Still-Life

A still life focuses on still objects. The subject matter is inanimate, typically with a focus on household objects, flowers, or fruits. Referencing a long history of still-life painting, photo-based artists have interpreted this practice using a contemporary lens. One thing that makes still life so special is that often the subjects aren’t very interesting. They’re just ordinary objects that you normally wouldn’t pay much attention to.

When photographing still-life use the following tips:

Choose an Intriguing Background  
White or textured walls, windows, or fabric make for great still life backgrounds. Play with the distance between the objects and backgrounds for different effects.

Arrange the Items  
Typically, objects in a still life are arranged by the artist. Play with objects that would exist with each other or completely different objects.

Select Your Angle
A traditional still life is viewed from the front at eye-level. Break the mold and shoot from above, diagonally etc. 

Crop in Tight
Consider cropping your photo in, nice and tight. When you zoom in on your subject and take the image up close, you’re able to see details that normally would have been missed. Additionally, you can eliminate an unwanted background, by using your subject to completely fill the frame of the photo.

Consider your Framing
A guideline that photographers use is the rules of thirds, and that rule won’t fail you when you’re framing a still life. The simplest way to apply the rule is to enable your iPhone’s camera grid and place the focal point of your composition on the intersecting lines. Visit this site for a quick tutorial on the Rule of Thirds.

Need more tips?
I found this YouTube channel with a great tutorial including 7 Tips For Creating Striking iPhone Still Life Photos .

Edit your Image
Smartphones have robust editing function for images. On an iPhone, tap “Edit” on the top right corner to play with exposure, contrast, warmth, shadows etc.

Can’t wait to see your images!