Are you interested to try some flower photography but you get
discouraged by guides telling you to get a macro lens? I was too at
first, but macro is not the only way to get some amazing pictures. Keep
reading for some tips on how to take great flower photos without a macro
lens or buying any new equipment or accessory.
Flower Photography Detail Close Up
Detail and depth of field
One of the reasons photographers recommend a macro lens is to capture small details with shallow depth of field. Some offer alternatives like extension tubes
or reverse rings that allow you to focus while being very close to your
subject. This is, in fact, a nice look for flower photography, but if
you’re not ready to invest in new gear, there are other ways to get it.
Focal Distance: 55mm, f/13, 1/400th, ISO 640
I shot this image using a 55mm lens with f/13, 1/400th shutter speed
and 640 ISO. As you can see, I managed to get reasonably close, so never
let the lack of equipment prevent you from practicing.
You can start by using a wide aperture
and the longest focal distance you have to experiment from there. In
order to make the best out of the equipment you have, check out the
article How to Control Depth of Field in Your Photography.
Draw inspiration from nature
Now that we’ve covered the macro effect,
let’s broaden the horizon and think big. There’s much more to flower
photography than just the details. Flowers come in all shapes and
colors, so include all those natural elements and use them to your
advantage.
In this photo below, I lowered my point of view so I could create three different segments following the rule of thirds: flowers, trees, and the sky.
The Rule of Thirds and point of view help your composition.
Color contrast
Using color as a compositional element is very easy to do when
photographing flowers. Because they are so vibrant, you’ll always find
one that stands out. You can put contrasting colors
next to each other to make elements stand out while still being in
harmony. You can start by isolating a subject against the background and
work your way up to include more elements.
Tones or patterns
Another way to use color in your images is to use only one to
dominate the image. It may sound easy and perhaps dull, but in reality,
if you incorporate different tones of the same color or a pattern, it
can become a subject in itself. Megan Kennedy wrote a number of articles
here on DPS called Master Colors Series covering the psychology and evolution of each color. Check them all out for inspiration!
The cultural aspect
Now that we’ve passed aesthetics and are into content let’s say that
flowers are much more than just pretty subjects. They speak their own
language as we have given them all sorts of cultural meanings. The
color, the season, and even the presentation change our perception. We
use them in joyous celebrations and on the occasion of grief, passing
through all other kinds of events. When you incorporate this matter on
top of the visual aspect, things can become really interesting.
Still life
Defining the line between photography genres is always a tricky
subject. Are all flower photography images a still life? No. Are all
still life images flower photography? Also, no. But the two genres often
intersect, so play within that field to stage your images. You can use
different elements, adjust the lighting and even some post-production.
To get you started here are some Simple Methods for Creating Better Still Life Images.
Still life is great for flower photography
I’m not suggesting you shouldn’t buy a macro lens or any other gear
and accessories, especially if you are planning on becoming a
professional. However, there’s much versatility in flower photography so
you can do without them. Of course, you can also look into many
creative techniques like double exposure, light painting, or dynamic zoom.
Do you have other ideas to take flower photos without a macro lens? Share in the comment section!
Tuesday, September 29, 2020
Just Dew It – Fun with Macro Dewdrop Photography
Tags: Photography for Beginners, dewdrops, Morning sun, dew
Some things are practically guaranteed to make great photo subjects –
dewdrops in the grass sparkling like diamonds in the morning sun,
flowers and foliage wet with the rain, a closeup of dewdrops suspended
in spiderweb-like pearls on a string or the crystal-ball look of a drop
with a refracted image inside. You can seek out such scenes in nature,
or you can create your own miniature macro world. However you do it,
dewdrop photography will test your skills plus give you the reward of
pleasing images, not everyone can make. So let’s take a look at what,
where, and how to “dew it.”
When the morning light hits the dew-covered lawn it can be like searching for diamonds in the grass.
Going natural
I’ve spent more than a few mornings lying in the grass with a macro
lens mounted on my camera searching for the perfect dewdrop. I’ve also
been out after the rain, looking for images where the drops have added a
clean, fresh look with increased saturation to a subject. While often
the subjects are found in nature, drops beaded on the surface of a freshly waxed car and other human-made objects can make for some great shots too.
Many
leaves will naturally bead water like the raindrops on this daylily.
