What is still life ?

Still life photogrpahy is a genre of photography used for the depiction of inanimate subject matter, typically a small group of objects.

Image analysis:

• There are 15 objects in the photo all placed together and arranged.
• There is darkness behind them which implies emptiness.
• There is a skull which represents death and the objects around are very random.
• it creates a sense of oldness with the feather and ink.
• The gold vase along with the gold key, coins and gold stripes on the book represnt wealth.
• all the objects are plastic
• There is hight created by the aragment of the objects correlates to being a higher class.
• it is a vanitas.

The start of still life.

The painting generally considered to be the first still life is a work by the Italian painter Jacopo de’Barbari painted 1504. The “golden age” of still-life painting occurred in the Lowlands during the 17th century.

main still life artists from 1571-1954

-Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571 – 1610)
-Clara Peeters (1594 – 1657)
-Jacob Van Es (1596 – 1666)
-Pieter Claesz (1597 – 1661)
-Rachel Ruysch (1664 – 1750)
-Paul Cézanne (1839 – 1906)
-Paul Gauguin (1848 – 1903)
-Henri Matisse (1869 – 1954)

popular still life artist nowadays.

Michaël Borremans

Johnathon knowles

what is vanitas?

A vanitas contains a collection of objects symbolic of the inevitability of death and the transience and vanity of earthly achievements and pleasures.

response picture.

what is Memento Mori?

memento mori translation form latin means  “Remember that you must die.”A basic memento mori painting would be a portrait with a skull but other symbols commonly found are hour glasses or clocks, extinguished or guttering candles, fruit, and flowers.it is similar to a vanitas.

metaphors and symbols in still life.

FRUIT: 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.

BIRDS: represent the resurrection of the soul after death.

BOOKS: they mean learning or transmitting knowledge.

Johnathon Knowles response shoot.

Formalism:

Formalism is the study of art based on analysis of its form, the way it is made and what it looks like. Formalism photography is where the design, composition and lighting are dominant over the subject matter, and concentrates on the desired subject while eliminating everything else, to make the subject the main focus. Paying attention to the formal elements will help you emphasise the most critical aspects of the shot.

The seven formal elements are commonly known as:
– Line
– Shape & Form
– Pattern
– Tone
– Colour
– Texture
– Space

For my artist response, I chose to use the artist Walker Evans as inspiration for my photographs because I found his work really interesting as he uses tools to take single object photographs.

Importing photos

I used Lightroom Classic to edit and organise my photographs. Using this, I have learnt the skills of importing images from the computer files into Lightroom Classic, I can also rate my images from 1-5 stars depending on the quality and pick my best images from the photoshoot.

Flag colour representation:

• RED: Images that could’ve been improved
• YELLOW: Good images that I could potentially use
• GREEN: My best images

Single object photoshoot:

Single Object editing:

Edit 1:

Before editing:

After editing:

In the unedited photo above, I found that the image seemed too dull, with no colour. I decided to edit the image so that the hammer had more texture to it and stood out so the viewer’s focus was only on the tool. I also increased the saturation, this made the background colour brighter and a heavier pink tone.

Edit 2:

Edit 3:

Edit 4:

I chose these images as my ‘best’ ones because the quality of the photography is high and, in most of the images, I like the way the texture of the background contrasts with the smoothness of the objects. In the other ones, I like how the background looks so smooth so the focus is mainly on the objects.

Single:

I like these images because they all have a similar warm tone which gives off a feeling of nostalgia and could be categorised as ‘vintage’, as if these images were taken a long time ago.

Comparison:

before vs after

I chose to edit this image because out of all of my still life images, this was the best one and also my favourite. I edited this image using Adobe Lightroom Classic. I found that increasing the colours made a huge impact on the detail of the photograph. I decreased the whites to make the background seem a bit darker than it was. I also increased the vibrancy and saturation so the light shining on the objects came across as a warmer tone.

