The beauty of decay
Bring an autumnal subject indoors to shoot a moody still-life using your macro lens, and lighting from a small LED lamp
While autumn might be the season of mist and mellow fruitfulness, it’s also the season of death – as frosts, followed by storms, start to strip the trees of their leaves. Green leaves that were once supple and flexible become dried up as they start to die – but this is when they look really interesting. Whether they’re still holding some of the brighter colours they transitioned through, or they’re taking on a darker, more earthy hue, their textures make for fascinating images.
Hunt around the woods for a collection of different autumnal leaves in various stages of decay, and you’ll quickly arm yourself with enough subjects for an afternoon’s indoor still-life photography. Give them a few days to dry out and the textures and patterns will become even more obvious. You don’t need an elaborate set-up to shoot leaves indoors: just a macro lens or a normal lens with close-up filters, and a table top with a piece of black card to sit your subject on. While you’ll be able to shoot some interesting close-ups, you’ll need to light the leaves to bring out the full beauty of the texture. The easiest way to do this, so you can see the effect of the lighting instantly, is to use a small LED light, but you could use a torch as directional lighting.
Use exposure compensation to create the mood you want. Try -1 stop of exposure compensation to start with, but be prepared to use -2 or even -3 stops for a really low-key style.