Still Life Photography

History of still life photography:

Still life photography has been popular in photography since the early 19^th century and is still just as popular today. In the 19^th century photographers adopted the use off still life off the painters of that time. The painters that photographers took the use of still life off were; Van Gough, Francisco Goya and Paul Cezanne. In the 19^th century and earlier years of photography, pictures had to be exposed for minutes rather than seconds, therefore it was difficult to get pictures of moving objects. This is why still photography became popular. In the 20^th century the use of movement was incorporated into still life photography.  Below is an example of movement in still life photography, it was called ‘stopping time’ and was one of the more popular pictures using movement in still life photography.

What is still life photography?

Still life photography is using still objects to create a photograph that tells a story. Mainly small groups of objects are used to create the picture. Compared to other types of photography,( i.e portrait, landscape) the image is more made than just taken. Still life photography gives the photographer more opportunity to be imaginative and create their own image.

The use of lighting in still life photography is particularly important, photographers need to be able to understand the sense of lighting and the impact it will make on an image, as well as how to change it to create the theme of their own image. Lighting is one of the most important aspects of still life photography so needs to be fully understood and able to be adapted to the theme of the photographs wanted.

Photographers also need to have a good sense of imagination to see props they can use and how they can adapt different objects to suit the style of picture they want. Also photographers need to understand surfaces and the image that using different surfaces creates.

Angles also need to be taken into account when still life photography is being made, different images can be made from using different angles. Using angles can also add a different theme to the photo. It can also work alongside lighting techniques to create a theme in a photo.

Famous still life photographers:

Jonathan Knowles:  Jonathan Knowles is a London based photographer specializing in graphic still life, liquid and people photography. His unique photographic style has earned him award winning, national and international advertising commissions working with agencies worldwide. In the past eight years he has consistently featured in the ‘200 Best Advertising Photographers in the World’ books. He is now also one of the top 10 all-time award winners in the Graphics Annuals, and has had images included in their last four volumes of ‘100 Best in Photography’.

Dennis Pendersen:  Dennis Pedersen; A technical pro, leading the way in Still Life and creative product photography for over 20 years. Working with a variety of regular clientele Dennis is a renowned professional within the cosmetic and beauty world; their creative needs are exceeded with his ability to produce diverse, imaginative and technically outstanding images, which have set the benchmark for quality. With the transition from the darkroom to digital, Dennis house’s his own retouching / post production studio allowing him to push the boundaries of the label ‘ Still Life ’ photographer, bringing images alive wherever it be with an explosion of water or a flare of special effects. Working from his own studios in Shoreditch, London. Dennis has developed an extensive portfolio ranging from Editorial and PR through to POS and Advertising.