10 simple steps
1
The most important piece of advice I can give is to slow down and take your time. When shooting still life you need to spend more time looking at the details and light.
2
Make lots of small adjustments. Moving an element just a centimetre can make all the difference in the world to the finished picture. The closer you are, the more critical this becomes.
3
Using a tripod not only helps with composition and slowing you down, it also stops camera shake to help you achieve beautifully sharp images.
4
Despite my last point, I also recommend experimenting by taking your camera off the tripod. You never know what that little extra bit of freedom might add to your picture.
5
Vary your angle. Whether shooting on or off a tripod, look at the difference a slight bend of the knees or a half step to the right or left can make.
6
Don’t forget your mobile phone. I have got into the habit of covering pretty much everything I shoot with a camera on my iPhone. The results can be subtly, yet effectively, different.
7
Similarly don’t forget black & white. Still life is a very classical medium and lends itself well to monochrome.
8
Don’t worry too much about being innovative or different. Still life is a classical genre and should be treated as such.
9
Depth of field can transform a still-life image, so try bracketing and see what difference it can make. The difference between f/2 and f/16 can completely change how you view an image.
10
Capture texture in your images. Try to take your eye further into your subject than it would normally go.