How I Shoot Dark and Moody Still Life Photography

[@lyndapower9408]

❤❤❤ - Exceptionally Beautiful Photo of Roses exquisitely arranged . I love the Dutch masters too, (as well as "brighter" images). Thank you for sharing. - Lynda

[@AmritaBhortake]

Thanks so much for your kind words, Lynda

[@tonnievanravestijn748]

Dankjewel voor de duidelijke uitleg,

[@AmritaBhortake]

So glad you found it helpful! Thanks so much for your kind words.

[@AlOne-xg6dv]

Very nice roses from your garden. And your beautiful photos make them immortal. Thank you for sharing your passion.

[@AmritaBhortake]

Thanks so much for your kind words!

[@debbiethomas3687]

What a beautiful photo. Thank you for taking the time to show us how you set it up and arrange the lighting.

[@AmritaBhortake]

Thanks so much, Debbie! I am so glad you enjoyed it and found it helpful.

[@rahimzabimza]

It turned out amazing!! 🤍🤍

[@AmritaBhortake]

Thanks so much for your kind words.

[@mcbronca]

seu trabalho é lindo demais...e eu não chamaria de ''natureza morta, e sim, de ''natureza viva''...parabéns

[@AmritaBhortake]

Oh my goodness, that is so beautiful and poetic! Love the way you described it and thank you so much for your kind words.

[@Anuj_4141]

Your Content and Your Smile...!!!! Justtt Beautiful😍✨

[@AmritaBhortake]

Thanks so much for the kind words

[@blackmamba3427]

Wow. Amazing video and shooting techniques ❤

[@AmritaBhortake]

Thanks so much for your kind words! 😊

[@bobfitzgibbon6822]

You are delightful, enthusiastic, knowledgeable and a pleasure to watch. Your explanations are clear and to the point. Congrats on a great channel.

[@AmritaBhortake]

Bob, thank you so much for the wonderful and kind words. I am so glad you enjoyed the video! ☺️

[@pauldarville3843]

Great video, full of inspirational advice, Thanks!!

[@AmritaBhortake]

Thanks so much for your kind words. So glad you enjoyed it.

[@chuckdorado9737]

Great video! We're using it as a guidance for our band photos! Thank you so much!

[@AmritaBhortake]

Thanks Chuck. That’s amazing! Are you shooting portraits? I published a video this week specifically focusing on portraits. Here is the link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gKPEfoanh7t7atk Let me know if you have any questions.

[@jackiec2845]

Hi! What is the name of the succulent variety. It's so beautiful with the pink and purple tones. Thank you!

[@AmritaBhortake]

Hi Jackie, it is called the Echeveria Sahara. I was in love with it when I saw it for the first time.

[@jackiec2845]

@@AmritaBhortake Thank you so much! 💕

[@AmritaBhortake]

Anytime, Jackie ☺️

[@m.s.g1890]

Hi, what beautiful photos! They could be sold in a gallery for sure! Can I ask why you used 1000 iso? I take landscape photos usually, and generally want to use the lowest iso possible. As you are using a tripod and nothing is moving, I guessed you would use the lowest iso. Thanks!

[@AmritaBhortake]

Thank you so much for your kind and amazing words! Putting it in the universe, hopefully I can get the prints in a gallery soon 😁 That is a wonderful question. Normally, I would agree with you and that's exactly what I do if you see the rest of my tutorials on still life. That day I was having a lot of trouble keeping the flowers in the position that I wanted so didn't want to shoot at a slower shutter speed even though I was on a tripod. Some of the images that I shot as test images were coming out blurry because one of the roses moved. So I decided to keep the ISO high and shoot the final image. Hope that helps.

[@m.s.g1890]

@@AmritaBhortake Ah, I see. Makes sense. I just came across your video here while looking for flower photography videos, so l haven’t seen any of your other videos yet (apart from the editing of this video’s photo). I’ll have a look at some more of your videos as well. You’re very thorough and results here are gorgeous. Thanks for the detailed reply!

