BE CREATIVE
understand some of the key influences and concepts behind these unique still life shots
My still life work is influenced by the style of Old Master paintings from the 17th Century whose illuminations I replicate through a very controlled low-key lighting. I keep it simple, although this doesn’t necessarily mean easy. Where a painter can set up a composition and tailor the lighting as they desire, with photography the lighting needs to be cast in exactly the right place to achieve the desired effect. Adjustments can be made in postprocessing but I believe in getting it right incamera initially so that hardly any work in post is needed at all.
I mostly use flash studio lighting which means I have control over the light, rather than relying on available light which could differ throughout the day in colour temperature and strength. I use flash lighting which allows fruit, flowers or other perishable items to stay fresher rather than under the hot lamps of continuous lighting.
I’d usually have plenty of props to accessorise a composition, to tie in colour or to create the story, but in this project the vegetables speak for themselves, and as always sometimes less is more.
As a majority of the subjects in my own projects or commissioned work tend to be around food I have many shelves stacked with props: jugs, cups, bottles, bowls and an array of utensils, tools and other curious objects. Occasionally the props become the subject. I have a penchant for bric-a-brac and love browsing the charity shops or flea markets to find little treasures that could inspire a whole shoot or be the perfect accessory to a shoot I already have in mind. It is always better to have enough props and multiples of your subject as possible. You just never know what might be needed and once in the middle of shooting it is not the time to realise you are missing something. The more preparation time spent in advance the better, but it also pays to be flexible with your ideas, as some things just don’t work out exactly as planned. If you are working for a client then a test shoot is advisable before any promises are made if you are not entirely sure a concept will work.