cj_proartz
"Breakfast"
Photo originally taken in 2012 for a photography class still-life assignment when my daffodils were blooming. (Lots of tulips and daffodils ended up in my still life assignments.) Enhanced and posted in 2018.
I don't have a good place in my home to take still life photos. So I cleared my kitchen counter, covered it with a piece of mat board (not visible here below the placemat.) I set up another piece of mat board behind it. I chose one with a faux texture for interest. I was doing this late at night, so I needed a good light source. Above the sink there is a 3-ring florescent light which worked for some images. For others, I retrieved one of my husband's trouble lights from the garage and placed it on the counter to the right. Because it has a metallic shield on one side, I could turn it for more or less light.
Creating still life arrangements:
At first, I created very complicated arrangements, but I wasn't happy with any of the resulting photos. So I went to Google images to search for still life ideas. I discovered that all the ones I liked were rather simple with 1 to 6 carefully arranged objects.
Among my own favorite images is simply one pear and another is of a horizontal row of 5 pears. This one is a little more complicated than most, but not too "busy." I used mostly what I already had at home, but purchased a few clear-glass items at a dollar store to use as props and shopped for some fresh fruit and vegetables, choosing them for color and shape.
See my still life album. The first 10 images were taken for the photo class mentioned in the 1st paragraph above. (I have plenty more from the class, not yet posted.)
www.flickr.com/photos/cj_proartz/albums/72157646044181086
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My local community college offers free tuition to senior citizens.for credited courses. The same instructor taught a continuing education course and a credited course in digital photography. The credited course was free. Registration is also free (requires a HS or college transcript.)
The only restriction is that seniors have to wait until the last day of class registration and can only join classes that are not filled. (I was never turned away.) I had the option of auditing or taking classes for credit. I chose credit because I knew I would work harder if I would be expected to complete all assignments and pass tests.
Check out your local community college to see if something similar is offered.
"Breakfast"
Photo originally taken in 2012 for a photography class still-life assignment when my daffodils were blooming. (Lots of tulips and daffodils ended up in my still life assignments.) Enhanced and posted in 2018.
I don't have a good place in my home to take still life photos. So I cleared my kitchen counter, covered it with a piece of mat board (not visible here below the placemat.) I set up another piece of mat board behind it. I chose one with a faux texture for interest. I was doing this late at night, so I needed a good light source. Above the sink there is a 3-ring florescent light which worked for some images. For others, I retrieved one of my husband's trouble lights from the garage and placed it on the counter to the right. Because it has a metallic shield on one side, I could turn it for more or less light.
Creating still life arrangements:
At first, I created very complicated arrangements, but I wasn't happy with any of the resulting photos. So I went to Google images to search for still life ideas. I discovered that all the ones I liked were rather simple with 1 to 6 carefully arranged objects.
Among my own favorite images is simply one pear and another is of a horizontal row of 5 pears. This one is a little more complicated than most, but not too "busy." I used mostly what I already had at home, but purchased a few clear-glass items at a dollar store to use as props and shopped for some fresh fruit and vegetables, choosing them for color and shape.
See my still life album. The first 10 images were taken for the photo class mentioned in the 1st paragraph above. (I have plenty more from the class, not yet posted.)
www.flickr.com/photos/cj_proartz/albums/72157646044181086
_____
My local community college offers free tuition to senior citizens.for credited courses. The same instructor taught a continuing education course and a credited course in digital photography. The credited course was free. Registration is also free (requires a HS or college transcript.)
The only restriction is that seniors have to wait until the last day of class registration and can only join classes that are not filled. (I was never turned away.) I had the option of auditing or taking classes for credit. I chose credit because I knew I would work harder if I would be expected to complete all assignments and pass tests.
Check out your local community college to see if something similar is offered.