ASSIGNMENT 8 - STILL LIFES
This assignment focused on shooting 3 beautifully lit items (presented singly, not in 1 image) that have a unifying theme and a consistent treatment across the set.
Reflection
I still found lighting a challenge in this assignment and it took me a while to get a set of three photos that I was satisfied with. I started with using rocks again as my subject but I wasn't able to get the lighting to really show off the rocks' colors and textures. I found getting the intricate details of the rocks in focus in certain lighting very difficult. I decided instead to try with fruit/vegetables (probably an overall simpler subject). I also tested different surfaces, and really like how reflective my kitchen counter becomes with overhead lighting, which I wanted to emphasize in my still life images. I found the best way to do so, while getting the objects in focus and the color to pop in a dramatic way was to use the light painting strategy. I'm really enjoying this technique and I think it really brings out the colors, curves and shadows of the objects. I also took lessons from Assignment 7 to focus on "de-distracting" my background so it is completely black and the attention gets drawn solely to the object.
I think I'm also getting a bit more comfortable editing in Lightroom, so I did increase the exposure on these, and edit out a few white spots that showed on the counter surface.
Overall I'm quite pleased with these images and I personally really like the dramatic lighting effects, and pronounced colors and curves this style creates. I still think I have a lot to learn and practice with different ways of lighting (not with light painting) as I don't fully feel comfortable with it yet. I think it just takes a lot of trail and error to learn what lighting infrastructure and camera settings work best together.