Raindrop photography is
the “larger cousin” of dewdrop photography with
no macro lens needed .
A little spritz with a sprayer makes this rose look fresh and adds interest.
The
fine hairs on a lupine leaf naturally beaded the water sprayed with a
garden hose. 1/160 sec.
f/3.5 ISO100 with Tamron 90mm macro.
Just add water to take a nice photo to the next level. Raindrops on the hood of this freshly-waxed
Jaguar add some extra pizzaz.
Hunting for such subjects is fun. Like much of photography, it’s a
matter of getting out with your camera when the conditions are right,
often early in the morning in the case of dew or right after a rain
shower. Sometimes you’ll find some great subjects where the drops, the
light, and the subject all come together. I’ve not yet made the classic
dew-drop-festooned-spider-web shot,
but I’m still looking. Luck plays a certain part in getting such
shots. The fun is in the search. But sometimes when you want to leave it
less to chance, that could be the time to…
Fake it to make it
You realize in those great movie rain scenes it wasn’t really
raining when filming took place, right? So is it cheating when we as
artistic photographers “enhance” our shots with the addition of
raindrops or dewdrops? I think not. I guarantee the photographer created
the vast majority of great dewdrop photos you’ve seen. Take two
otherwise identical flower photos; the only difference being one is
covered with dewdrops. The wet one will win the prize almost every time.
Drops sparkle,
shimmer, refract light in interesting ways, and can take an image from
“meh” to “wow!” So if you haven’t already done so, consider adding a
little spray bottle to your camera kit with some “magic juice” inside.
“Magic Juice?”
You can often use plain water to enhance your shot. If you’re
simulating raindrops that might work okay. Spraying the foliage with the
garden hose often works too. But when you want smaller, more rounded
beads that hang where you place them and stay for a longer time without
moving or evaporating, get some glycerine.
Here’s the special ingredient for making photographer’s “Magic Juice.”
Often found in the baking section of the grocery store, glycerin is
very transparent, much thicker than water, and just plain works better
for photography. Use it straight from the bottle and apply where you
like with an eyedropper, or mix one-part glycerine to two parts water
for use in a spray bottle.
You can enhance the look of flowers and foliage, simulate
condensation on glassware or other objects, give subjects a wet-look,
enhance your food photography or even simulate sweat on human subjects
if you need that look. Great stuff!
Using the Live View mode of your camera can really help in getting critical focus.
Equipment needs
For more distant shots of things like raindrops, you might get by
with standard, close-focusing lenses and also be able to work
hand-held. But dewdrops are tiny. When it’s time to get close, closer,
and ultra-close, you’ll be entering the world of macro photography. You will definitely need a tripod and one of several ways to get up close to your tiny subject:
Here all three Kenko extension tubes (Canon, Nikon, Sony), plus a Canon 25mm tube, are all combined
with a Canon “nifty fifty” 50mm f/1.8 lens.
This gives 93mm of extension. You can combine tubes in
any sequence or
combination depending on how close you need to get to your subject and
how much
magnification you’re seeking.
Standard Macro Lenses
Many lenses may state they have macro capability, but to truly be a macro lens,
they should be able to create a 1:1 image. That means the image
rendered on the camera sensor is the same size as the physical object or
bigger. Full-frame cameras are called that because their sensor size is
roughly equivalent to a full-frame of 35mm film, (24mm X 36mm), so if
the lens you’re using can fill the frame with an object that’s about
35mm wide, it’s a true macro.
Here’s a quick test you can try: a U.S. quarter is 24.26mm in
diameter. So, if you can focus on and fill the frame top to bottom with
an uncropped shot of a quarter, you have a macro lens. On a crop sensor
camera where the sensor is 14.9×22.2mm (Canon), a 1:1 shot of a quarter
would more than fill the frame.
Catching
the light source in the drops with a small aperture produced a star
effect. 3 tubes plus
Tamron 90mm macro. 1.6 sec. f/16, ISO 800
Extension Tubes/Bellows
Increasing the distance between your lens and camera sensor will have
the effect of allowing you to focus closer than with the lens alone and
thus appear to magnify the image. Stacking multiple tubes or making
the bellows
longer will get you in even closer. You can also get into macro
territory with something simple like a 50mm prime lens plus an extension tube set. Much less money than a dedicated macro lens!