[@AmritaBhortake]

@@m.s.g1890 Absolutely. Thank you for asking such a thoughtful question and for your interest in the video.

[@christianpetersen1782]

Thanks for an excellent video. I hadn’t heard of foam core board previously. Will definitely go buy some. I love the results you are achieving. You’re an inspiration. With such a lovely smile and laughing eyes how could I not like and subscribe? Greetings from England.

[@AmritaBhortake]

Thanks so much for your kind words, Christian. I love using the foam core board. It changed how beautiful my images looked instantaneously especially with such minimal investment.

[@woodedape]

Awesome Video! Great Photo! What was your backdrop made of?

[@AmritaBhortake]

Thanks so much for the kind words. That is a painted backdrop that I bought on Etsy but I have DIY’ed a similar backdrop in one of previous videos. Here it is: 1) DIY Dark and Moody Backdrop For Photography and Video (Start To Finish) kzbin.info/www/bejne/jKe5m2hmZshksM0 2) My favorite backdrops for food and still life photography kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4uxd6OGaLpmhKs

[@woodedape]

@@AmritaBhortake Thank you and keep up the great vids!

[@AmritaBhortake]

@@woodedape Your welcome :)

[@Reldawg]

Beautiful!

[@AmritaBhortake]

Thanks so much for your kind words.

[@rosssayer6524]

Beautifully captured, how would this look on black Perspex ?

[@AmritaBhortake]

Thanks so much, Ross. I have never printed it on Perspex so not sure but I think it would look good.

[@costaspapageorgiou3773]

Hello Amrita, Thank you for the video! Wonderful final shot! Can you please share some more details about the dark-rock backboard that you used? Is it a DIY? You know where I could get one of these? Thank you!

[@AmritaBhortake]

Hi Costas, thanks so much for the kind words. I bought that dark background on Etsy 5 years ago but you can always DIY it too. I am planning to make one soon for myself too. If you buy one, just make sure it is matte so that it doesn’t reflect when you photograph

[@jameskeener7251]

I enjoyed this so much and shared the link with a FB friend. I have been a bird photographer but began having difficulty carrying the big gear and working out of doors due to old age. Also Covid. So I'm learning how to photograph flowers. I love what you do with color and texture and light. And your warmth. Watching this gave me joy.

[@AmritaBhortake]

James, your kind and beautiful words brought tears to my eyes. Thank you so much for saying that. One of the reason why I create my videos is so that they can give someone a little bit of joy that day.

[@Snikkelbek]

The result is incredible. One question: what’s the purpose of the reflector on the left? Is it blocking sun light from the background?

[@AmritaBhortake]

Thanks so much! Yes, that helps in getting a true dark background as it stops the spill of light on your background. This is even more important when the background is close to the subject like my setup. We are trying to create directional light only on the subject and not the background.

[@BeetjeVreemd]

Very nice video and pictures. What kind of aperture do you use with a picture like this, and how do you focus? Auto Focus on flower that is closest to the lens?

[@AmritaBhortake]

Thanks so much for the kind words! In regards to the aperture, it depends the kind of image I want to get even for still life photography. This particular image was taken at F/14 and I focused on a "hero" flower which is the one in the middle. I always have a "hero" flower as I am quite intentional about where I want the viewer to focus. I recently did a new video in which I focus stacked so that all the flowers would be in focus. Here is the link if you want to check out the video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mXnHqqOulJV4l6c

[@BeetjeVreemd]

@@AmritaBhortake Thank you so much for your in depth reply! I will certainly check out the other video you mentioned.

[@Sheen92877]

Thank u! I love your pictures and garden !

[@AmritaBhortake]

Thanks so much for your kind words. ☺️

[@johnroberts5883]

what were your camera setting, for this great image?

