I too, have been doing more and more still life, when I can, if nothing else is scheduled for my home studio. I became re-interested in Still Life about a year ago, when I found the "Camera Club Live" channel on Youtube. He now has several hundred videos to watch. I had tried some still life shots back in the 1960's, using DIY lighting systems and 35 mm film cameras, but my success rate wasn't all that good. I now attribute my recent success to better lighting and digital cameras. It's much better when you can see the result immediately.
This attached photo was my first attempt at becoming re-interested in Still Life. Only one light was used, a 400 w/s Godox SK400 with a 7" reflector and a 10 deg grid to concentrate and direct the light, with the light placed about 4' from the roses and 20 deg to camera left to achieve about an 8" diameter circle of light at the flowers. My subjects for still life recently have been mostly flowers, some in vases, but some suspended by a Chemistry stand. As my free time permits, I'll be doing more, and with different subject compositions.
My table is actually just a laminate covered table top that seems to have never been used. It was picked up by one of my sons at a flea market. For table legs, I use a 4 leg wooden stool with a piece of toolbox drawer liner on it's top to prevent the table top from sliding around too easily. Recently, I've placed this stool on top of 8" molded plastic bed risers, since my age and health are beginning to prevent me from working down low. I have begun buying 54" square linen table cloths in as many plain colors as I can find to use on this table. Each is now folded and in it's own zip lock bag to keep it clean, and they are all in an 18" cube sized cardboard box in my gear closet, so easy for me to find and steam when I decide that I want a different color. Hopefully, the right color will be available that coordinates well with whatever planned shot that I want to make. I also use a square of black felt for the table top when I want the blackest top cover possible. Black and white foam core panel pieces in different sizes get clamped with "A" clamps to short pieces of wood that forms stands for the needed panels. Barbe of "Camera Club Live" has converted me to using black and white pieces of matt board now for flags, because it's blacker, whiter, and lighter than the foam core.
My studio is in a former 2nd Master Bedroom Suite that's upstairs in my home. It came with a full bathroom, walk-in gear closet, a hair/make-up/break area (former nearly square hallway at the top of the stairs). A long closet off the hallway gets shared between family storage and prop/gear storage. The rooms are large The shooting room (former master bedroom) is 19' X 26' X 8' high (my biggest limitation), but I have learned to work within this space. For most of my adult life I was using the center of my living room with all of the furniture pushed aside. All of my gear was in the back of a closet until needed, and had to be returned just as soon as the shoot was over. My present setup is far better, since I can leave everything in place for several days, if needed.
Charley
untitled-20-Edit.jpg by Dominic Rodgers, on Flickr
PXL_20240922_112550586 by Dominic Rodgers, on Flickr
