52 DIGITAL CAMERA^ FEBRUARY 2022 http://www.digitalcameraworld.com
TOP TIP
USE A
BUBBLE LEVEL
Whatever you’re shooting,
you’ll want your horizon to
be completely level in many
scenarios. There’s a whole
host of ways to level up, from
using a hotshoe bubble level
to those on your tripod, and
even the electronic level
built into your camera. Don’t
worry too much if your shot
is a little wonky, though: you
can always crop it to correct
this while you’re editing on
your computer later.SET THE SCENE
1
Open a book of your choice to
somewhere in the middle, and
place your ring on the spine about
a third of the way down from the
top. We used a tiny blob of Blu-Tac
to keep it upright, and made sure
that this was underneath the ring
and out of shot. We also gave the
ring a final buff with a microfibre
cleaning cloth to remove any
greasy fingerprints.FRAME UP
2
Compose on a tripod
and lock it off once you’ve
found the ideal framing. This
will free up your hands to then
move the book and ring into the
perfect position. Then switch
on the 10-second self-timer
mode, to give yourself time to
get into position and cast the
loveheart shadow precisely
where you want it to be.IN-CAMERA TIPS
2
Play with
shadows
Get creative with light and shadows in this
simple still-life setup, by learning how to
transform a ring into a loveheart shadowhotography
literally means to
‘draw with light’- and that’s what
we’re going to do
in this fun and easy project you
can do at home. By shining a
simple handtorch in precisely
the right position, we can cast
a loveheart shadow from our
ring placed on a book. You’ll
need to experiment with how
bright your torch is, whether
it’s too far away or too close,
and the angle at which the
shadow is cast until you get
the perfect loveheart shape.
The brilliant thing about still-
life photography is that you
have the luxury of time, so you
can lock off your composition
and framing by using a sturdy
tripod, then can concentrate
on perfecting the lighting with
the torch until it’s absolutely
spot-on. Here’s how to do it...P
PRO SHOT
Loveheart
When you place a ring in just the right
position, you can cast a ‘loveheart’ shadow
onto a book of your choosing with a simple
torch. It’s super-simple and effective – and
best of all, it doesn’t require any expensive
lights or studio flashes.PRO ADVICE
Lights out!
Compose your shot in daylight or with the
lights on so that you can see your framing
clearly. Dial in all of the settings and focus
accurately, then switch off the lights when
you’re ready. Some blackout blinds can
help stop external light sources leaking in.FRESH PHOTO IDEAS FOR 2022