Window light still life photography: getting started

Written by Charlie Moss

Many photographers think that you need to have lots of expensive gear and lighting knowledge to shoot still life images. And yes, sometimes still life images are created with this kind of expertise and equipment.

But you don’t have to have these things in order to start shooting still life. Since leaving a job in product photography I’ve returned to a simpler kind of photography and now create most of my images with just window light alone.

Control the light

The first thing you need to do for still life photography, just like any other kind of photography, is to find your light. I’m in the UK and I photograph next to an east-facing window, but you can use a window that faces any direction. The key is to identify the best time to photograph for your window and work around that.

For instance, the light through my window is best up until about lunchtime, but if I was photographing using a west-facing window then it might be better in the afternoon. I mostly try to avoid allowing direct sunlight to fall on my still life scenes because I prefer a softer style of light. However, I have also seen photographers create incredible still life images using direct sun – you must experiment and find out what works for you.

As for lighting modifiers – I mostly use my curtains. However, I also have pieces of white and black card on hand to reflect and manipulate the light. If I want a stronger reflector to bounce light back into the scene then I use either a silver foil covered piece of foam board or even a mirror.

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Create your set

Your set is essentially the stage that you will use to create your photographs. Think of it as a theatre stage for your subject. Sets for still life photography can be incredibly simple, deviously complicated, and anything in between.

To start with, pull a table up to your window (despite intending to buy something more sophisticated, I still use a camping table that I bought in a sale a few years ago). If you have a table with a lovely surface then just place your still life objects on it and start shooting. Think about how the light falls and what the light on your subject looks like from different angles as you move around. Then when you’ve reviewed your photos, decide where your background will be.

Backgrounds can be simple or complicated. They can be a large sheet of paper or card, or they could be fabric draped over a big cardboard box. Alternatively, you can buy special photography backgrounds for tabletop photography that look like different surfaces. They’re not a cheap solution, but they are very convenient if you do still life photography regularly.

But remember that backgrounds do make a difference to the overall feel of the shot. You can see in the image above that simply changing the backdrop really changes the whole atmosphere of the photograph.

Use a tripod

If you have a tripod available then you should definitely use it if you’re shooting still life indoors with natural light. You might find that you need to use quite long shutter speeds in order to get a well-exposed image, so a tripod will help you get sharp images.

A tripod can also help you with your composition. Once your camera is on the tripod and in place, you can start to place objects and create your images. What some photographers like to also do is connect their laptop or phone to their camera so that they can see the scene more easily as they build their picture.

Find your inspiration

Once you have your tabletop still life area set up it’s really just a case of composing your image. I like to start off with a key central subject or idea. Often it can be as simple as finding some amazing fresh produce in the market that I think deserves a photograph. I make that item my “hero” in the image, and then build the image around it.

It can also be fun to create a series of images that look the same but with different “hero” subjects. Or even to take individual elements out of a larger scene that you created and photograph them individually.

Other times I might start with a concept and think about how I want to portray that idea. Iconography is the study and interpretation of symbols in works of art. Artists throughout history have used “codes” in their artworks in order to signify messages, hiding meaning in objects within pictures and sculptures. Researching and including some of these codes could be a great way to give your still life images more depth of meaning.

Start here: the BBC’s guide to secret symbols in still life painting

Don’t forget to post-process

Finishing your still life images in editing software can really add a new dimension to your photographs and elevate the overall look. Although it’s a great idea to get as close as possible to your finished image while shooting, the editing process can really help polish a still life photograph.

Even simple processes like dodge and burn can really make a huge difference to your photograph. But remember to always work with the light that you created rather than against it. Emphasise the original highlights and shadows in the photograph rather than trying to completely change the lighting. Experiment with different kinds of editing. As long as you keep a copy of the original image file you can always start again. By trying different techniques and approaches to your editing you might find a completely new style for your pictures that you’d never even considered before.

Even if you don’t have all of the elements to set up your own tabletop studio, have a go with what you’ve got. With some inventiveness you can make do with all kinds of substitutions; I’ve even used a shirt hung over a chair back as a backdrop.