Black & White Photography - September 2015 UK

67

B+W

4 MINIATURE MADE VISIBLE

PLAIN BACKGROUNDS

Sometimes the object that you’ll be shooting has enough visual

qualities of its own and doesn’t need anything complex in the

background to distract from it. Plain backgrounds are best made

from single coloured sheets of paper, wood or anything else

that’s flat. In this example an A4 sheet of textured bond writing

paper was used in conjunction with a low-angle light source.

Raking in at a right angle to the paper weave, the light has picked

up texture and created some nice shadows as well. You can

enhance this later down the line too using Lightroom’s Clarity tool.

The secret to lighting is to shoot with flat contrast, as this can

be enhanced further into your workflow, as high contrast in your

original can’t be lowered further down the line.

Working on constructed photographic projects always seems a

bit more complicated than shooting out on location, but you can

easily create a miniature set on your dining room table. Seek out

some tiny keepsakes and other props that can support the overall

theme of your shoot. This example was created using a ‘set’ that

was no bigger than a sheet of A4 paper and used a tiny tintype

portrait as a starting point. With such small items, you really need

to have perfect focus and lighting, so every scrap of information

is recorded. Artist Mari Mahr uses objects and photographic

prints as backgrounds in her unique work – creating a fusion

of personal memory and narrative.

3 GHOSTS IN THE MIRROR

The act of re-photographing something that already exists can

sound very dry and uninspiring, but reworking an already significant

artefact into something different can be a rewarding experience.

In archaeologist and photographer Michael Shanks’ wonderfully

evocative project Ghosts in the Mirror, he takes some delicate

daguerreotypes as his starting point and, through a carefully

considered use of lens technique and Photoshop colouring,

creates new work from old – not copies or facsimiles of the

originals, but startling new images. Find some historical images that

you can work with, then try to compose a new image that creates

a story around their character, as this example shows.

SECTION 2: LIGHTING YOUR OBJECTS IN THE STUDIO

Although we’re going to consider using studio lighting for this project, you can get by with a small LED video light

or domestic anglepoise light if you don’t have access to anything more complex. To avoid extreme contrast,

keep your light source 1m away from your subject.

BUSIER BACKGROUNDS

Composite papers, especially those which aren’t too regular or

patterned, can also make a really effective supporting background for

a plain main prop. This example was sourced from stationery chain

Paperchase and is a sheet of Indian handmade paper impregnated

with flower petals and tiny fern leaves. This paper is ideal as it’s not

too busy and has plenty of blank space between the pressed flowers.

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