I am doing an online course called Photography for Bloggers – I am not a blogger … or I wasn’t a blogger before I started my 365 project – but I might be. I share information online though this web site and through a variety of work related Facebook pages, so I can going to try include the old relevant post relating to the course as I hopefully my eyes are open into a new direction.
The course is not aimed at photographers necessarily… it is aimed at bloggers creating images to go with their content – this is different to someone blogging about photography…. you can take the photos on any device, but I am hoping it will increase my awareness in a different direction.
Week one, and I already challenge – produce a “flatlay” – great … I have never heard of a flatlay. But will a little research and watching the tutorials I am already learning something – a flatlay is a style of still liife photography… so I am going to have a go. It is able composing the subject and taking a photo directly above the subject on a horizontal plain with lovely lighting.
You have to consider:
- The backgound
- The lighting
- What to include in the image to tell your story – colours have to complement each other, the image had to composed – the position of each detail through about and the end presentation considered.
- Making sure the camera is positioned correctly … so the image is really a flat lay.
This was way harder than I imagined …
I had no idea what to take a picture of – the idea I think is to take something for your blog that relates to your blog content – my blog is about the photography, but today I am given a blank canvas – I have to create the image rather than see it … and I just don’t know where to go with it.
My first attempt – fresh muffins, chocolate and coffee on a brown background… nice neutral tones, but I really don’t know why I put the marshmallows in – they are not relevant. Looking at the image you have to really think about what to include or what not to include. I also wasn’t on the right horizontal plane – I should not be able to see the side of the cup if the camera was at the right angle … I have a lot to learn.
A different scene – a different background – coloured paper, sea shells and a pebble … this one I feel works better, but rather than an irregular scattering or stones – I am not sure if the shells work … I can see this style there definitely working to create interest in a subject – but what is the subject here – a love story on the beach perhaps?
A third attempt … goodies from the bathroom… the colours work really well together – but the background is too textured it is competing with the objects in the foreground. I am not level again … the tutorial said use a tripod – I didn’t … I need to set up my space and do it properly – taking short cuts won’t work … I need to get it right and with still life – you really need to get it right.
The image below – I moved some of the items around, I recomposed and took a different shot – the background is less obvious and it works better – but the lights is not right either.
I have come to the conclusion I need to try again – I can’t just change the subject when the image is not right, I need to come up with a subject that represents my blog post, compose it to tell a story about the article I am writing and try again. Maybe even tomorrow!
Helen's Photo Challenge 
Emma shared with me the following feedback.
” I love the way you talk us through your trials and experiments – really interesting for me to read, thank you.
1. Your point about the seeing the side of the cup – that might be the lens rather than the angle. Wider angle lenses will distort things a touch so you can be perfectly horizontal but if you are as close as you are here, it will be noticeable (to you – but probably not to someone who doesn’t know about these details). Which lens did you use?
2. The shells shot – there’s no right answer about how much to include and what to leave out. I start with one thing and keep adding but everything I add has to add to the photo. Once something is on the table that doesn’t add any more, it gets taken off. There’s no right or wrong here, it comes down to what you like.
Just one point about the light direction – is it deliberately coming from the bottom left?
3. Your Ted Baker photo works very well – careful composition and colour palette. Just a touch dark.”
LikeLike