We’re heading into autumn, which makes it the perfect time for this quick autumn-themed still-life and close-up photography course for teenagers! Have a read and start putting these tips into practice right away.
Getting out and about in the autumn weather is a fun way of improving your photography skills. But if you really want to work on the finer details, you can do it right from the comfort of your own room!
Here’s our quick photography course for teenagers to go from zero to photography hero as quickly as possible this autumn, before you even consider teenage photography classes!
Quick At-Home Autumn Photography Course for Teenagers
Ready to become a still-life genius without even leaving the house? Just follow these steps, practice often, and have fun with it! And if you take teenage photography classes, you’ll have more practical knowledge than everyone else from the start.
Gather “Autumn” Objects
What says “autumn” to you? It could be a bunch of colourful leaves, acorns, pumpkins, berries, warm drinks… Whatever feels like autumn to you, gather a collection of them to use in your still life photos.
They don’t have to be the “classic” autumn objects. Anything that has an autumn feel to you is totally fine. You can get creative!
Create a Home Studio
Don’t worry… This isn’t a big job! All you need is a clean white tablecloth or some paper, and a small space to set up in. The key here is to make it look professional, so there’s a little trick to creating a pro-looking studio.
Whether you’re using paper or a tablecloth, you need a curve in it so you get a smooth, seamless background without a line behind your picture. Check out the picture below to see what we mean!
As you can see, it’s easy to set up a little studio using whatever you have—cardboard, wood, anything! As long as you have a smooth white background (or any colour you want), you’ll be good to go.
Get the Light Right
The next most important step is to make sure you have excellent lighting. Any photography course for teenagers will tell you that light is king! So once you’ve created your studio, decide if you’re going to use natural light or artificial light.
If you can move your studio near a window and get lovely natural light streaming in, that’s a bonus! It’ll give you that real warm, golden autumn feeling. If you can’t move your studio or there’s no room for it by the window, you’ll need to experiment with other types of light.
You can use your camera flash if you need to, but experiment a little to see what creates the best pictures. You can also use standing lamps or invest in photography lights, but remember—each light will change the “colour temperature” of your picture, so you might need to change your camera settings so the colours look natural in the photos.
Find the Right Aperture
When you’re shooting close up, you want to use a small f/number. Set your camera to aperture priority mode (Av) and you’ll be able to select the f/number yourself. Keeping it small helps to keep the items sharp in the frame and it also allows quite a bit of light into the lens.
It’s a good idea to get yourself a tripod or find a way to steady your camera. If you’re using Av mode, the camera will choose its own shutter speed, and you don’t want to get a blur!
Play Around With Perspective
You can turn one picture into 10 pictures just by playing around with perspective! Consider the two pictures below. They use the exact same items, but they’re two fairly different-looking pictures.
You see some different angles, different textures, and different shadows. Or, instead of just moving around the objects, you can take the photo from a different angle completely, like the pictures below. One is taken directly from above, and the other is taken from the front, at a lower angle.
Just changing your perspective is an excellent way of adding some creativity to your photos! You can come away with a whole collection of unique still life pictures just from one photoshoot with a few items.
Try Zooming In
Zooming in can also help you create more fun, more interesting photos! This will help you to really show off the details of the things you’re photographing. Instead of just a few leaves, get as close as you can to show off the pattern and texture on the leaves. Instead of a bunch of fruit, zoom right up there to show the littlest berries!
Play with Black & White
Another way to take more unique photos and to bring a nostalgic feeling to them is to use the black and white mode on your camera. Sometimes, when you take colour away from the picture, it helps to make the details stand out a bit more.
You can try taking the same pictures in both colour and black and white, and then comparing them to see what differences you notice. It’s a great way to experiment and discover your own unique photography style as well!
Photographers to Follow
Once you’ve done a photography course for teenagers, it’s up to you to practise. We recommend having a look at some of these photographers’ still life photography and seeing if you can copy some of their pictures! It’s great practice and can help you come up with your own creative ideas.
Ready to Take the Next Step? Teenage Photography Classes
This quick photography course for teenagers will help you get started taking amazing still life photos right from your own bedroom, whether it’s autumn, spring, summer, or winter! But if you want to improve your skills and learn even more about how your camera works and how to take great photos outdoors and on the go, then teenage photography classes are the way to go.
Check out our full range of classes and find what’s best for you! But be prepared… Once you learn how to work with your camera and spot the best photo opportunities, your friends and family are going to want you to photograph every event for them!
