Still Life

Still Life photography; Still life photography is the depiction of inanimate subject matter, which is mostly a small grouping of objects. It gives the photographer more experimentation with composition and arrangement with a specific design.

Moodboard on Still Life

Terry Border; He worked mainly as a commercial photographer after graduating with a B.S in Fine Art Photography. Border started his project 'Bent Objects' which concerns sticking wire into ordinary objects to help them pose as living characters. He uses still life to then tell a story with these characters. He has now adapted this project for other uses, for example, a children's book which he is now producing.

Moodboard on Terry Border

Border has a vast amount of photographs within his collection. There are numerous selections of different scenes and scenarios he has created by using ordinary objects and wire. This specific photograph, I found particularly interesting. Not only is the use of lighting effective, but the story behind the photograph is one that I can relate to. Objectively, you see two cups of tea/coffee facing 3 different napkins, which look as though they have been placed on a wall. These napkins show  tea/coffee stains, each one slightly different. The way the photograph has been composed, subjectively, looks as though the cups are admiring their pieces of artwork. These napkins are a representation of humans visiting artwork that other humans have composed. This relates to everyday life, in that it is mimicking what humans do, therefore creating a surreal element to this still life. The lighting used in this photograph enhances the story behind the photograph. The lighting has come from the front, as the back of the cups, which are at the forefront of the composition are in darkness. Subjectively, this is portraying the real life situation of visiting an art gallery, in that the lighting is always shone on the pieces of artwork to enlighten the pieces of art, then you are left standing in the darkness. 

George Rustchev; Originally from Bulgaria, Rustchev produces surreal still life photographs which focus on the subject of food. He is a self taught photographer who produces photographs on his own surroundings, using his imagination.

Moodboard on George Rustchev

This is a simple still life composition by Rutchev. Objectively, you can see a table at the bottom of the composition which has been covered by a cloth which looks old. An apple is then sat on this table towards the left of the table. The apple appears to be cut in half with sewing stitches going down the apple to attach the two pieces together. The needle and thread are then exposed, coming out from the apple with the needle placed upright in the centre of the composition. There is negative space around the apple and table creating a very sombre mood to the photograph.There is a vignette around the outside of the photograph which adds to the vintage effect. From this photograph, instantly you would be confused as to why Rutchev has done this, however, subjectively, it presents a meaning of fixing something that's beautiful. Here we see and apple, which could represent a human, the apple has been damaged/broken in some way, this links to human emotions and situations. The thread is trying to fix the apple, yet it is clear and visible to see the amendments. This could then represent a human, in which a certain event has happened, something or someone has tried to heal it, yet the signs are still visible and present. Rutchev's other photographs are of a similar nature, in which all could represent the same thing. In his works, there is something beautiful yet easily relate able.  

Jean-Francois de Witte- A Belgian photographer who has created a series of still life photographs using the subject of dishes and cutlery. He transformed them into animals, flowers or people.

Moodboard on Jean-Francois de Witte

Comparing to my other photographers, De Witte, creates even simpler compositions Objectively, plates have been placed in certain positions to create different compositions. Cutlery is used to compliment the plates to create a figure. In this composition, objectively, the plates are placed in the centre of the composition. Small gravy bowls are used either side to represent ears. The cutlery, which are forks, branch out from the plates, acting as antlers. The full composition shows the utensils portraying a deer/stag. The background that this is placed on, reflects the figure that has been created with the leaves and greenery. Subjectively,the background gives off a homely sense to reflect the use of utensils that are used in the home. I feel these photographs are more easy on the eye. The lighting is subtle, yet clearly shot in the studio as the lighting hits the plates subtly. 

Here are some of my examples of Still Life Photography.

Above are some experiments on still life that I have taken. My main inspiration for these were taken from  the photographer George Rustchev. I purchased various fruit items, a pineapple, orange, apple and a lemon. I placed these on the table in the studio with a white backdrop. For these, I decided not to use the flash as this creates an old style look which is similar to Rustchev's. I used one light which was placed to the right side of the subjects. This then produced shadows similar to Rustchev's work. With the majority of my photographs, I changed the contrast and brightness. I enhanced the contrast, to define the shadows and create a more dramatic effect. I have also reduced the brightness, which then creates the moody and dark effect. Comparing these with the photographer Rustchev, I feel that his work produces more defined lighting upon the subject, whereas my attempts blend in with the background in terms of vibrancy. If I were to do this again, I would move the lighting and experiment with different angles on where to place the light in the studio, preferably closer to the subjects so that I capture the subjects more clearly. 

A further development for my still life- I edited these using Photo shop. This effect is essentially adding a 'Vignette' to the photograph. This darkens the edges of the image. The first attempt, I used the shape tool to draw around the subject, I then changed the brightness so that the area around the circle is left darker than the subjects. I found this attempt successful, however the edges are not subtle, creating a defined shape as to where I placed the circle. The second attempt, I feel was much more successful. This attempt, I researched on how to add a Vignette, and found a tutorial on how to darken the background. For this, I used the tool 'Lens Correction' this then gave me the freedom to change the darkness to how I wanted it to look. This effect is much more subtle and blends in altogether. As you can see, the main subjects are still in their normal vibrant colour. This effect only enhances the colour of the fruit as the background has been drained of it's colour.