A Few Tips On Photography Styling
One of my favourite things about taking pictures is styling the image. Still life photography entails a lot of styling, every little detail has to be considered. A question that I'm often asked is how I style my images so I thought today that I would put a little guide together.
Plan: To me the key to great still life imagery is the planning that goes in before hand. There is nothing worse than coming to shoot something and having absolutely no idea what to do. My usual way of going about things is making a list of everything that I want to shoot, then I think about what background I might use and what will suit the subject. Even though, I'm terrible at drawing sketching things out is another great way to plan.
Props: Once you've figured out what your initial subject matter is then you can start thinking about what else you might like to put into the image. So for example when I photograph beauty products I like to add things in like make-up brushes or other beauty tools. It's always important that the props make sense to the subject matter and enhance it rather than overpower the image.
Setting: Picking where you're going to shoot your image, is part of the initial planning stage. I always try and pick an area that will suit the type of image that I'm going for. I then always make sure that the area is clean and dust free, there is nothing worse than photographing in a dirty environment.
Arrangement: Something that just takes time and practice is how to arrange the items. There are a few things I always take into consideration:
- How do the items look next to each other?
- Is it too messy?
- Do the props work?
- Is there enough space in the image for everything to have breathing room.
- Are the colours complimenting each other?
- If the items are arranged in a line are they straight?
- Is the image looking too heavy in any areas?
Do you have any tips on photography styling?
R x
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