Still Life Images Deconstructed: Lighting You Can Do For Stunning Shots

[@chrisbrown6432]

Thanks Don and the photographers for sharing the lighting set ups.

[@tuisitala9068]

Still life photography is my favourite. This video inspires me to spend more time on it.

[@DonGiannatti]

Super glad you like what I am doing. Keep shooting!

[@fingerstylefan]

Thank you and to your students for sharing these. These were amazing.

[@MileyonDisney]

Subject-centric Lighting! I learned it in your creativeLIVE programs. Never really thought about it before, but the light bulb above my head suddenly clicked on and I understand light 1,000% better! I had such a hard time lighting shiny objects before, but now it's a cinch! You know lighting so well, and your classes are so easy to understand. Thanks, Don.

[@DonGiannatti]

Thanks for the kind words. Really happy you had an ah-ha moment there. I think once we start thinking about how the subject reacts to the different sources of light we can use it begins to be much easier to make those shots we see in our heads. Thanks for watching.

[@SilentKnight43]

My college photography instructor gave us a still-life assignment with the only stipulation it had to be natural or available lighting only - no flash. So I set up an old pair of weathered cowboy boots and a straw hat and bolo tie outside on a stool with a drop cloth and a wooden fence as a backdrop. I used a 5ft mirror to reflect the sunlight onto the scene. During the class presentation she accused me of using flash in the shots. She went so far as to take a vote amongst my fellow students to see who agreed that I'd used flash. I let her prattle on awhile before explaining how I got the shots - and fortunately had a wide-angle shot that showed the entire setup with the mirror. Obviously she wasn't my favorite photography instructor. She gave me a C-grade on the assignment because she was unwilling to admit she couldn't think outside the box. She lasted one year of teaching at the campus. She wasn't well-liked by any of the students.

[@DonGiannatti]

I love that story. Uni photo instructors are not very high up on my credibillity flagpole.

[@SilentKnight43]

@@DonGiannatti Nor I. Prior to the course I'd been a film photographer for awhile and had worked for the Director's Film Co. of Canada doing TV commercials - so I knew a few things. I later found out her qualification for the teaching position was she'd worked as a receptionist at an art gallery...and was a personal friend of the Dean. Tuition well-spent, lol.

[@DonGiannatti]

@@SilentKnight43 Well spent indeed. I have horror stories of terrible photo and art teachers... I should do a book.

[@SilentKnight43]

@@DonGiannatti It's the old adage of those who can't do...teach. It was a required credit course - otherwise I wouldn't have wasted my time. Liked your video, btw. Good analysis and explanation of the various lighting arrangements. 👍

[@ungavaproductions]

So Mr. Giannatti, I greatly apologize for my ignoring you and your fantastic works. I just discover all these extraordinary videos on you tube and I am actually going through all of them with a great pleasure. Your presentations are so differents, nobody has the same way to talk about photography. You really focus on the (way to do) and the results instead of (gear and gadgets) I would wish to have you as a personnal teacher. To my opinion, your are the best reference in photography on KZbin and probably everywhere else. So thanks for you generosity and for sharing your expertese. Sorry for my english but I am a French Canadian and it's not my first language. It may explain a bit why I took so long to know your existence.

[@DonGiannatti]

Thank you so much for the very kind words, Yvon. I really enjoy teaching and my focus is on results instead of gear. Gear is replaceable - vision is not. Thanks for watching.

[@SVP_MT]

Amazing video, very helpful for this beginner. Thank you

[@ungavaproductions]

One of the most interesting video on still life photography. Results from these photographers are amazing. Congratulations to all and to you for this excellent work.

[@DonGiannatti]

Thanks Yvon.

[@PhilipHarperGraphicDesign]

• Andreas Erickson @2:36 • Cheryl Larson @6:48 Notice how Andreas and Cheryl's lighting set-ups are actually really quite similar-with the black card on the larger soft light to wrap around the edges? This is such a great tip-I'm definitely going to try this one out! - Excellent videos, please keep em up! We all love em. (Sorry for the mis-spellings of those photographers!)

[@DonGiannatti]

Glad you liked it, Philip. And more to come for sure.

[@eyedears765]

Just discovered your channel Don and this tutorial is brilliant. Thank you so much for the clear explanation. Great ideas and great pictures - well done to all the photographers. Now to try out some of the ideas.

[@DonGiannatti]

Super happy you are here. Thanks for watching.

[@lonniepaulson7031]

I like this type of lighting. When I was young back in the 1970's photographers used to use black cards in outdoor portraiture. They used to call this type of lighting subtractive lighting.

[@DonGiannatti]

yes, and I still refer to it as subtractive sometimes. But in days old they had this idea that black would 'absorb' light. I know that black gives the shiny and semi-shiny surfaces something dark to reflect. So my "subtractive" is removing brightness that is reflected to a darker tone that is reflected. I have called what I do "subject centric light" because we focus more on what the subject does with the light than the light itself. AND, that makes the lighting tools so much more interesting as we are discussing what each tool LOOKS LIKE on the surface of the subject. Thanks for watching!

[@luzmery57]

Excellent details and analysis.. Looking forward to see more of your videos. Thanks. Luz

[@DonGiannatti]

Very glad you enjoyed them. There are lots more here, and lots more coming. Thanks for the kind words.

[@saeidehrad5070]

your videos are photography education gems! thank you so very much

[@DonGiannatti]

I am super happy you find them interesting and educational. Thanks so much for watching... BTW - more on the way.

[@saeidehrad5070]

Don Giannatti marvelous! definitely looking forward to that

[@jchatzkel]

Enjoyed it Don. Excellent work by everyone....

[@DonGiannatti]

Thanks Jay.

[@luisin69ful]

Amazing images

[@BMWDriver1992]

Thanks for making these videos, really priceless. Too much gear talk on KZbin, this is the real stuff to become a better photographer!

[@DonGiannatti]

Thanks, Philippe. I appreciate the kind words. I am having fun and hope that I inspire a few photographers to spread their lighting wings - so to speak.

[@skolrelaterat4113]

Very inspiring! I will try some of this. Thank you!

[@wadap0]

Very nice work!

[@DonGiannatti]

Thanks, David. Great talent in the P52 group.

[@cactuslabm]

My friend you have the first channel in which i have pressed the notification bell!

[@DonGiannatti]

WOW! Thanks so much. It means a lot to me, it really does. I hope to never let you down and keep the content high enough to earn the views.

[@gabrielorozco1040]

Beautiful!

[@renzo6490]

The third photo with the candle.....the window at left is covered with translucent material. Not transparent material.

[@usernamemykel]

AND - COFFEE is always available!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@parolajd]

Great!

[@DonGiannatti]

Thanks John!