You can just see the end of the reversed Vivitar 28-105 zoom in this shot. Note how close I’m able to
get the lens to my subject.
Here’s
what the reversed lens zoomed out to 28mm produced. Thinking backward
helps here –
Wider zoom settings allow closer focusing than more zoomed
settings.
Reversed lenses
Mount a lens backward on your camera and you will be able to get in much, much closer than you would otherwise. I did a whole article on this technique which allows you to use even inexpensive old film camera lenses for great macro effects.
A focusing rail like this simple Neewer unit
can be especially helpful when working to get good focus
with
sliver-thin depth of field. It’s also excellent for making focus-stacked
images where you take a
shot, adjust focus slightly, make another shot,
and repeat getting multiple focus points on the subject
which are later
combined to get more depth of field than is possible with a single
shot.
Focusing rail
Working with tiny subjects and macro lens techniques, you will
quickly find your depth of field is sliver-thin, sometimes only a few
millimeters. Often rather than trying to focus as usual, (and forget
about using auto-focus when making shots like this), physically moving
the camera forward or back is the way to focus.
A focusing rail is a finely-geared device which, with the use of
knobs, allows you to move the camera in and out in tiny increments. Like
most camera gear, you can spend a lot on the sophisticated rails, and
there are even computer-controlled versions for doing macros that
focus-stack.
If you’re just entering the world of macro however, very serviceable versions can be had for under $50.00 US.
With
a depth of field only a few millimeters, sometimes focus stacking will
be required to get what
you want in focus. This shot is a 5-image stack.
Lighting
With your lens so close to your subject, you will often be in your
own light, and shading your subject. There are many ways to light macro
subjects and no single “right” way. It’s simply a matter of what works.
Do you know that things like extension tubes and bellows reduce the
light reaching the sensor? Most often, you will be stopping down your
lens, seeking more depth of field. Adding more light or increasing the
exposure time will often be required. One advantage of the latter is
that a several second exposure can sometimes allow you to “light-paint” your subject.
I did many of the really close-up images in this article that way. I
light-painted during the exposure with a simple LED flashlight.
Note the difference aperture
makes. The shot at left is at f/22 while the one on the right is at
f/5.6.
The background is affected more that the refracted image in the
drops.
In practice – a look at some samples
The following images show a tabletop session with glycerin “dewdrops”
hanging from a strand of sewing thread. I used a combination of a macro
lens (a Tamron AF 90mm f/2.8 Di mounted on a Canon 6D camera),
as well as a combination of extension tubes and a reversed old Vivitar
28-105mm zoom from my old Pentax ME Super film camera.
Some of the images used a combination of those devices stacked together in a quest to see just how close I could get.
This
is about as close as the Tamron 90mm macro alone could focus. The drops
are tiny, so this
probably is the 1:1 ratio the lens is capable of.
Using this combination allowed the three-drop shot below.
3 extension tubes plus the Tamron Macro. 1.6 sec. f/16 ISO 800
Combining the Tamron 90mm macro with all three extension tubes (for a total of 68mm of extension).
The
reversed Vivitar film lens plus a 36mm extension tube focused close
enough to fill the frame
with two drops. The long exposure also allowed
time to light-paint the sunflower. 15 seconds, f/22,
ISO 100.
Bear in mind that the drops in the shot are really
tiny, around 2-3mm, so filling the frame with a single drop was way
more than a 1:1 magnification ratio. If calculating the magnification
factor is your bag, there are places with calculation tools to do that. For example, for one image I used all my extension tubes, (a Kenko set with 12, 20, and 36mm tubes plus a Canon 25mm tube
= total 93mm extension) and a Canon 50mm f/1.8 “nifty 50” prime. Per
the calculator, that produced about a 2:1 magnification ratio, filling
the frame with about 3 of the drops. I achieved the closest shot
(below), with the reversed Vivitar at 28mm with the three Kenko tubes
attached. I figure it’s over 3:1, uncropped and almost filling the
frame with a single drop.
To
get this close with no cropping took all three (12mm, 20mm, and 36mm)
extension tubes combined
with the reversed Vivitar film lens at 28mm.
The drop is only about 2mm wide. This is also a
2-image focus stack,
one for the
drop and the other for the flower inside.
