What is still life? Still life is typically a photograph or painting of objects such as fruit, flowers, glassware, everyday objects and more. It captures the detail in objects seen in everyday life whether man made or from nature.

Here’s some examples of still life paintings. They are typically realistically painted. They are usually painted from looking at the arrangement, but can also be from a reference photo.

These are some examples of still life in photography:

They can range from dramatic and intense photos, with dark surrounding to create a dramatic mood.

Or they can have bright backgrounds creating a light-hearted mood, with less dramatic tones as the previous image.

Still life time-line:

Vanitas

Vanitas is a 17th-century still life painting in a Dutch genre. It contains symbols of death and change to remind them of their inevitability.

Memento Mori

Similar to Vanitas, Memento Mori is an object kept as a reminder of the inevitability of death. A skull is typically used for this as a reminder.

Metaphors and Symbols in Still Life

A classic still life painting is a basket of fruit. Although they come across as what they are, the painting or photograph can be depicted to have symbolic meaning. For example, apples could signify temptation from the story of Adam and Eve. For instance, Italian Baroque painter Caravaggio’s still life painting has rotting fruit in it, which he used to symbolise his feelings about the Protestant Reformation at the time.

Another symbol is how candles represent the inevitability of time passing. The longer a candles burn, the closer it is to there being nothing left. This also is a symbol of death like Vanitas and Memento Mori.

However on the other hand flowers can be a symbol of life, growth and power. The beauty and vibrancy they hold can represent how life can be the same. Although the idea can be flipped when a wilting flower is painted. It is a reminder of material goods and how beauty is fragile.

WHAT IS SHUTTER SPEED?

Shutter speed is the length of time that the film or digital sensor inside the camera is exposed to light when taking a photograph. A fast shutter speed will reduces the amount of light meaning the image will be sharper and it won’t be as over exposed. If the shutter speed is slow it will allow a greater amount of light in to the camera making the image blurred and under focused and therefore making the image over exposed.

JOHN BALDESSARI

John Anthony Baldessari was an American artist known for his pioneering use of appropriated imagery. He lived and worked in Santa Monica and Venice, California.

PHOTO GAMES

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When taking the photos of the dodge balls we used a fast shutter speed, which therefore created a sharper and defined image. Whereas when taking the pictures of the boxing punches we used a slower shutter speed which therefore creates a more blurred and unclear image.

Studio lights are any form of lighting equipment used by photographers, often when working in a photography studio, to enhance their photography. Most professional photographers have different light kits they use depending on the situation they find themselves shooting in.

Continuous lighting

Continuous lighting setups allow you to keep your subjects pre-lit using the same light levels as when you take the photograph, these lights will stay on the whole time. Other lights, like traditional flashes or strobe lights, produce light only in momentary flashes, making it harder to adjust the lighting before shooting.

Because the lights are on all the time, you can position your model and change the light stand to have the light fall precisely the way you want it. You can instantly see where the shadows fall, adjust the highlights and/or double check that the catch lights hit the eye just by raising or lowering the light or moving the stand around. 

Continuous lighting will allow you to photograph simultaneously without interfering with each other’s lighting.

With continuous lighting, you don’t need to worry about external lighting components like triggers. That means you can get your shoot set up quickly and easily regardless of how many cameras you intend to use.

Where as Flash Lighting is when it illuminates the area with light. When you’re taking a photo in low light conditions, you might need a flash.

Flash lighting

Like flashes of lightning in nature, not all strobes have the same flash duration. Having a short flash duration is the key to freezing fast action. Some strobe lights do not have their flash duration speeds published but, in general, increased power means the flash will not only be brighter, but the flash duration will also be longer.

To start off I have flagged the pictures that I would like to use and crossed off the ones that I don’t like as much.

Secondly I pressed the flagged button on the dropdown box so the pictures that I didn’t need are not visible and I can only see the ones that I would like to work with.

