This hands-on, studio-based course is designed for photographers looking to enhance their skills in product and still life photography. You will explore lighting, composition and styling techniques to create visually compelling and professional-quality images.
Learning modes and locations may be different depending on the course start date. Please check the location of your chosen course and read our guide to learning modes and locations to help you choose the right course for you.
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Centre for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
The course is designed to help photographers develop and refine their skills in capturing still life imagery. With a focus on lighting, composition, and creative styling, the course will guide you through the technical and artistic aspects of professional studio photography, equipping you with the skills needed to create striking, high-quality images.
You will work with a variety of subjects, including everyday objects, crafted setups, and products, while exploring how to enhance textures, colours, and forms. Each session will involve practical shooting exercises and expert guidance to help you gain confidence in using professional lighting setups, manipulating shadows, and composing visually engaging shots.
Whether you’re aiming to expand your portfolio or transition into product photography for commercial work, this course will guide you in using key techniques that bring life and vibrancy to inanimate objects.
What will we cover?
Studio lighting techniques for product and still life setups
Composition and styling of still life
Techniques for lighting reflective surfaces
Camera settings, lens choice and focusing techniques
Differences between camera formats
Basic post processing of images for a polished look using Adobe software
What will I achieve? By the end of this course you should be able to...
Control and manipulate studio lighting
Understand how different light shapers effect the quality of light
Arrange and style still life setups to make visually interesting compositions
Understand different focal lengths
Use postproduction techniques and understand different image outputs
Reflect on your own progress and give and receive peer feedback
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
This is an intermediate course is for photographers who have experience with basic camera settings (aperture, shutter speed, ISO) and are comfortable using manual mode.
You will need to be able to follow simple written and verbal instructions to support demonstrations, hand-outs and for health and safety information, and be prepared to take part in group discussion. You should be happy using numbers and able to do simple measurements and calculations.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
You will be taught using a range of techniques including studio photography, workshops, short lectures, demonstrations, practical exercises, tutorials, group and individual assistance. Please note the City Lit uses Apple Mac computers in the Photography studio. The course also uses Google Classroom (an online teaching resource) for you to share comments with your class, download course material and upload images for group discussion.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
There are no extra costs. Please bring your camera (if you have one) to the classes and you may wish to bring a notebook and pen. The City Lit has a range of Digital SLR and mirrorless cameras, tripods, lenses and flash which you are welcome to use during the hours of the class. It would be useful to bring a memory stick (or portable hard drive – please note: PC formatted hard drives can be read by Apple mac computers, but not written to).
Student discount This is not a requirement for the course but when you enrol on a course at the City Lit, you are entitled to student discount on Adobe Creative Cloud
Please note:
You will need to create an Adobe account using your City Lit email address which includes your student number. (This is in the format 123456@student.citylit.ac.uk).
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
You might be interested in expanding your studio practice with courses on Studio Lighting, Dramatic Lighting, Fashion Photography or Flash with Speedlight. Or perhaps improve your postproduction and file management with Photoshop or Lightroom. Or perhaps learn to print high quality images for your portfolio with our Digital Printing course.
Jad is a multi disciplined artist whose work draws inspiration from memory and time. Lens based media has formed the foundations of his practice, utilising over 20 years of experience working within the eclectic range of disciplines that make up the photographic industry. Over this time Jad has had the opportunity to work on both film and digital, 35mm to large format. As a commercial photographer he has been commissioned to produce work for advertising campaigns, corporate institutions and the creative arts industry both on location and in the studio. His experience is not only limited to the role of the photographer, having had the opportunity to work in diverse roles of photographic production. From assisting photographers to creative post production, budgeting, contracts and working in a photographic lab. His ongoing artistic practice, presented as ongoing projects or completed series, uses both found photographic imagery, staged studio photography and moving image.