Take note of how in the images the drop acts like a tiny lens,
refracting and inverting the image inside it. If you want the image
inside to be right-side-up, be sure to invert the real physical object
before you snap the shot. Also, with such limited depth of field, even a
small aperture may not give you the range of focus you need. Making
shots like this will also give you a reason to learn focus-stacking techniques.
The captions on the shots reveal what I used to achieve each dewdrop
photography image. So, see what you can learn here, get your camera,
maybe buy some entry-level macro gear and then… just go “dew” it!
Share the images you make with us in the comments section! Share this article.
Monday, September 28, 2020
How to Take Vibrant, Razor-Sharp Macro Photos of Flowers
Tags: Photography for Beginners, Photography, Macro Photography
Macro photography is a very interesting subject for photographers.
People love to shoot small objects like insects, flowers, waterdrops,
etc. With macro photography, a photographer can show the tiniest details
about the subject – details that are not possible to see with the naked
eye. Today, let’s find out how to amaze viewers by taking colorful and
razor-sharp macro photos of flowers.
What you’ll need to capture razor-sharp macro photos of flowers
Camera body
You’ll be taking photographs, which means you will obviously need a camera body. But which camera body is good for macro photography – a full-frame or a crop-sensor camera?
Different photographers have different answers to this question. Each
body has advantages over the other. With a crop-sensor camera, you can
get a larger focal length with the same lens so that you don’t have to
get very close to the subject. A crop sensor also gives you a deeper
depth of field as compared to a full-frame body, which means you can
keep more of the subject in focus.
On the other hand, a full-frame body reveals more details because of
the larger sensor size. It also performs better in low-light conditions.
So, ultimately, all bodies are good for macro photography, whether you
have a crop-sensor camera or a full-frame camera, or whether it’s a DSLR
or mirrorless.
A
true macro lens gives you 1:1 magnification, which means the size of
your subject can be the same as your sensor size. In other words, if you
have a full-frame body that has a 36mm x 24mm sensor size, you can fill
the entire frame with a subject that is 36mm x 24mm in size. This gives
you the opportunity to get really close to the subject and capture all
the details.
However, don’t worry if you don’t have a dedicated macro lens. You
can use extension tubes or a reverse ring with two lenses.
Alternatively, you can use a cheaper option called macro close-up
filters.
Flash and diffuser
A flash is a very important piece of equipment in macro photography.
It helps you take razor-sharp pictures and capture bright colors. It
also helps you avoid blurry images resulting from the shake of the
camera.
A flash diffuser
is equally as important as the flash. It softens the light and brings
out the details and colors. You can use a mini softbox or domes or
MagSphere, or you can simply put a diffuser cloth in front of the flash
or bounce it with a white card.
You can use the flash on the camera hot-shoe or, if you have wireless
flash triggers, you can use the off-camera flash. This will give you
better results, but you will need someone to hold it.
Things to remember:
1. Depth of field
The first thing to remember when it comes to getting razor-sharp macro photos of flowers is depth of field
(DOF). DOF is very important in macro photography. If you are shooting
with a true macro lens with 1:1 magnification and your aperture is f/4,
you’ll get only 1-2mm of total DOF. So, chances are, you won’t get
everything you want in focus.
The solution is a smaller aperture. With an f/16 aperture, you can
easily get 5-6mm total DOF and have everything you want in focus.
However, with such a small aperture, you’ll need lots of light. That’s why a flash is necessary for macro photography.
2. Focusing
Many photographers suggest that manual focus is better for macro photography, but I disagree with them.
I always use autofocus when taking macro pictures.
Why?
Because
it’s easy, it’s fast, and you have fewer chances of taking out-of-focus
pictures because both hands are free to hold the camera.
Just make sure that your hands and camera don’t move between focus lock and taking the picture.
3. Background
To achieve razor-sharp macro photos of flowers, you should always
consider the background. In most cases, the background will be blurred,
but, still, it should be clean and have contrasting colors.
4. Look from different angles
When we take photos of flowers, we usually take them from the top or
the side. However, sometimes a flower can be very beautiful from the
back, too.
When you are searching for a subject to shoot, always look it from different angles so that you can see and click something extraordinary – something that others can’t.
5. Dead flowers can be great subjects, too
We always try to take photos of fresh flowers, but sometimes dead
flowers can be great subjects, as in the following image. When a flower
is dead, and all the petals have fallen, it starts preparing seeds.