Then i pressed the X and Y button to compare two images, you can also zoom into details by using the magnifying glass which helps you to compare the details. and see what one has better focus or better lighting.

then I started editing the pictures, e.g. changing that saturation and the texture and just generally playing around with the settings to see which was more appealing to me.

I then exported the photo into my folder twice once at 2000 pixels and once at 4000 pixels. I did this so I have two pictures at different sizes

Then picked out the different neutral tones that where in the picture by using the colour picker

What is still life?

Still life is derived from the Dutch word ‘stilleven’. Originating in the 17th century during the popularity for paintings of objects throughout Europe. The term ‘still life’ defines art that shows inanimate objects from the natural or man-made world. e.g. fruits, flowers, baskets, bowls, etc. There are probably about 4 main categories of still life; flowers, banquet or breakfast, animals, symbolic. Symbolic still life refers to art that shows an ordinary object which will portray a deeper meaning.

Vanitas

A vanitas is a symbolic work of art showing the transience of life, the futility of pleasure, and the certainty of death, often contrasting symbols of wealth and symbols of ephemerality and death.

Memento mori

Vanitas are closely related to memento mori still lifes which are pieces of art that portray the shortness and fragility of life. Memento mori is a Latin phrase which translates ‘remember you must die’. They include symbolic objects like skulls and extinguished candles. Other examples of symbols include; musical instruments, wine and books to represent the explicitly of vanity.

The 10 most common symbols in Still life are:

WHAT IS STILL LIFE?

Still life photography is “a genre of photography used for the depiction of inanimate subject matter, typically a small group of objects.” or just inanimate objects in front of a camera.

These inanimate objects can be anything ranging from flowers and plants to food and man-made objects.

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STILL LIFE TIMELINE

Still life artwork had origins in the ancient Egyptians and Roman times as well as having appearances during the Middle ages and Renaissances eras. Paintings in ancient Egypt mainly consisted of common foods and objects but historians believe they had a much deeper meaning.

Still life is derived from the Dutch word ‘stilleven’ which was made in the 17th century when the popularity of objects in paintings increased throughout Europe. Still life photography originally arose during the 20th century with art photographers such as Baron Adolf de Meyer making it more popular.

Modern art still life was brought back with art movements such as Impressionism where artist like Vincent Van Gogh made a new meaning for the genre.

Its with the immense rise of modern still life art and the wonders of photography that still life photography was born.

WHAT IS VANITAS?

Vanitas – Latin for ‘vanity’ – is symbolic works of art showing the transition from life to death along with themes of: symbols of arts and sciences (books, maps, and musical instruments), wealth and power (purses, jewellery, gold objects), and earthly pleasures (goblets, pipes, and playing cards); symbols of death or transience (skulls, clocks, burning candles, soap bubbles, and flowers); and, sometimes, symbols of resurrection and eternal life (usually ears of corn or sprigs of ivy). It was a common genre during the 16th and 17th century and originated in the Netherlands, evolving from simple pictures of skulls and other symbols of death.

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WHAT IS MEMENTO MORI?

Memento mori – Latin for ‘remember that you [have to] die’ – symbolises the inevitability of death. Items typically found in the pictures are skulls, hourglasses, clocks, candles, fruits, and flowers. The memento mori genre rose to popularity during the 17th century, a religious age where almost everyone believed that life on Earth was just a preparation for the afterlife.

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WHAT KIND OF METAPHORS AND SYMBOLS ARE USED IN STILL LIFE AND WHY?

Still life can be interpreted and seen in many different ways but the main symbolism includes:

• Fruit: religion (forbidden fruit in the garden of Eden), pleasure, lust
• Skulls: life, death, morality
• Candles: death, God (light of Christ), loss
• Flowers: life, growth, danger (poisonous types), love (red rose)
• Seashells: birth, purity, fertility, freedom
• Gold/silver: luxury, pleasure, culture, travels, trade

What is Aperture

 Aperture is the feature which controls the amount of light that comes into the camera. To do this you would shrink or enlarge it.

Aperture also affects the depth of field. By changing how the image is focused. For example, the image could be focused on one isolated object in the middle of the image whilst blurring out the background. or it could be focused on the whole image.

