A still life is a drawing, painting, or photograph that features inanimate objects, typically bowls of fruit and bottles wine. It’s actually quite interesting to read about the history of still life.
It’s a style that became really popular in the Middle Ages with the oldest official one being painted by in 1504 by Italian artist, Jacopo de’Barbari. However, even older paintings have been depicted on ancient Egyptian tombs as early as 15th century B.C. You can read more about still life on Wikipedia here.
I actually got some new paints recently and have been wanting to paint a still life. Composing a scene for a good source photo is quite the challenge in itself but it’s a lot of fun styling and shooting them. I want something fun but nothing too difficult to paint.
I’d love to see your challenge photos, so be sure to let me know what you photographed in the comments below!
And if you paint, how do you approach still life, do you have a preference for fruit, flowers, vases? Do you avoid or embrace reflective surfaces? Do you use certain techniques for creating texture such as wood grain, fruit skins, leaf veins?
Hello everyone, I hope you are having a lovely spring day. With the blossoms popping like popcorn, I just feel so blessed to be able to enjoy it all!
This week’s challenge is using the rule of thirds (see Nancy Merrill Photography). The rule of thirds is a photography principle where you compose the visual image on the intersecting lines of the grid as shown:
I have to admit, I don’t use the principle all that much as I love front and center photographs. I do try to follow the rule and divide my landscape horizons by the thirds though.
Here are my two, I hope you like them!
Let me know if you participate in this challenge, I’d love to see your photos!
Also if you are interested in purchasing a print/other products featuring either of these two photographs, check out my shop at Redbubble.
For this week’s photo challenge “Getting Your Ducks in a Row” hosted by Nancy Merrill Photography, I wanted to take the time to post an update for everyone about a couple things I am passionate about and how I’m getting my ducks in a row.
Since starting my blog about a year ago, there are a lot of hobbies I’ve wanted to grow in. One of those things is photography. I have always enjoyed taking snapshots of moments from a very young age, but I don’t feel like I grew that much from there.
So this past year I have taken a few photography courses and binged watched a lot of YouTube videos. I have learned to take my time in the process. I’ve also been practicing more. Taking on the challenge of shooting raw, with manual control, and working with only one lens has really helped me grow in so many ways!
I am now finding myself paying better attention to creating photographs that celebrate the subject through all the visual elements that make a better image and I’m hoping that it shows. I wish I knew the things I know now when I first started to realize how much I enjoy taking photos of my other hobbies, which include baking and books. That said, I would like to encourage everyone that it is never too late to start!
The cake on the left was shot over 10 years ago. And boy did I miss that opportunity to take photos of the beautiful layers of white cake and oh so yummy, happy lemon curd. The cake on the right was taken about 6 months ago, and even today, I would have done a few things differently. Of course I’m always baking so there’s no hope lost on planning for an updated photo in the future!
With that, I am working on updating my website to get my ducks in a row.
As a reflection of my ever expanding hobbies, please bear with me as a make a few changes to my website. You might see an outpouring of posts that I would like to publish in order to get it more up to date. Hopefully it will only take me a day or two!
In the meanwhile, be sure to take a look at the photo challenge and let me know if you participated in the comments below! Also if there is anything you are currently working on to get your ducks in a row, let me know as well!