Sometimes those seeds look very beautiful and can be good subjects to shoot macro.
6. Shoot in RAW
To achieve razor-sharp macro photos of flowers, always shoot in RAW format
because RAW files contain more details. Therefore, when you sharpen the
image and enhance the colors in post-processing, you’ll get better
results.
When you open a RAW image in post-processing software, it’ll look
dull and lack sharpness, colors, and contrast. Don’t lose heart after
seeing this. After a little bit of post-processing, it can often be
better than a JPG image from the camera.
7. Keep your hands steady
A tripod is not a useful tool in macro photography because you’ll need to click at unusual angles.
If you have a moving subject, like insects, chances are, they’ll go
away before you set up your tripod. So, it’s better to take photos with a
handheld camera. Keep your elbows inside, which will give you support
and lower your chances of camera shake.
8. Practice and be patient
If, after doing everything you have read in this article, you take
photos that aren’t coming out sharp, don’t be disheartened. Have
patience, and keep practicing. Eventually, you’ll get razor-sharp macro
photos of flowers.
Keep clicking and share your pictures here. Share this article.
Sunday, September 27, 2020
5 DIY Macro Photography Hacks for Stunning Macro Photos (on a Budget)
In this article, I’m going to show you exactly how you can capture amazing macro photos (without breaking the bank). You’ll discover 5 DIY macro photography hacks which you can use for consistently gorgeous images.
Sound good?
Let’s dive right in, starting with:
1. Use a board for a stunning macro photography background
First things first:
In macro photography, the background matters almost as much as your main subject. Because the background is what makes your main subject stand out.
One of my favorite backgrounds is a solid, uniform color:
Dark black.
Black backgrounds allow you to capture somber, moodier macro photography. Like this:
Now, achieving a natural black background in nature can be tough.
Which is why this DIY hack is so valuable. Because you can use it to
create a deep black background in all of your macro photos.
Here’s what you do:
Step 1: Go to your local hardware store and purchase
a plywood board. I’d suggest something ultra-thin (because wood can get
heavy, fast). I’d also go for a decent size: at least two feet on all
sides.
Step 2: Purchase black paint and primer. I recommend
getting a sample paint pot (one should be more than enough). These are
cheap and work just fine. The primer is to prevent the wood from
tainting the color.
Step 3: Add the primer and paint the board. I’d recommend two coats of black paint for that ultra-dark look.
Step 4: Let the board dry.
Now comes the fun part:
Actually taking the photos!
You should choose a main subject that’s fairly light (e.g., yellow
and white flowers). Position your main subject so that it’s in the sun,
with the black board in the shade, a foot or so behind it. You want to
create as much contrast as possible between the board and your subject.
That is, you want a light subject on a dark board.
The goal is to lose absolutely all detail in the background. If you
don’t fully achieve this in-camera, you can use an editing program to
drop the blacks in your images.
You can still make this work with diffused (i.e., cloudy) light. But you’ll need to do a bit more work in post-processing to bring down the blacks.
Bottom line?
You can work some serious magic with just a board and some paint.
Try it yourself! And watch as you capture amazing macro images.
2. Use a lightbox for a stunning high-key, transparent look
Have you ever wanted to capture macro photos that look bright and high-key? Maybe even transparent?
With this DIY hack, you can!
All you need is a basic lightbox, often used by artists for tracing. You can purchase one for around 20 dollars on Amazon. While a bigger lightbox is generally better, anything A4 and above should work fine.
Once you have your lightbox, you’ll need to choose a main subject.
Flowers with translucent petals work best. And the flatter the flower,
the better.
You’ll want to work in a room that has only diffused ambient light. You want your flowers to have a soft, even look.
Then turn on the lightboard, and place your flowers on top of it.
I recommend shooting parallel to the lightbox from above. While you
can do everything handheld, I don’t recommend this, especially if your
flowers are more three dimensional. Instead, mount your camera on a
tripod and use a narrow aperture (i.e., f/8 and above) to ensure perfect sharpness.
Once you have your shots, you’ll probably need to do a bit of
post-processing. I recommend increasing the whites, to give a slightly
brighter, airier look.
3. Shoot with one flower in a vase for powerful compositions
There’s no doubt about it:
The way that flowers are positioned can make a macro shot look
amazing…or terrible. If several flowers are overlapping, your photo may
fall flat.
