Studio Photography

I'm back in the UK for the next couple of weeks for my new exhibition 'Spectrum' (I'll be talking more about this in my next few posts). One of the photos that I am exhibiting, 'Rock Paper Mushroom', inspired me to do some studio photography on Tuesday - something which I haven't done since I took that photo over two years ago. Once again, I decided to photograph a portobello mushroom, focussing on the textures of the gills. Here I shot down across one side of the mushroom, using a very low aperture and centre spot focussing to give the impression of a 'hilly landscape'.

I changed to a wider aperture for this next shot, include the white flesh of the mushroom annulus (the 'tree-trunk' part of the mushroom, above the main stem). I really love the combination of textures, heightened by the direct side lighting, and the upward sweep of the gills around its base. 

My studio was very minimal - a couple of A4 sheets of paper, placed flat on a desk and also up against the wall, and two ordinary study lights, bent at varying angles and from various positions. I composed this photo deliberately to make the mushroom look like a rising sun, and lit it with directional side lighting; one lamp was pointed slightly downwards from the other to create the shadowy golden effect. I had to increase the yellow in post processing a little, but I think the effect has been achieved. 

A final, more typical monochrome photo that is quite close in style to 'Rock Paper Mushroom'. This is however a direct overhead shot, less shadowy and focussing more on the 'gathering' of gills around the annulus. These photos remind me of waves touching the base of a cliff, with a sense of movement.

Keep reading for updates on the exhibition, which starts this Saturday. First prints are back - take my word for it; they are absolutely gorgeous.

Paul