Neil A White is a British photographic artist based in London, UK. His fascination with the natural world and contrasting environments is at the heart of his photography and an infinite source of inspiration. His work explores the relationship between nature and the modern world, and how they co-exist, sometimes harmoniously, more often in conflict with one another. He sees this conflict as one of the key dilemmas of modern-day existence. When taking pictures of landscapes and the natural world, he tries to connect with the land, feel the air, the light and bring those feelings into his photographs. Neil’s work tends to be reflective and is often quiet and deeply personal. The relationship humans have with the natural world is of great interest to Neil and this is a common thread that runs through much of his work. In 2006 he received an MA in Photojournalism and Documentary Photography from the University of the Arts in London, adding to his BSc in Engineering Management. His work has been exhibited and published in the UK and internationally. Neil is a senior lecturer in photography working in higher education.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.
product
https://www.citylit.ac.uk/product-and-still-life-photography1178293Product and still life photographyhttps://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/product/p/r/product_photography_sq-vy802-1080.jpg239239GBPInStock/Courses/Courses/Art & design/Courses/Art & design/Photography/Courses/Art & design/Photography/Creative, commercial & documentary photography22851132170217041228511321702<p>This hands-on, studio-based course is designed for photographers looking to enhance their skills in product and still life photography. You will explore lighting, composition and styling techniques to create visually compelling and professional-quality images.</p>002486074Product and still life photography239239https://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/product/p/r/product_photography_sq-vy802-1080_1.jpgInStockDaytimeFriKeeley StreetAvailable courses5-10 weeksWeekday2026-06-05T00:00:00+00:00Some experience, AdvancedJun 2026Art & designVY114239239Product and still life photography191155239Jad Oakesproduct-and-still-life-photography/vy114-2526<p>This hands-on, studio-based course is designed for photographers looking to enhance their skills in product and still life photography. You will explore lighting, composition and styling techniques to create visually compelling and professional-quality images.</p>0000-Available|2026-06-05 00:00:00<p>The course is designed to help photographers develop and refine their skills in capturing still life imagery. With a focus on lighting, composition, and creative styling, the course will guide you through the technical and artistic aspects of professional studio photography, equipping you with the skills needed to create striking, high-quality images.</p><p><br/>You will work with a variety of subjects, including everyday objects, crafted setups, and products, while exploring how to enhance textures, colours, and forms. Each session will involve practical shooting exercises and expert guidance to help you gain confidence in using professional lighting setups, manipulating shadows, and composing visually engaging shots.</p><p><br/>Whether you’re aiming to expand your portfolio or transition into product photography for commercial work, this course will guide you in using key techniques that bring life and vibrancy to inanimate objects.</p><p>This hands-on, studio-based course is designed for photographers looking to enhance their skills in product and still life photography. You will explore lighting, composition and styling techniques to create visually compelling and professional-quality images.</p><ul><li>Studio lighting techniques for product and still life setups</li><li>Composition and styling of still life</li><li>Techniques for lighting reflective surfaces</li><li>Camera settings, lens choice and focusing techniques</li><li>Differences between camera formats</li><li>Basic post processing of images for a polished look using Adobe software</li></ul><ul><li>Control and manipulate studio lighting</li><li>Understand how different light shapers effect the quality of light</li><li>Arrange and style still life setups to make visually interesting compositions</li><li>Understand different focal lengths</li><li>Use postproduction techniques and understand different image outputs</li><li>Reflect on your own progress and give and receive peer feedback</li></ul><p>This is an intermediate course is for photographers who have experience with basic camera settings (aperture, shutter speed, ISO) and are comfortable using manual mode.</p><p>You will need to be able to follow simple written and verbal instructions to support demonstrations, hand-outs and for health and safety information, and be prepared to take part in group discussion. You should be happy using numbers and able to do simple measurements and calculations.</p><p>You will be taught using a range of techniques including studio photography, workshops, short lectures, demonstrations, practical exercises, tutorials, group and individual assistance. Please note the City Lit uses Apple Mac computers in the Photography studio. The course also uses Google Classroom (an online teaching resource) for you to share comments with your class, download course material and upload images for group discussion.