…that’s when things start to look really compelling.
Now, when you’re shooting in nature, you don’t have much control over this. You have to work with what you’ve got.
But if you use this DIY macro photography hack, you can capture a gorgeous set of macro flower photos.
Guaranteed.
Here’s how it works:
Go to your local grocery store, and purchase a bouquet of your
favorite flowers. I like to work with tulips, but you can really use
anything!
When you get home, check over the flowers for blemishes and other issues. Find the biggest, best-looking flowers of the bunch.
And then put them all in separate vases (or cups).
Note: You want the flowers to extend pretty far over the top of the vase, which is why I suggest you avoid taller vases.
The next time the light is good, take all the vases outside. Place them in front of a gorgeous background.
(I often use an orange sky at sunset.)
And then photograph all the flowers, individually. Because they’re in
separate vases, they’ll all be perfectly isolated. And this will allow
you to easily capture powerful compositions.
Try it.
You’ll love the final product.
4. Detach your lens for an artistic macro look
If you’re bored of getting the same macro look over and over again, then this DIY macro photography hack is for you.
It’ll help you capture photos with brilliant light leaks, like this:
If you’re familiar with the concept of freelensing, it’s like that, but with a twist.
Here’s how you do it:
Choose a backup camera body and a cheap camera lens in the 50mm range. (There’s a slight risk of exposing your camera sensor to dirt.)
Focus your lens to infinity.
Then turn off your camera, and detach the lens.
Next, turn the camera back on, and pull the lens just slightly away from the camera (it should still be detached!).
This will actually magnify your subject, while often giving you some amazingly artistic light leaks.
And while the technique may require a bit of experimentation, you’ll
get the hang of it pretty quick, and you’ll capture some gorgeous macro
photos.
5. Use fairy lights for amazing background bokeh
Here’s your final DIY macro photography hack (and it’s one of my favorites):
Use fairy lights for gorgeous macro backgrounds. They’ll get you photos like this:
To start, grab a set of fairy lights on Amazon (for around 10 dollars). I recommend a neutral or warmer color.
Go out to shoot around dusk, when the light is really starting to fade.
Find a nice subject, and position the fairy lights directly behind
it. You can dangle them from surrounding vegetation, or you can hold
them with your left hand.
Now, you don’t want to position the fairy lights too close, or else
you’ll capture the wiring in your photos. Instead, you want them to show
some nice bright light without being prominently featured.
You should also make sure to use a shallow aperture, in the area of
f/2.8 to f/5.6. That way, the fairy lights will be fully blurred,
creating some stunning bokeh.
The trick is an easy one, but it’ll get you amazing macro photos!
DIY macro photography hacks for stunning macro images:
You’ve now discovered five DIY macro photography hacks.
And you can use them for stunning macro photos all the time.
So go ahead and start. Make your black board. Grab yourself some fairy lights.
And take some amazing macro photos! Share this article.
Do you have any DIY hacks of your own for beautiful macro shots? Share them in the comments!
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DIY Photography Backdrops for Still Life and Product Photography
Tags: Photography for beginners, backdrop, Photography backdrop
Your choice of backdrop can have a big impact on the final look of your photos.
You may have purchased expensive professional photography backdrops because you know this.
But whether you’re a hobbyist or pro, you
probably already spend enough on your photography that you don’t want
to shell out the big bucks for your props. Luckily, with a bit of creativity, you don’t have to.
Here are some of the best ways to create beautiful DIY photography backdrops for still life and product photography.
Painted canvas backdrop
For a magazine-quality look, my top pick for a still life photography backdrop is painted canvas.
Professional canvas backdrops are expensive, but you can make your own for a fraction of the retail price.
Go to your local hardware store and buy a
canvas painter’s drop cloth. These are pieces of canvas you use to
protect the floor when painting interiors.
Canvas drop cloths are usually large, so you can cut them into four pieces to get four backgrounds out of one stretch of fabric. Make that eight if you go double-sided.
While you’re at the hardware store, purchase two or three paint samples in a similar tone for each backdrop. Note
that the canvas soaks up a lot of the paint, so you may need to
purchase primer as well, or use more paint than you thought.
Layer the paint onto the canvas with a small, good-quality roller, moving the roller in different directions.
