Still Life

Still Life photography is taking photographs of inanimate objects, typically arranged in small groups.  Still life photography gives the photographer more freedom to arrange the photograph as they want it, which is something you can't always do in Landscape or Portrait photography. Still life photographers often have to make their photographs rather than take them, by arranging objects in a certain way and altering the lighting and setting they use.

Andre Kertesz…

Andre Kertesz was born in 1985, in Hungary. In 1925 he moved to Paris, where he did most of his still life photography. He is known for his contributions to photographic composition.  His most famous pieces of work from the time he spent in Paris was 'The fork' which he took in 1928. He chose to use a small camera which at the time was uncommon for a professional to use, however he took his photographs from different angles and with different lights which gave him a different effect. 

Andre Kertesz-image analysis...

This image was taken in 1928 when he did his French period of work, when he moved to live in Paris. He called this 'The Fork'.  Descriptively, the photograph is just a fork and a plate resting on each other, however by doing this Kertesz created shadows of each objects onto the background of the image. This creates an almost silhouetted feel the photo. The lighting in the image is harsh and this is what creates the deeper shadows in the foreground of the image. The background of the image is flat and plain which creates a good backdrop for the objects in the front of the image. The composition he has chosen makes it so the objects are the main focus, by making them the only things in the image as the background is relatively empty. By doing this, he has captured the viewers attention and draws them in, simply by the use of the shadows and also the objects he has chosen; as the objects are everyday objects for most people, we feel we can somewhat relate to the image. However, interpretively, the fork resting on the bowl creating the shadow could suggest a family meal time, which could be a frequent occurrence and the simple bowl and fork could represent a whole occasion within one image.

David Parfitt...

David Parfitt was born in 1958, he does still life images for different objects, often with brands and different areas of work, such as fragrance, or fashion. The use of bright colours in his work makes it so the viewer is drawn in and is instantly captured by the photo. Most of his still life photographs are in colour and use different textures and arrangements to make them stand out from other still life photographs. Most of his work is clearly done in a studio with bright studio lighting to alter the colour in the image. He uses different angles also to create different perspectives on the objects. A lot of his work is modern, however he incorporates different styles in how he shoots the objects and in what arrangement and composition he puts them in.

David Parfitt-image analysis...

This photograph was taken on a white background which makes the colours more vibrant and bright , this draws the viewer in. The fact that the balloons are covering the top of the image makes it so that the top looks quite full and crowded while the bottom is more spaced out, even though the colours are chaotic and there is still a lot of objects. The reason he has put the objects against a plain white background, is to make the colours stand out and also to make it just about the objects and not make it look complicated and over crowded with a busy background. I like the way he has arranged the objects with the balloons by interweaving the balloons and the shoes to create something different and intriguing. This shot was done in a studio with lights to make the photograph sharper and to keep the shadows to a minimum. Although, this image looks quite chaotic and busy, it still looks refined and well arranged because of the composition of the photograph and the background. Descriptively, the image is of balloons attached the shoes which appear to be floating, on a plain,white background  However interpretively, because he works with fashion, he  could be advertising the shoes with the balloons to portray how they look and feel. By having the balloons covering the top of the white background it makes the composition at the top busier and more crowded and then the image comes down to being more spaced out and showing the white background in the bottom of the image. This makes the colours stand out and it makes the whole image more eye-catching.

Sam Kaplan...

Sam Kaplan was born and raised in Boston and he has since moved to New York city to do photography since he fell in love with it after graduating from university. Kaplan uses sharp and refined angles to create different effects and shadows. He also uses consumable products to tell a story within the photographs he takes. He likes to use everyday items in his work, and turn them into something more 'heroic' and more admirable. For example his work with chewing gum, and cups of tea are some of his most famous pieces of work from such a simple object. This inspires me to take a simple, every day object and make it into something better just by the arrangement and lighting of an image.

Sam Kaplan image analysis...

This photograph of chewing gum tells a story of the progression of opening a packet of chewing gum. The minimalistic look comes through in a lot of Kaplan's work, and by this he can take one object and make it look just as captivating as if there were many more in the photograph. The photograph is taken from above and by doing this he creates a much wider view which means you get a different perspective on the image. The way he has arranged the chewing gum makes the photograph look ordered and he has clearly purposely done this in the way he wanted so that it portrayed the story in an obvious way. Also the composition of this photo draws people in. The colours aren't bright, however I like the fact that it doesn't look perfectly photo shopped, or edited and that he hasn't altered or changed the every day object to be something it's not. Descriptively, this image is of chewing gum in sets of twos in rows, showing the unwrapping process, on a white background taken looking down of the objects from above. In my opinion, this could symbolise a daily routine and Kaplan chose to use every day objects to portray a relatable story behind his simplistic photos. The fact that the background is plain and the chewing gum is red and bold makes the story and meaning behind the objects more visible and clear.





My Still Life Photographs...

This photo I did in the studio and I used two lights to make the lighting bright and give the slight shadow of the bottle on the white background. I like the simplicity of the photography and because of the emptiness of the background it makes the perfume bottle the sole focus and draws people in.  I put the bottle a little off centre to make it look less static and boring.

These images were inspired by Andre Kertesz. I chose to recreate the image of the fork and the bowl because the simplicity of the every day objects make bold and harsh shadows against the contrasting white background, and this makes the two objects more interesting and draws the viewer in. I changed the colour composition to black and white as it makes the shadows stronger and also makes the photo more powerful.

 

 This image I did at home also, and I liked David Parfitt's style of still life photography, whereby he takes commercial objects to do with fashion or fragrance or even make up and takes photographs either to advertise or sell to different magazines. I was inspired by his work to do the same with the perfume bottle. I added the flowers on either side to make it look more balanced. Again I didn't use any lights with this photograph. I also photo shopped this image to make particular parts stand out and by making the rest of the image black and white I think it makes the colours and the main object more defined.

These images were also inspired by David Parfitts work. I used the flash of my camera to make the colours stand out and look more dramatic and the scattered nature of the arrangement makes it look more natural and makes the composition busy. I made sure that the objects in the foreground of the image were sharp and in focus and the ones in the background were out of focus to show more definition and contrast. I experimented using different angles, such as, with the first photo, taken from above, it gives a different perspective and also changes how the viewer sees the objects.

I Photo Shopped this image to make certain points stand out. I edited it to make it black and white and then filled in with different pastel colours. This style is similar to artist Andy Warhol's work and how he depicts particular areas of his artwork to make them more prominent and more eye catching for the viewer. I think this style makes it more interesting, also as it adds a different perspective. Also because of the black and white effect it creates the illusion that some of the bottles aren't there which again makes the coloured objects stand out more and makes them more noticeable