STE P BY STE P / Turn the ordinary into the extraordinary

1 Use a fast lens

The ideal lens for this shot is one capable of using a wide aperture, such as f/1.8. You’ll be shooting wide open to create an extremely shallow depth of field. A lens capable of focusing reasonably closely reduces depth of field even further, as does a longer focal length.

2 Play with shadows

We used a plain piece of white paper as the backdrop on a table. The silvery grey fork casts shadows against the paper, forming simple shapes and lines. We played around with the placement of our fork in front of a window to change the direction of the light.

3 Shoot wide open

Set Aperture Priority mode and shoot wide open for the shallowest depth of field. An aperture such as f/1.4 should result in a shutter speed fast enough to shoot handheld, even indoors, but if your images are blurry due to the shutter speed being too slow, increase ISO.

4 Attached a dioptre

If you’re struggling to get close enough to fill the frame, consider using an adapter like the Raynox DCR-250 dioptre. Although they degrade the optical quality of a lens, they’re a cheap alternative for getting closer to your subject without using an extension tube or macro lens.

5 Use a tripod

If there still isn’t enough light in your home studio setup and your ISO is already too high, try using a tripod. If you’re using a dioptre and no external flash (as we were here) and you don’t have a tripod to hand, use a bag to prop your camera up.

6 Experiment with composition

This is where artistic license comes into play. You can photograph the fork in any position you want. Prong-on, a three-quarters angle or upside-down with the prongs onto the paper so it casts a shadow? There are no wrong compositions, just experiment and have fun.