Light coming through a window can produce wonderful illumination for a still life photograph. Subject matter for such pictures can vary from the traditional (fruit in a bowl) to the eccentric (a ten-year old’s collection of superhero dolls), but for each the basic principle remains the same. Creating striking still life pictures can be done right in your own home using only natural light.
Instructions
1. Choose a window where you will set up for the photo. This can be any window in your house. Painters like a studio window that faces north in a room with no other light sources. You can go for this route or you can place your still life next to a window with a different orientation. The warm glow of the late afternoon sun might be just the effect for which you are looking.
2. Find a table and choose a covering for the table. The table should be about waist high (normal table height) and you can let the table be part of the picture or choose a cloth to cover the table.
3. Pick the objects that you want to use. They can be anything from antique toys to a bag of oranges that you just bought at the grocery store. Go ahead and set the display in a way that will be interesting to the viewer. This might mean placing short objects in front of taller things. Try and create a scene with your still life objects that meanders from foreground to background.
4. Take the picture. You might have to wait for the lighting conditions that you like and be sure to shoot the picture from various angles.
