Lighting Photo Workshop

Chapter 9. STILL LIFE AND MACRO LIGHTING

• Capturing Great Light in Your Everyday Life

• Principles of Design

• Lighting for Close-up and Macro Photography

• Taking Product Photos

You face special challenges when lighting objects that are close-up and still-life groupings. Many of these challenges have to do with light quality and quantity, as with most subjects. But with macro photographs, the challenge grows as the subjects get smaller.

However, when shooting some small, nonmoving subjects, lighting can become simple, because you are able to better control the light. This could mean anything from pulling a drape open or closed, to using a reflector or strobe, to bringing a lamp in from another room. In some cases, still life and macro shots entail putting your camera on a tripod. This can be both to make certain the composition is perfect and because it is often necessary to use long shutter speeds. This chapter delves into some basics of design for still-life photography as well as offering insight into lighting those close-ups and macro shots.

CAPTURING GREAT LIGHT IN YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE

Take a look around your home, your office, and the places that you go often; great photos and great light are everywhere. In many cases, your familiarity with the subjects can make you overlook very interesting photos. This can happen both inside your house or office, just the same as the city or town that you ...