Casual closeups

Casual closeups

I’m really not cut out to be a still life photographer, but it’s something I do occasionally. And, encouraged by a friend on here (you know who you are, JANET) I’m doing a little more – I’ve even cleared a small area in a large but full garage so I can set up a semi-permanent table and backdrop.

And today my wife was throwing out some roses that are starting to wilt, and I whisked them out to the garage and stuck a camera on a tripod. Nothing fancy – ten-second delay to avoid any shake, lens stopped quite well down so that focus wasn’t too critical, and I shot two different views: one of a single bloom, the other of the stems inside the glass vase.

Note that the creases in the cheap paper backdrop don’t show, because I’ve exposed for the flowers, and a high key(-ish) look. Perfection isn’t necessary, providing you’re reasonably on top of the technical stuff. Light was more or less exclusively through the backdrop. (Really weird stuff: I got big squares of it in white, black and green with the background support set I bought to use here: total price under £30, but I’m really unconvinced of the quality of the paper. It’s OK for this, but any exposure to human subjects will shred it in minutes…)



I used Aperture priority, and well over 1 stop of positive exposure compensation to get the light and airy tones I wanted. If you want to give it a go, here are some cheap substitutes for my kit:
1 settle the camera firmly on a flat surface or a beanbag. No tripod necessary with delayed action (and mirror lock, if it’s a DSLR);
2 A well-worn white bedsheet will be find for a backdrop: clothespegs and cheap clotheshangers can help you dangle it from a curtain rail;
3 A jamjar or a clear bottle will do nicely to hold a few flowers or twigs.

All you need is the camera and the willingness to give it a go.