Object and still-life pictures differ from other photos in several important ways. They're generally taken from a fairly close distance, which separates the objects from their immediate surroundings. In some cases, the distance is so close that an object's patterns or textures become the subject of the shot. Although these pictures might look unstaged, they rarely are.

In most cases, the photographer has had at least a slight hand in creating photos by controlling the setting, moving objects around, adding and subtracting them, trying different angles, and using different lighting schemes until the image tells the intended story or evokes the right feeling or mood. Even a seemingly casually composed shot taken in natural surroundings has probably been improved upon by moving a twig just so or brushing aside a distracting leaf or two.

FIGURE 15-1 A studio shot of the detail of a vase in a flower arrangement, with side lighting.

In commercial photography, a location is scouted out for the shoot, all the props to be used are put in the appropriate place, and every item or person needed for the shot is put in its proper location. This is usually the job of the photo stylist, who also arranges the shot and makes sure everything in the scene appears as it should. You can be your own stylist and try to make sure each item in your shot is in its proper place. This is a creative challenge and takes patience and great attention to detail.