Today my photography class are sharing their still life projects, so i thought i would share on here the image created in the live demonstration class from a couple of weeks ago.
We set up a studio in the classroom using the light from the bay window and a flash gun as the light source. I made two reflectors using place mats covered in tinfoil (aluminium foil). As a back drop we used a white sheet tacked to the draping down onto a table.
We first started taking pictures on the cloth but as the shoot and the lesson went on we put one of the reflectors down on the table and placed the rocks we had and took several different pictures.
The image we finished with was a single rock on the reflector and then placed a second reflector behind to bounce light from behind.
Last week we edited the file in class and converted the image to black and white using the channel mixer method in Serif Photoplus. I use photo plus in my lessons because it is free to use with the starter edition and is quite similar to Photoshop with many of its features.
Once converted we did some levels and curves adjustments, added a blue tone and sharpened the image.
Overall the image is good and i like the use of tinfoil in the picture creating light to bounce around the image and lighting a mostly black stone. The blue toning really gives it more depth and works with water effect created by the tinfoil in the foreground. The tinfoil mirrors the pattern on the stone creating an interesting foreground and background compositional element.
What do you think of the image? Let me know in the comment box below.
Aperture64 
I think I might have retained the colour but the stone does look interesting. To me it resembles the head of a large reptile with an eye near the top. It illustrates nicely that such images don’t need elaborate sets and simplicity works.
You hit the nail on the head. The idea of the lesson was to show them that, to take really nice images you don’t need to have expensive and elaborate sets just a little imagination.
I’m going to try your tinfoil suggestion! It does just come down to a way of seeing the beauty in things doesn’t it…. Apart from knowing how to make them look good!
Yes you do have to approach your subject in the correct way. I say that even the most ordinary of things can look beautiful.