The Pull of Objects | something different this way comes.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 10:20 AM 
Something a little different today. I’m currently working on adding other types of photography to my portfolio, not to take away from what’s already there but just to diversify a little. As much as I’d like to focus on a single thing, the reality of my current market calls for flexibility - kids need clothing, house needs paying, you know the drill.
But this isn’t all necessity: as much as I enjoy portraiture and what I like to call incidental photography (street et all), I’ve always enjoyed photographing objects. Not straight up and boring light-tent catalog stuff but character oriented object photography. Finding subjective beauty in the mundane. The right angle, the revealing highlight, the curves and shadows. There’s something immensely satisfying in elevating an object we come across every day to another level, something we’d perhaps hang on a wall.
It’s also very calming. Music in the background, coffee on the table, camera on a tripod, a piece of metal, rubber or plastic and your thoughts. It’s almost monk-like, moving the piece around, looking into the lens, finding the right focus, lighting…. All of this with a model that obeys your every word and stays eternally steady, unmoving. Doesn’t need coaxing or encouragement.
Don’t get me wrong, I love working with people. I love the dynamics and the element of chaos that can totally change your chosen direction in a heartbeat. It’s fluid and dangerous.
But this is nice too. A change of pace…
For those wondering about the technical stuff: these were all shot with a Nikon D300 and a Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 APO-M DG Macro Lens (B&H) Lens. Not the best built lens in the world but for this sort of thing it’s actually ok and delivers surprising quality. In macro mode you only get f5.6 but the focal length makes for a pretty shallow depth of field. Lighting was mostly one SB-900 in a Photoflex LiteDome Q39, Medium Softbox (B&H) pushed within 10-12 inches of the subject, making it seem like a much larger light source. And that reflective surface? My good old iPad 1. That’s pretty handy glass right there ;)
Later
D300, Photoflex Litedome, SB-900, Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 APO-M DG Macro, flash, nikon, objects, still life, studio in photography | Tweet
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Reader Comments (4)
Absolutely stunning shots Patrick! As good as, or in some cases better than what you see in a lot of high end magazines, shot with Phase One's. Gives you a strong case for 36 megapixels!
Thanks Derek - I WAS thinking about those 36MP as I was shooting ;)
Very nice Patrick.
Wonderful eye with those angles.
And doubtless much nicer IQ than cramming too many pixels into a small sensor ;)
Where the like of MF excels (and here in UK commercial companies regularly demand 40mp + , is the ability to disect an image and still have amazing print clarity.
Oh! You doubting Thomas you! Who's to say Nikon hasn't created a new revolution? That they're not breeding unicorns and including a strand of magic hair from their mane in every D800, multiplying the sensor's IQ tenfold?
Thanks Nick ;)