[@AmritaBhortake]

Thanks so much for the kind words. The settings are at 12:35 in the video. If you want more details I go through all the settings and my edits in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6infGaYZ6uIaMU

[@yevgeniyboubankov2127]

Very nice! The lights look amazing... Thank you, Amrita!

[@AmritaBhortake]

Thanks so much!

[@caothienthieu2268]

Lovely picture

[@AmritaBhortake]

Thanks so much, Cao ❤️

[@lesleystrahan4665]

What a beautiful image! Great to see what you can achieve with an inexpensive "home" setup. Thank you.

[@AmritaBhortake]

Lesley, thanks so much for your kind words. It is quite wonderful, is it not? That is exactly why I wanted to create this tutorial.

[@dhwaniarts7400]

It’s very beautiful ….❤❤❤ 🙂🙂👍

[@AmritaBhortake]

Thanks so much!

[@fujiapple70]

Very good 👍 nice to see creative work.

[@AmritaBhortake]

Thanks so much, Robert. Appreciate the kind words.

[@jeaniceanderson]

Beautiful photos, and your flowers are gorgeous too!

[@AmritaBhortake]

Thanks so much, Jeanice. So glad you loved it. 😊

[@oscarrox]

I'm just getting into still life photography, picked up so many tips from your video, thanks :)

[@AmritaBhortake]

This gives me so much joy! Thanks so much for your kind words.

[@charleneheaman2033]

Great video. Very informative. What settings do you use on your Nikon typically for still life photos?

[@AmritaBhortake]

Thanks so much, Charlene. I shoot manual on my Nikon and the settings honestly depend on the kind of shoot I am going for. More recently, I am shooting with a narrower aperture. Then I change my other settings based on that. Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any questions.

[@Devdattab]

Thank you for making this easy to understand video!

[@AmritaBhortake]

I am so glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the kind words ☺️

[@cecilysu]

I love this! Thanks for your video! Keep it up! 💪

[@AmritaBhortake]

Thanks so much for the kind words. Glad you enjoyed it!

[@JavierRamirez-qs4om]

Wow..from South America¡¡¡¡ you have a new fan

[@AmritaBhortake]

Javier, welcome to the community. Thanks for the kind words ☺️

[@kenudle]

Did you use the softbox? 😊

[@AmritaBhortake]

No, this was all natural light. ☺️

[@chelannas]

Wow. You are very impressive with the flower photos! Thanks for sharing your process. :)

[@AmritaBhortake]

Awww Cheryl, you are too kind. Thanks so much and glad you enjoyed it 😁

[@Prim3e]

Thanks really enjoyed the video! How did you make your back drop?

[@AmritaBhortake]

Thanks so much for the kind words. That is a painted backdrop. I had bought it on Etsy. I have also created a video on making a marble backdrop using contact paper, if you are interested. Here is the link to it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hGW8omxqp86EgtU

[@MarinCTC]

When you took flowers from the jug, what did you stand them in?

[@AmritaBhortake]

Clare, I am using a flower frog to style them.

[@kimil718]

thank you so much for sharing this with us! i make flowers using clay and i would really like them to look beautiful in pictures and i think this video tutorial would do the trick. again, thank you so so much!

[@AmritaBhortake]

I am so glad you enjoyed it☺️. I would love to see what you create with your clay flowers.

[@kimil718]

You can see my work on IG and FB by typing Hisbricks Though... I'm not proud of how my photos look. Very inconsistent for IG so don't be shocked. Hehehe. Hopefully the following photos I'll be uploading in the future would be better. Hehehe. Thanks for all the tips! Btw, lovely flowers you have there!

[@AmritaBhortake]

@@kimil718 Thanks so much for the love ♥️

[@melgoe1]

Thank you for this, I was introduced to your KZbin channel by my instructor. Your videos are lovely to watch, you are so charismatic, and make them seem completely doable. I need to find myself some dark boards to create moody photos!

