Not Using Props

[sabbath999]

So for those of you/us that don't like props...what would you prefer?

Plain white or black backdrops? I know a few pro photographers who hate that because it's so easy and has been done to death.

Maybe a colored or patterned backdrop? That's nothing new.

Outside? plenty of things that could be considered props...trees, fences etc. Or just standing in the middle of a field?

Shoot the people where THEY live... in their homes, their cars, their rooms, their beds... with their pets, their books... document their LIVES... the world that surrounds them... the high school senior girl holding the battered teddy bear that she hugged to sleep when she was four doesn't have a prop in her hands... she has her "Mr. Fuzzy"... something that is a part of her, and something that she will remember.

Make it REAL, not preprocessed.

EDITED TO ADD: One "canned" shot that a lot of people use is the railroad track shot... I always want to say "Hey, did you ask the kid how often he goes and walks down the middle of a railroad track?" or "Hey, how often does the kid sit on the running boards of an old junk truck"... My guess is not so much.

 

[ddm1975]

Shoot the people where THEY live... in their homes, their cars, their rooms, their beds... with their pets, their books... document their LIVES... the world that surrounds them... the high school senior girl holding the battered teddy bear that she hugged to sleep when she was four doesn't have a prop in her hands... she has her "Mr. Fuzzy"... something that is a part of her, and something that she will remember.

Make it REAL, not preprocessed.

Nicely put!

Mike, I love the natural settings, but use the basic black, white backdrops and like the simplicity. I also use brown, blue, gray, red, and patterned as well to mix it up a bit. I occasionally use a chair or stool too.

 

[Alleh Lindquist]

Your friend is a very good photographer it looks like she is past the stage of scraping up any work she can get and has come to a point where people will come to her specifically for her style. Some photographers use props well but generally it reminds me of Sears.