Sophie

'Still Life'

 

This project is studio based as I wanted to develop my studio skills and experiment with different colour backdrops. I also like capturing detailed and contrasted photographs which shooting in the studio helps me achieve. My ambition is to progress to a career, working in studios and one day owning my own company. I am using this project to develop skills and produce a strong portfolio.

I have been using a makeshift set up to achieve a studio in my home. I have limited equipment so to achieve the backdrops I used sheets over flat surfaces. I have also not been able to edit my photographs as I don’t have access to photoshop, this was challenging as I had to make sure the exposure and framing was perfect through the lens. I overcame this by taking extra time when shooting to ensure it will need minimal editing. I have been exploring still life to support my portfolio and progression as Still life is a part of many photographic industries. I have explored a range of subjects, such as fine art, food, documentary and advertisement. In this series I have concentrated on flowers. I chose a black backdrop for these photographs because I thought it would look visually interesting and create contrast. In the pink rose photograph, I used a shallow depth of field to create visual interest and highlight the details on the petals. In the white flower photograph, I used fill flash as it was a dull day so natural light was producing an under exposed outcome. Using the fill flash created a slight reflection onto the backdrop, which I think looks interesting and creative. I used shallow depth of fields for most of these outcomes to crater a contrast and highlight the details on the petals and the middle of the flowers.