Aperture

The higher the focus is than the smaller the amplitude will be. You can also adjust the aperture settings on your camera by turning the dial to the ‘A’ button and then spin the wheel at the front of the camera.

My aperture experiments

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We tested the aperture by taking pictures of different things we collected from the beach such as, Shells, Rocks, Flip Flops and seaweed by Using two types of set ups, The first one we used was the infinity table which gives the illusion of a infinite white background in the image. To change the colours We used different coloured gel sheets covering the lights which eventually changed the colour of the images. Our second set up was using more natural light, with a white backdrop.

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Our second set up was using more natural light, with a white backdrop.

The picture below was taken with a big Aperture

and the picture below was taken with a smell Aperture

You can see the difference as the first image is focusing on only the centre point of the picture when the second one shows the image as a whole with no CenterPoint.

What is still life?

Still life photography is a genre of photography used for the depiction of inanimate subject matter, typically a small group of objects. The English term ‘still life’ is derived from the Dutch word stilleven, in the 17th century when still-life art was at the height of European popularity.

Timeline

What is Vanitas?

A still life artwork which includes various symbolic objects designed to remind the viewer of their mortality and of the worthlessness of worldly goods and pleasures. Vanitas are closely related to memento mori still lifes.

What is Memento Mori?

Memento mori still lifes are artworks that remind the viewer of the shortness and fragility of life (memento mori is a Latin phrase meaning ‘remember you must die’) and include symbols such as skulls and extinguished candles.

What kind of metaphors and symbols are used in still life and why?

1633 – Francisco de Zurbarán (Spanish, 1598-1664)

The objects portrayed here contained significant religious meaning, the measured placement of the three motifs, for example, would have been instantly understood as an allusion to the Holy Trinity. The painting has been interpreted as an homage to the Virgin, with the oranges, their blossoms, and the cup of water symbolizing her purity, and the thorn less rose referring to her Immaculate Conception.

Common symbols in still life

Fruit

Not only does a basket of fruit offer the artist a variety of colours and textures to utilize, but it also offers a variety of religious and mythical symbols. For example, in Christianity, apples signify temptation and knowledge in reference to the Old Testament account of Eve eating the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden.

Skulls

One of the more heavy-handed symbols that appears in vanitas still life paintings is the skull, which is a striking reminder of the certainty of death. Such a symbol is called a Memento Mori, a Latin phrase meaning “Remember that you will die.”

Candles

Candles represent the inevitability of the passing of time—the longer they burn, the smaller they get until there is nothing left. A lit candle symbolizes light, truth, and knowledge. An extinguished candle symbolizes loss and death. In Christianity, a brightly burning candle indicates faith in God or the light of Christ.

What is still life photography?

Still life photography is a form photography that shows life less objects. Still life photography originated from still life paintings as they were immensely popular throughout Europe. When taking still life photos you have to find a way to make your images interesting and unique. This could be done by changing the lighting, background or the arrangement of the objects your photographing.

Examples of still life photography:

These examples show how still photography can vary from simple images with little props in the photo or to a complicated image with quite a lot to focus on in the image. They also show how different lighting and backgrounds can be used to bring out different elements in the image such as how dramatic the image is.

Examples of still life paintings:

Still life Photography Timeline:

What is Vanitas?

Vanitas is a symbolic work of art showing the short lasting of life, the pointlessness of pleasure, and the certainty of death. Vanitas often contrasts symbols of wealth and symbols of and death.

What is Memento Mori?

Memento mori is an artistic or symbolic expression acting as a reminder of the inevitability of death. Memento mori originated from the philosophers of classical antiquity and Christianity and mainly appeared in art.

What kind of metaphors and symbols are used in still life?

The top 5 symbols used in still life were:

Fruits– Varying Symbolism In Still Life Paintings

Skulls–  The Certainty Of Mortality 

Candles–  The Passing Of Time

Flowers– Symbols Of Life And Growth 

Seashells– Birth, Purity, And Fertility