Still-life photography (stilleven fotografie in Dutch) is an art form that goes back well to approximately a 100 years ago, when cameras were in the primitive stages of creation. Over time, artists have developed their jobs through images of inanimate objects; usually deliberately placed to present a fraction glance at ordinary lifetime. Still-life photos capture the essence of the boring, and largely taken for granted, situations through a group of little objects.
Lighting is an important part of still-life photography because most artists will use the photos as a reference for paintings, sketches, and other art forms. The casting of natural shadows or the enhancement of certain details relies on a refined lighting system. Some artists will spend days setting up their still-life scene, getting everything just right and in perfect placement before picking up a camera.
Objects in still-life photography don’t necessarily have to be incorporated or related to one another. For example, still-life photos of apples sitting next to a bundle of flowers will only be related in the fact that they are all objects in the artist’s life, or they are all things that come from nature. Still-life photography is mainly about capturing beauty in otherwise normal objects that people usually wouldn’t give a second glance to.
Still-life photographers also must possess the acquired skill of knowing on what surfaces to place the objects they’re shooting. Colors, textures, and cleanliness will play a part in surface shots because it’s not only the objects that people will be viewing from the still-life photo; it’s the entire picture.
For example, a still-life photographer by the name of Edward S. Curtis took a picture named “Apache Still-life.†This picture showed the earthen pots and bowls manufactured by the Apache people, and the scene was shown on a dirt floor to correctly record the living conditions of the Apaches. This still-life picture was dubbed real, down-to-earth, and genuine in the Apache depiction.
Still-life photography has been charged with making artists into overnight sensations because artists have the freedom to move their subjects and capture exactly what they’re seeing. It’s a direct look into the lives of others through their everyday objects.
About the Author:
Stan Jansen is a Dutch photographer. A profession known there as fotograaf . She likes to share his knowledge with aspiring and professional photographers alike. Her specialities include but aren't limited to (again in Dutch) : kinderportretten, stilleven fotografie, fotografe, more kind fotografie, portret fotografie and voedsel fotografie.
Post a Comment