Reflections of an Artist: Fine Art Photography with a Splash of Prose (14) – How to Light a Leaf

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Two weeks ago I showed you a before and after of my calla lily photo. Today I want to show you the simple lighting change I made that took my photo from blah to wow.

First, though, I want to let you in on a little secret: Contrary to what my website might lead you to believe, most of my photography hours are not spent on pets or flowers or abstract art. Most weekdays I’m holed up in a dark room taking pictures of boring things you use everyday like cell phones, and tablets, and coffee makers.

Why have I never told you this? Well the shortest answer is because it’s boooorrrrrriiiing. I spend all day making sure that everyday products look like everyday products.

Don’t get me wrong, I owe so much of my knowledge to my boring job, but even the freshest piece of bread eventually goes stale…

It’s so hard to stray from my methodic approach to showing things the way they are supposed to be shown (clean, neat, and on white). This is most likely the reason that everything I light starts off the same… one light on the left and another on the right.

Then, it’s time to play! Who wants to see what everyone else sees anyway?

I popped a light right into the back of the leaf and the crazy glow tickled my retinas. This is my setup below and a glimpse of my modest home away from home in Guatemala.