To add more texture, scrunch up a rag or
use a large sea sponge and dip it into the paints. Randomly press the
rag onto the canvas.
Your
backdrops will have a natural texture that enhances but doesn’t compete
with your subject. The canvas also has a great subtle texture, too.
Ceramic flooring tile
Another beautiful yet simple background is porcelain or ceramic tiles. You can get them from your local home improvement store. These are inexpensive and look great. They’re easily wipeable, which is a bonus if you’re dealing with food or liquid products.
Just make sure that any tiles you pick aren’t shiny, so you don’t get glare. Good colors to choose are grey, black, white, or cool brown tones like taupe. These neutrals will enhance and complement a wide variety of products or still life subjects. They are better for smaller subjects because they tend to not be very large.
Painted wooden backdrops
These days, there are a lot of suppliers
selling painted custom backdrops for still life photography, but
painting some yourself can be a lot less costly, and you don’t need any
special skills.
To make your own, buy thin plywood sheets at the home improvement store. Pieces
that are at least 2×3 feet should accommodate most of your set-ups. The
bigger stores like Home Depot can also cut larger pieces into smaller
ones for you, so you can get more mileage out them.
You can purchase paint samples from the
hardware store as well, or use craft paints. Just make sure that any
paints or varnishes you use are matte. Even some of the satin types can
cause unwanted shine in your images.
Choose three or four colors in a similar
color family and pour them together in the middle of the board. Take a
large sea sponge and dab the paint all over the board to create a
blended and subtle, mottled effect.
Finish with a thin coat of matte, water-resistant sealer.
Linens
Having a variety of linens on hand will make your life a lot easier as a still life photographer.
Depending on what you shoot, these can run the gamut from natural fabric like linen to lightly patterned damask tablecloths.
You can use the fabric as the entire backdrop, as shown in the image below, or just to cover a portion of another backdrop.
When covering your entire surface with a piece of linen or
tablecloth, place another layer of fabric underneath. This will plump it
up and make it look more attractive.
Again, when choosing your colors, stick to neutrals. Shades of blue
also look good, especially in dark and moody images. You can choose a
pastel or brighter color depending on what you’re shooting and your
desired result.
The key is that you don’t want your photography backgrounds competing with and drawing the eye away from your main subjects.
Vintage Tray
Don’t get rid of any old or vintage trays
you may have kicking around. They also make great photography
backgrounds for still life.
Depending on the metal, they will often have a lovely patina that will add something special to your shots. They look great close up or at a distance, or can be used as an element in telling your story.
You can often find vintage trays for an affordable price at secondhand or antique stores.
As with any backdrop, it should not be reflective.
Note that in the images below, the tray doesn’t look overly shiny, even though I backlit my subjects. It has a nice and subtle texture.
Colored papers
Colored or textured craft or construction
paper can make pretty and inexpensive photography backdrops that are
light and easy to store.
Source large pieces of craft paper or
construction paper at your local craft supply store, or check out sites
like Amazon for packages of paper offering a variety of colors.
In the image below, I used a large piece of yellow construction paper as my background. To recreate this look, distance your paper a fair bit away from your set. This will help you get a blurred out horizon line and so your subject doesn’t look “stuck” to your background.
Wooden cutting boards
Depending on the size, a wooden cutting board can function as a nice
backdrop or be used as a layering piece in some types of still life
shoots, like food photography.
Be careful about purchasing boards with a warm, orange, or yellowish
tinge. Since most food is quite warm in tone, an image that is warm
throughout can end up looking dated.
Also,
the camera tends to exaggerate this orange tone. I find that I have to
decrease the orange saturation in all of my images to start with.
Look for light boards like pine, or boards in deep espresso for
darker shots. You can also paint these in whatever color you want. In
the image below, I painted mine white and distressed it with fine
sandpaper.
Be sure to keep painted boards for photography purposes only, because they won’t be food safe.
To sum up
There are so many different ways to
create stunning still life and product photography backdrops without the
expense of buying and shipping wooden backdrops from specialist
suppliers.
These are just a few ideas, but also look at contact paper, wallpaper, burlap, and old pieces of wood.
Experiment with the items you already own before spending a lot of money on costly photography backdrops.
Do you have other tips for DIY photography backdrops? Share with us in the comments section!