</p><p>There are no extra costs. Please bring your camera (if you have one) to the classes and you may wish to bring a notebook and pen. The City Lit has a range of Digital SLR and mirrorless cameras, tripods, lenses and flash which you are welcome to use during the hours of the class. It would be useful to bring a memory stick (or portable hard drive – please note: PC formatted hard drives can be read by Apple mac computers, but not written to).</p><p><br/><strong>Student discount</strong> This is not a requirement for the course but when you enrol on a course at the City Lit, you are entitled to student discount on Adobe Creative Cloud<br/> </p><p>Please note:</p><p>You will need to create an Adobe account using your City Lit email address which includes your student number. (This is in the format 123456@student.citylit.ac.uk).</p><p>You might be interested in expanding your studio practice with courses on Studio Lighting, Dramatic Lighting, Fashion Photography or Flash with Speedlight. Or perhaps improve your postproduction and file management with Photoshop or Lightroom. Or perhaps learn to print high quality images for your portfolio with our Digital Printing course.</p>PhotographyCreative, commercial & documentary photographyvirtual3030571Product and still life photography259259https://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/product/p/r/product_photography_sq-vy802-1080_3.jpgInStockDaytimeThuKeeley StreetAvailable courses5-10 weeksWeekday2026-11-12T00:00:00+00:00Some experience, AdvancedNov 2026Art & designVY802259259Product and still life photography207168259Neil Whiteproduct-and-still-life-photography/vy802-2627<p>This hands-on, studio-based course is designed for photographers looking to enhance their skills in product and still life photography. You will explore lighting, composition and styling techniques to create visually compelling and professional-quality images.</p>0000-Available|2026-11-12 00:00:00<p>The course is designed to help photographers develop and refine their skills in capturing still life imagery. With a focus on lighting, composition, and creative styling, the course will guide you through the technical and artistic aspects of professional studio photography, equipping you with the skills needed to create striking, high-quality images.</p><p><br/>You will work with a variety of subjects, including everyday objects, crafted setups, and products, while exploring how to enhance textures, colours, and forms. Each session will involve practical shooting exercises and expert guidance to help you gain confidence in using professional lighting setups, manipulating shadows, and composing visually engaging shots.</p><p><br/>Whether you’re aiming to expand your portfolio or transition into product photography for commercial work, this course will guide you in using key techniques that bring life and vibrancy to inanimate objects.</p><p>This hands-on, studio-based course is designed for photographers looking to enhance their skills in product and still life photography. You will explore lighting, composition and styling techniques to create visually compelling and professional-quality images.</p><ul><li>Studio lighting techniques for product and still life setups</li><li>Composition and styling of still life</li><li>Techniques for lighting reflective surfaces</li><li>Camera settings, lens choice and focusing techniques</li><li>Differences between camera formats</li><li>Basic post processing of images for a polished look using Adobe software</li></ul><ul><li>Control and manipulate studio lighting</li><li>Understand how different light shapers effect the quality of light</li><li>Arrange and style still life setups to make visually interesting compositions</li><li>Understand different focal lengths</li><li>Use postproduction techniques and understand different image outputs</li><li>Reflect on your own progress and give and receive peer feedback</li></ul><p>This is an intermediate course is for photographers who have experience with basic camera settings (aperture, shutter speed, ISO) and are comfortable using manual mode.</p><p>You will need to be able to follow simple written and verbal instructions to support demonstrations, hand-outs and for health and safety information, and be prepared to take part in group discussion. You should be happy using numbers and able to do simple measurements and calculations.</p><p>You will be taught using a range of techniques including studio photography, workshops, short lectures, demonstrations, practical exercises, tutorials, group and individual assistance. Please note the City Lit uses Apple Mac computers in the Photography studio. The course also uses Google Classroom (an online teaching resource) for you to share comments with your class, download course material and upload images for group discussion.</p><p>There are no extra costs. Please bring your camera (if you have one) to the classes and you may wish to bring a notebook and pen. The City Lit has a range of Digital SLR and mirrorless cameras, tripods, lenses and flash which you are welcome to use during the hours of the class. It would be useful to bring a memory stick (or portable hard drive – please note: PC formatted hard drives can be read by Apple mac computers, but not written to).</p><p><br/><strong>Student discount</strong> This is not a requirement for the course but when you enrol on a course at the City Lit, you are entitled to student discount on Adobe Creative Cloud<br/> </p><p>Please note:</p><p>You will need to create an Adobe account using your City Lit email address which includes your student number. (This is in the format 123456@student.citylit.ac.uk).