The Still Life Masterclass I took part in a few weeks ago with The Photographers' Gallery and Jonathan Lovekin has really left an impression.
I have been desperate to practice still life at home. Last weekend I popped into a local art shop to stock up on coloured card for backgrounds and black and white foam boards.
I sent my husband out with the girls for half an hour so I could have a practice run, photographing fresh fruit and vegetables on our kitchen table.
I wanted to try a black background which helps the vibrant colours of the fruit and vegetables pop and alternated between using the black and white foam boards to reflect the light (white board) or cut the light (black board).
I also wanted to try shooting with a wider aperture, something I'd been avoiding on the masterclass.
Aren't these Isle of Wight tomatoes a great mix of colours? They were in the flash sale section on my online supermarket shop.
So here's my kitchen table setup. I move the black and white card around to play with the light.
A top tip - about a year ago I bought a Manfrotto Single Arm with super clamp. It's like a tripod, holding the camera steady, but it clamps to the table, rather than having legs.
I find it so much less clunky than my tripod and great for this kind of photography.