[@AmritaBhortake]

Aww thanks so much for the wonderful and kind words. I am so happy that you found them helpful. PS - use a black cloth or bedsheet if you don't have backgrounds ☺️

[@Artchick1972]

Great video! Thank you for the tips

[@AmritaBhortake]

Hi Lisa, thanks so much for your kind words. Glad they were helpful

[@lisatesch2447]

Sweet, helpful, and lovely!

[@AmritaBhortake]

Awww thanks Lisa 🙏🏽☺️

[@TexasPelican]

Wow, this is a great video! Thanks!!!

[@AmritaBhortake]

Thanks so much for the sweet words, Leigh. ☺️

[@melissam731]

Awesome tutorial! Very helpful. Can't wait to see the post-processing tutorial. I love flowers. Thank you!

[@AmritaBhortake]

Thanks Melissa. I am so happy you found it useful. The post processing tutorial is up. Here is the link if you want to watch it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6infGaYZ6uIaMU

[@ungavaproductions]

Very nice ! I see that your background cardboard looks like cloudy or look as old surface with certain zone whiter (don't know how to say in english (sorry) I speak french. So coul you let me know how you got this result ? Thanks to come back !

[@AmritaBhortake]

Yvon, thanks for the kind words. I think what you mean is the texture and gradation painted by the painter in the background. I bought this background on Etsy. Here is the video that goes into further detail about my backgrounds used in the photos: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4uxd6OGaLpmhKs

[@ungavaproductions]

Oh ! Thank you so much for this quick answer. So kind from you. I will look at this site you sent to me. By the way...I think that you have a real sense of organisation and composition. This particular set-up of the flowers is simply amazing ! BRAVO

[@AmritaBhortake]

Awww thank you! Really kind of you to say so. Glad I could help.

[@thomaslavery5168]

Very nice , thank you for sharing

[@AmritaBhortake]

Thanks Thomas. So glad you enjoyed it 😁

[@DuhHuhWilbur]

Very nice instructive video and the results were amazing. Curious what materials you used for the tabletop and background? Where did you buy them...I especially like the background. Peace!

[@AmritaBhortake]

Wayne, thanks so much for the kind words. I go into details about the backgrounds in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4uxd6OGaLpmhKs Please let me know if you have further questions about them and I would be happy to answer.

[@azizhra6223]

Very nice photo, I congratulate you, but why 1000 ISO when the camera is on a tripod and the subject is static ?!

[@AmritaBhortake]

Thanks so much for your kind words. I would have shot at a slower shutter speed but the flowers kept falling and the petals were looking blurry. So decided to up the ISO. If I had a more stable arrangement, I would definitely slow the shutter speed.

[@azizhra6223]

Thank you very much for your very clear and informative response. Good photo and successful continuation.

[@AmritaBhortake]

@azizhra6223 your welcome!

[@HumbleThyself230]

Great video, enjoyed it a lot! Just curious, do you edit the videos yourself? If so, what editing software do you use? The editing is very well done!

[@AmritaBhortake]

Hi Wesley, thanks so much for the kind words and so happy you enjoyed the video. Yes, I edit all my videos myself and do all the video editing in Adobe Premiere Pro.

[@elephantear7659]

so beautiful!

[@AmritaBhortake]

Thanks so much!

[@bjornfridtjofsen1998]

Very nice, it just goes to show that you do not necessarily need a large studio with lots of lights. Love this :) One of "many ;)) goals for 2021 is to get into the Chiaroscuro part of lighting. And as you I just love the light in the still life of the renaissance paintings :)

[@AmritaBhortake]

Hi Bjorn, thanks so much for your kind words. You are correct. That’s exactly why I love to teach people the process behind it. People think they need fancy equipment to create gorgeous still life images while in reality all you need is a window or door (even a garage door in my previous home 😁). I love Chiaroscuro lighting too.

[@theskeltonbrothers]

Subbed! Great video! Good vibes, informative, beautiful b-roll. Thank you for sharing!

