metal
Object: Fork and Spoon / Material: Metal
RATIONALE:
A mahjong paper light box is used to minimize the reflection from above. In this shot we tried to achieve the darker lines on the utensils. Metallic shots are easily made to look like plastic objects. Therefore we cannot have any reflective on the spoon but we also need some contrast on the lights for the streak of light. The contrast must be balance in order to make the shot looks natural. As we use a light box for this shoot, we have 3 lighting. 2.5 on the left, 2.0 on the right and 2.5 on the top.
