Still Life Photography Using a Glass of Water

Photography Tips  •  Still Life Photography

Still life photography can be an amazing genre to try when you’re stuck indoors. With minimal and readily available subject materials, you can create some fantastic looking images. In this video, photographer Gavin Hoey from Adorama demonstrates how you can use some water-filled glasses and custom made backgrounds to create some interesting photos:

Water and glass both have fair refractive properties and demonstrate the characteristics of a lens. This is why when you look through a glass filled with water, the images appear inverted. To make the most out of this phenomenon, Hoey has some custom made backgrounds. When a water-filled glass is placed in front of the background, it creates a “disturbance” by inverting a certain portion – this makes it stand out from the rest.

The idea is fairly simple, and the entire photography process is a good creative exercise. If you’re bored having to stay indoors, follow Hoey along and create some eyebrow-raising images. Be sure to use as many patterns, and as many types of glasses as possible. This will give you a good variation in your images.

“Moving it (the glass) close or further away from the background will completely change the look and feel of the shot. So, move it around, experiment, and see what you come up with.”