[@AmritaBhortake]

Thanks so much for your kind words, Sam. Welcome to the community. ☺️

[@SaiSandeshMakam]

So happy to have come across this video! 📸😍

[@AmritaBhortake]

Thanks Sai. So glad you enjoyed it. ☺️

[@marymartindale996]

Did you use your soft box?

[@AmritaBhortake]

For the final image? No, for the still life photo, I diffused the window light with a diffusion fabric ( in my case georgette fabric). I hope that helps, Mary.

[@hem6493]

Amazing....so nicely explained....

[@AmritaBhortake]

Awww thanks so much! I am so glad you enjoyed the video 😊

[@markstoker3077]

Lovely, this has inspired me to try this style! Thank you.

[@AmritaBhortake]

Thanks Mark. I am so happy this inspired you.

[@markstoker3077]

@@AmritaBhortake Hello Amrita, I tried this look and the results were OK, but to get the correct 'dark & moody' look my ISO was always too high, resulting in a grainy image that looked terrible magnified! Any tips for this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again, Mark x

[@AmritaBhortake]

@@markstoker3077 Hi Mark, were you using a tripod for the image? If not, I would recommend using one. It will help in reducing any blurriness and also will let you keep your ISO low. Also, set your ISO to 100. Don't use auto-ISO. Finally, after choosing your aperture, choose the shutter speed. As you have the camera on a tripod, you can use a slower shutter speed and still get a tack sharp image. Try this and let me know how it works out.

[@markstoker3077]

@@AmritaBhortake Thanks so much Amrita. All of that is really helpful, I was using a tripod but my ISO was Auto and I was shooting in A priority so had no control over shutter speed! Manual from now on!?

[@AmritaBhortake]

Yayy! I am glad that helped. Yes, I am for Manual for life 😁

[@falantogan92]

Beautiful flowers 🌷🌷🌷

[@AmritaBhortake]

Thank you

[@HonestChuckle]

Thank you so much, this really made my up coming still life project seem not so scary. I appreciate all the hard work! The photos turned out great! Do you mind posting your settings used?

[@AmritaBhortake]

Patrick, thanks so much for the kind words. I am so glad it helped. I go through all the settings and my edits in this video if you want more details: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6infGaYZ6uIaMU

[@HonestChuckle]

@@AmritaBhortake thank you! I'm subbed and can't wait to see what you do next!

[@AmritaBhortake]

@@HonestChuckle Anytime and also welcome to the community. 🙂

[@ladyjrider666]

Really enjoyed this. Beautiful results

[@AmritaBhortake]

Jane, I am so glad you loved it. Thanks so much for the kind words ☺️

[@leemh5254]

Thank you so much,

[@AmritaBhortake]

Your welcome 😊

[@jsr8884]

Neat. Informative. Thank you.

[@AmritaBhortake]

Thanks for your kind words. So glad you enjoyed it.

[@Celineonyoutube]

Very easy to understand and detailed tutorial! And OMG I love the final photo!!!!

[@AmritaBhortake]

Hi Celine, thanks so much for the kind words. I am so happy you enjoyed it. 😁

[@lindadunn8776]

Great video. Thanks

[@AmritaBhortake]

Linda, thanks so much for your kind words ☺️

[@gowmi8028]

hello!!!! really loved your vedio!!! can you please share the the values that you used? i would love and use it for myself. thank you for good content!!

[@AmritaBhortake]

Thanks so much for your kind words. By values, do you mean camera settings? If so, it is dependent on your lighting setup but if you are interested in what settings I chose, they are in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6infGaYZ6uIaMU

[@gechaves2]

Nice work !!

[@AmritaBhortake]

Thanks so much!

[@Iman88-n7o]

شكرا 🙏🏻

[@AmritaBhortake]

Your welcome!

[@jbtracks3623]

What is that like a holder in your camera to mount to the tripod?