Experimentation on presentation:

Triptych:

A triptych is when you present a group of three images. So finally, I decided to use triptych as a way to present these images because I like the layout and it is therefore easier to compare them. I chose to use these 3 photos because I found that they stood out to me the most, as they all are higher quality and are similar in a way as they all represent a warm tone.

<—– before – after —->

<—- before – after —–>

<—– before – after —–>

<—– before – after —->

First Photoshoot:

In this photoshoot, I collected objects such as tools like Walker Evans. I ensured each one was of a specific shape or a different colour from the others so that every other photograph from this photoshoot looked different. I also took lighting as a big factor in the photo shoot as I believe in the photoshoot lighting was a big contributor to how the photo shoot turned out as it was important for it to be brightened up.

Development Photoshoot 2 Contact Sheet: Using multiple objects

In this photoshoot, I experimented with different textures, and layers and thought about how I could potentially rotate and position multiple objects similarly to the artists (Walker Evan and “Beauties of the Common Tool”).

I played around with the cutlery with different backgrounds and different textures. In this photoshoot, the photographs didn’t turn out as well as I wanted to therefore I decided to experiment with the same silverware and other objects in another photoshoot. What I would improve in the net photoshoot is the angle of the camera lens to make it look inspired by the photographer Walker Evans with his silver tools.

In this photograph, the camera is positioned at a low angle to add perspective to the silverware. I like the outlook of the photograph and how the strong shadows and artificial lighting creates a clear silhouette of the silverware.

In this particular photograph, I wanted to crop out the odd black dots around the edges of the photograph and I wanted the different tonalities of the photograph to be around in different areas so I decided to make beneath the tape a light point.

The photograph below is presented as the one presented above (editing process). To create the specific shadows and depth in the photograph consisted of narrowing down the exposure, and shadows and dehazing the photograph. I increased the temperature (warm) and the highlights of the photograph so that the highlights are illuminated and the images is bolder and has more depth.

Third Photoshoot:

Similar to the work of Walker Evans, the shadows are not visible in these photos and the objects are taken from a face-on angle. The camera settings used for this particular photograph on the top was taken at a 43mm range of depth on the lens, at a f/6.3 aperture and at a 1/100 sec shutter speed. The photograph was also set at an ISO 100 meaning that the camera lens’ sensitivity to light was slightly lower than the much higher settings.

This could have an effect on the outcome of the photograph as the red and purple glossy overlay could mean that if the settings are high then the outcome of the silver ware will look too light and pastel therefore having the shadows and outline of an objects increased the result looks increasingly better and advanced.

In the second photograph on the bottom, the camera settings are set at a manual mode of the lens 47mm and an aperture of f/6.3. The photograph has a shutter speed of 1/100 sec and an ISO of 100.

In this photograph, I tried to bolder the shadows/highlights and the exposure levels so that the contrasting colours can look striking and look brighter than all the other colours. The camera settings used manually to create this photograph were: a 55mm lens close-up, an aperture of f/6.3, a shutter speed of 1/100 sec, an ISO of 10 and no flash as the image itself does not have many shadows and darker areas therefore does not require the additional light.

This print screen demonstrated the editing process changing the photo filter to a cooler undertone, I chose to do this as it represents the cooler-toned colouring pencils. It may also link to a story/ feeling/ theme of nostalgia as the colouring pencils may be remembered as a thing that was used when you were younger/ a child so that cool undertone of the blues may represent that sadness/ memory and thought of the past.

Born in 1903 in St Louis, Missouri, Walker “dabbled with painting as a child, collected picture postcards, and made snapshots of his family and friends with a small Kodak camera. He continued to take photography as a hobby when his family moved to Chicago, and subsequently Ohio. After a year at “Williams College, he quit school and moved to New York City, finding work in bookstores and at the New York Public Library, where he could freely indulge his passion”. Between 1943 and 1965, “he worked as a staff photographer for Time and Fortune”. Soon after retiring from professional photography in 1965, he taught graphic arts at Yale. “Walker Evans’s photographs were as prototypes both for the American documentary movement of the 1930s and for street photographers of the 1940s and 50s”.

