30 9 May 2020 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I subscribe 0330 333 1113
W
hileyou’restuck
athomeinthis
periodoflockdown,
whynotflexyour
creativemusclesandseehowyou
canartisticallycapturethebeauty
ofa potato.Yep,youreadthat
right,whetheryou’redrawntothe
simplicityofa KingEdward,seduced
bythegentlecurvesofa YukonGold
orinspiredbythemagnificentMaris
Piper,photographingpotatoescan
bemorefunthanyoumightatfirst
think.Whileit mightsoundsilly,in
2016 a photographofa potato,taken
byacclaimedphotographerKevin
Abosch,soldfor$1million.It is a
splendidphotographandjustgoes
toshowthatthere’sanappetitefor
potato-basedphoto-art.
Therecanbea lottolearnfrom
photographinga potato.Asan
exerciseinlighting,it’sa usefulobject
topractiseon.Here(seeright)you
canseethatthe‘mood’andcharacter
ofa potatocanbealteredsignificantly
bychangingthestyleoflighting.
Understandinghowto‘light’is a great
skilltohaveandpractisingonan
inanimateobjectis a perfect
opportunitytohoneyourskills.It
doesn’tmatterwhattypeoflightyou
use,anythingfromanangle-poise
lamptoa studioflashsetcanwork- butI suggestkeepingit simpleby
usingthetoolsyouhaveandarelikely
touseinthefuturetogaina deeper
understandingofhowtheywork.
BEN’S FOUR SIMPLE STEPS ON SETTING THE SCENE
1 Create a tabletop studio
It’s relativity easy to set up a small makeshift
tabletop studio at home. If you’re using artificial
lights then darken the room first so the
ambient light doesn’t interfere and confuse
your creative lighting.
2 Light the scene
I used a Manfrotto Lykos Bi-Color as my main
light source which allows control of colour
temperature and intensity. For a back/rim light
I used a small Manfrotto Lumimuse. I also used
a small reflector to fill shadow areas.3 Select a backdrop
For a rich black background, a sheet of black
velvet is perfect as it absorbs lots of light.
However, a white background can be just as
effective. Think carefully about which will work
best to express the character of your potato.Benedict Brain
Benedict Brain is a UK-based photographer and
award-winning journalist. Benedict travels
internationally talking about the art and craft of
photography and sits on The Royal Photographic
Society’s distinctions panel.Technique LIGHTING
How to light
a potato
Benedict Brain finds inspiration in the
humble potato and shows you how to light
them with style
Hard side light
with rim light
One main light to the
side and smaller
backlight to add a
subtle rim (and depth)