[@AmritaBhortake]

Jeff, it's called the L mount. I absolutely love it and highly recommend if you want to quickly go from portrait to landscape shots.

[@ElderandOakFarm]

Beautiful!

[@AmritaBhortake]

Thanks so much! ☺️

[@ajaysinhparmar2266]

THANKYOU

[@AmritaBhortake]

Your welcome!

[@dramolpatil]

Amazing, love the mood you’ve created!

[@AmritaBhortake]

Thanks so much for the kind words. Glad you enjoyed it! ☺️

[@secraze4696]

Please share your camera settings..

[@AmritaBhortake]

Hi, they are at 12:35 in the video. Are you looking for something specific? I also discuss my reasoning on the settings in the Lightroom editing video for the same photo. Here is the link to the video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6infGaYZ6uIaMU Let me know if you have any other questions.

[@chophia22]

Would love to know what your camera settings were for this dark and moody photo!

[@AmritaBhortake]

Hi Lauren, they are at 12:35 in the video. Are you looking for something specific? I also discuss my reasoning on the settings in the Lightroom editing video for the same photo. Here is the link to the video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6infGaYZ6uIaMU Let me know if you have any other questions.

[@restubogie1151]

You most beautiful then flowers

[@AmritaBhortake]

Thank you

[@vessel_of_a_goddess]

This is such a wonderfully peaceful video, and your images are breath-taking! A couple of questions for you- firstly, what light is it that you are using? and secondly do you have instagram?X

[@AmritaBhortake]

Rhiannon, thanks so much for the kind words. I am so glad you enjoyed the video. I am using the Aputure 120dII with the softbox on it and my Instagram profile is @amritabhortake

[@vessel_of_a_goddess]

@@AmritaBhortake perfecto! thankyou!

[@BmcN72]

Hi, What was your settings?

[@AmritaBhortake]

Hi Brian, they are at 12:35 in the video. Are you looking for something specific? I also discuss my reasoning on the settings in the Lightroom editing video for the same photo. Here is the link to the video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6infGaYZ6uIaMU Let me know if you have any other questions.

[@Jamarib88]

You are extraordinarily pretty and your work is so amazing🙌🏽

[@AmritaBhortake]

Thanks for your kind words 🙏🏼

[@lochvonsavoy2936]

What lens is used?

[@AmritaBhortake]

Hi Yanni, I have used the Sigma 50mm art lens for this shoot. I go through my detailed studio setup at 3:54.

[@AmritaBhortake]

Here is the video of the edit of this dark and moody image using Adobe Lightroom: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6infGaYZ6uIaMU

[@falantogan92]

what temperature in your room? :)

[@AmritaBhortake]

Hahaha it was shot in the middle of a heat wave and with the air conditioning off, so quite warm 😁

[@ygthnogz]

Hello. I paint still life oil paintings in Baroque style. Can you share photos with me?

[@AmritaBhortake]

Hello, thanks so much for your interest in my photographs. I am not selling the photo prints at this time but might do so soon. 👀 Please watch out for future announcements.

[@halbraun123]

Can it br shot on a fone

[@AmritaBhortake]

Yes, using these techniques you can definitely shoot it using a phone.

[@megacube5482]

nice that you show the whole process but it feels a bit too long

[@AmritaBhortake]

Thanks so much for your kind words. I had created it especially for everyone that wanted to know the details of the shoot so I went a lot more in depth in it.

[@arbull7264]

why didn't you use a Black curtain to cover the window?

[@AmritaBhortake]

Hello, I am not sure which window you are asking about so I will answer for both. The side window that is lighting the shot - I want light coming through it but only want to modify it so that it is a softer light. If I use a black curtain then this light will be obliterated and I will be shooting in the dark. For the window behind my shot, I am happy with the amount of light that is blocked using the blinds. I hope that helps answer your question.

[@nyamaabab3648]

iso1000?

[@AmritaBhortake]

Yes, that is correct