</p><p>You might be interested in expanding your studio practice with courses on Studio Lighting, Dramatic Lighting, Fashion Photography or Flash with Speedlight. Or perhaps improve your postproduction and file management with Photoshop or Lightroom. Or perhaps learn to print high quality images for your portfolio with our Digital Printing course.</p>PhotographyCreative, commercial & documentary photographyvirtual191,207239,259155,168VY114,VY802NONEFri,Thu05/06/26 - 03/07/2614:00 - 17:0014:0017:005 sessions (over 5 weeks)55-10 weeksDaytimeWeekdayKSKeeley StreetJad Oakes,Neil WhiteSome experience, AdvancedAvailable courses2026-06-05T00:00:00+00:00,2026-11-12T00:00:00+00:00Jun 2026,Nov 2026Art & design239239,259Product and still life photographyproduct-and-still-life-photography/vy114-2526,product-and-still-life-photography/vy802-2627<p>This hands-on, studio-based course is designed for photographers looking to enhance their skills in product and still life photography. You will explore lighting, composition and styling techniques to create visually compelling and professional-quality images.</p>0000-Available|2026-06-05 00:00:00<p>The course is designed to help photographers develop and refine their skills in capturing still life imagery. With a focus on lighting, composition, and creative styling, the course will guide you through the technical and artistic aspects of professional studio photography, equipping you with the skills needed to create striking, high-quality images.</p><p><br/>You will work with a variety of subjects, including everyday objects, crafted setups, and products, while exploring how to enhance textures, colours, and forms. Each session will involve practical shooting exercises and expert guidance to help you gain confidence in using professional lighting setups, manipulating shadows, and composing visually engaging shots.</p><p><br/>Whether you’re aiming to expand your portfolio or transition into product photography for commercial work, this course will guide you in using key techniques that bring life and vibrancy to inanimate objects.</p><p>This hands-on, studio-based course is designed for photographers looking to enhance their skills in product and still life photography. You will explore lighting, composition and styling techniques to create visually compelling and professional-quality images.</p><ul><li>Studio lighting techniques for product and still life setups</li><li>Composition and styling of still life</li><li>Techniques for lighting reflective surfaces</li><li>Camera settings, lens choice and focusing techniques</li><li>Differences between camera formats</li><li>Basic post processing of images for a polished look using Adobe software</li></ul><ul><li>Control and manipulate studio lighting</li><li>Understand how different light shapers effect the quality of light</li><li>Arrange and style still life setups to make visually interesting compositions</li><li>Understand different focal lengths</li><li>Use postproduction techniques and understand different image outputs</li><li>Reflect on your own progress and give and receive peer feedback</li></ul><p>This is an intermediate course is for photographers who have experience with basic camera settings (aperture, shutter speed, ISO) and are comfortable using manual mode.</p><p>You will need to be able to follow simple written and verbal instructions to support demonstrations, hand-outs and for health and safety information, and be prepared to take part in group discussion. You should be happy using numbers and able to do simple measurements and calculations.</p><p>You will be taught using a range of techniques including studio photography, workshops, short lectures, demonstrations, practical exercises, tutorials, group and individual assistance. Please note the City Lit uses Apple Mac computers in the Photography studio. The course also uses Google Classroom (an online teaching resource) for you to share comments with your class, download course material and upload images for group discussion.</p><p>There are no extra costs. Please bring your camera (if you have one) to the classes and you may wish to bring a notebook and pen. The City Lit has a range of Digital SLR and mirrorless cameras, tripods, lenses and flash which you are welcome to use during the hours of the class. It would be useful to bring a memory stick (or portable hard drive – please note: PC formatted hard drives can be read by Apple mac computers, but not written to).</p><p><br/><strong>Student discount</strong> This is not a requirement for the course but when you enrol on a course at the City Lit, you are entitled to student discount on Adobe Creative Cloud<br/> </p><p>Please note:</p><p>You will need to create an Adobe account using your City Lit email address which includes your student number. (This is in the format 123456@student.citylit.ac.uk).</p><p>You might be interested in expanding your studio practice with courses on Studio Lighting, Dramatic Lighting, Fashion Photography or Flash with Speedlight. Or perhaps improve your postproduction and file management with Photoshop or Lightroom. Or perhaps learn to print high quality images for your portfolio with our Digital Printing course.</p>PhotographyCreative, commercial & documentary photographyconfigurable