In the “Beauties of the common tool” Walker Evans works with a contrast of silver hard materials describing it in his accompanying text as “Among low-priced, factory-produced goods, none is so appealing to the senses as the ordinary hand tool. Hence, a hardware store is a kind of offbeat museum show for the man who responds to good, clear ‘undesigned’ forms”. The “images of a reamer, an awl, a bill hook, an auger, various pliers, and a couple of variations on a T-square and some wrenches.” are photographed showing the simplicity of dusky and darkened tools when photographed alone.

I like how the photographs are presented and how the idea of Formalism comes across because both aspects of “form and style” play throughout the photograph such as the texture on the rocks contrasting to the shadow and dark features exposed to the lens behind the object. The “visual aspects” of Darren’s images are the different shaped creases and crevasses on the rocks.

This image is my best image because the tilted angle of the violin along with the placement of the objects makes the image very pleasing to look at and the angle and shape of the violin complements the other objects by making them become more visible so they are not washed out by the violin.

This is another strong image as the colour contrast between the snow globe and the violin makes both objects stand out as the colours compliment each other making the violin look darker and a stronger colour of brown and the snow globe a brighter white.

I colour-coded, rated and flagged my first photoshoot down to my best and worst images. Then I edited my favourites to make the details in them more emphasized.

I increased the exposure on this image to make the main focal points brighter and catch the viewers eye. I used the flashlight to create a cool toned image and then enhanced it when editing to make it a cooler temperature. I highlighted certain areas to make them stand out more.

I changed the angle in this image to create a birds eye view. I touched up any imperfections that I could find and changed the temperature again to create a cooler toned image. I highlighted certain objects to make them attract the eye more.

• Aperture = f/11
• Shutter speed = 1/125 sec
• ISO = 100
• Focal length = 53 mm

In this image, I used some of my own jewellery that I wear everyday. I increased the temperature of the image to make it warmer because I felt that it would complement the gold more and make it brighter. I highlighted the parts that reflected the light to enhance them more.

• Aperture = f/5.6
• Shutter speed = 1/40 sec
• ISO = 400
• Focal length = 29mm

In today’s lesson we were experimenting with a Virtual Camera and adjusting the Shutter speed, ISO and Aperture to see how the photos would look.

In the photo above I used a lower shutter speed to clearly see the propellers on the plane and experimented with the exposure and depth of field, so the aeroplane is in focus.

In the photo above I used a higher shutter speed which makes the blades on the propeller look blurry and adjusted the exposure to make the light in the photo look better.

In the photo above I was experimenting with lowering the Aperture which makes only the aeroplane be in focus.

In the photo above I significantly increased the ISO and increased the shutter speed to help expose the photo. The result made the photo look a bit grainy.

Adding different filters to your photos can make a big difference as it can add contrast and different textures. There are effects that you can control like the sharpness of the photo and the texture. If you make the texture strong then you will get a photo that looks like it has a gradient effect or if you put it quite low then you can make your photo look like a painting.

photoshoots

during my photoshoot I went down to the studio and placed a few items down, I then proceeded to move them around to see what items fitted best. I believe that the lighting on the items do change a lot, for example when adding a warm colours to the photo it can show a precious moment, almost as if it was a memory however when using quite a bright and bold light that can make the photo look a lot more colder and more modern as more technology and lighting was involved.

Some of my photos:

If I were to recreate this I would have liked to take pictures of some of the tapes individually as sometimes putting too many items can complicate the the photo and the idea of still life. I like to keep my photos quite simple and not too abstract, What I really like about my photo’s is that you can see the reflection of the object, this means that the line of reflection is the perpendicular bisector between the preimage and the image.

The reason I chose to take pictures of tape is because they are really basic and simple, they don’t necessarily hold meaning but they are easy to work with. I managed to get tape in different sizes and colours which make the photo look minimalist.

Photo Analysis