Still Life:

Is contemporary photographic still life simply a repetition of conventions and concerns of traditional

still life painting in another medium?

Or is it sophisticated re-working of the genre that allows the photographer to address contemporary
issues in a complex way.

From the early nineteenth century to the current day, photographers have been captivated by still
life. It's a tradition steeped in metaphorical depth and meaning, with lavish, exotic, and occasionally
sinister arrangements.
Source #1: https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1413380/dessert-photograph-tutton-frederick-
george/

Source #2: https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1097711/the-return-after-three-days-photograph-
cameron-julia-margaret/

When the earliest photographers took up the still life genre, they were inheriting a visual history that
had been passed down through generations of painters.

Through our historic photography collection, this exhibition explored the history of the still life
photograph.

It looked at how photographers have employed formal and aesthetic standards in their work, and
how these have been altered and subverted to allow for more creative expression.

A Note on Still Life Paintings and Early Photography.

Since the Renaissance, still life paintings have been popular, peaking in the 17th century.

Life in the stillness Paintings (also known as Vanitas) were used to express a moral or religious
message. They emphasised the transience of life, as well as the inevitability of death and decay.
Many items have difficult-to-decipher allegorical or symbolic significance.
Among the common motifs observed were falling petals, rotting fruit, skulls, timepieces, and burning
candles.

In the early days of photography, long exposure periods were required, and still life was an ideal
subject. Traditional motifs and materials were used in aesthetically pleasing compositions by
photographers who embraced the genre. These enabled for the exploration of photography's
possibilities through composition, framing, and light experiments, resulting in photographs that have
had a lasting effect on modern art.

Illusions of Vision in Photography

In the 1850s, stereo photography was extremely popular. People could examine images in three
dimensions using a special viewer. Photographers had plenty of material to work with in the form of
still life settings.

A stereoscopic camera was frequently used to generate the 3D illusion. This resulted in two photos
being captured at the same time, each from a slightly different perspective. Alternatively, the
photographer might take two different images, each one shifting the camera 6.5 cm to the left or
right.

Order and arrangements: Still Life Photography

To produce a visually pleasing or meaningful image, objects are meticulously picked and put in
traditional still life compositions. Modern photography has continued this tradition, with
photographers using props, building up complex sets, and constructing elaborate situations to
capture.

Other photographers are on the lookout for visually arresting compositions that will elicit thought.
Everyday objects hold incredible patterns and meaning for these photographers. Although some of
the photos appear chaotic, there is an apparent order in the midst of the turmoil.

To create their desired results, photographers sometimes focus on pre-existing groupings of items,
employing framing in the camera or subsequent cropping of the shot.

Close inspection of the Naturally Hidden.

Photography can be used in science to chronicle and record details that aren't visible to the naked
eye. The beauty and complexity of hidden structures and natural patterns are revealed.

Microscopy entails zooming in on little animals and cell structures with extremely high
magnification. Radiography, often known as X-ray photography, reveals things we can't see, such as
hidden organs in animals and flowers.

Presence of Life & Dark in Still Photography

The connection between photography and light is unbreakable. In photography, light is utilised to
illuminate the subject and generate the image. The effects of light, reflection, and shade are the
most important elements in each composition. The changing quality of natural or artificial light is
manipulated and photographed in such a way that it becomes the focal point of the image.

Objects, Figures, & Stillness

People are rarely present in still life. While the human form is not the main focus of these images, it
is a significant aspect of the overall composition.
To illustrate character or artistic activity, scenes might be built around the subject.

These images freeze a moment in time, allowing the spectator to see and analyse an occurrence that
would otherwise pass in the blink of an eye. Change and movement are indicated but not visible.

Some of these photographs served a practical use, such as determining the winner of a horse race or
examining the movement of a bullet shattering glass.

Photographers sometimes construct arrangements by meticulously arranging disparate sections of

different images together.

Combination prints are a good example of this. These are created by combining numerous negatives
into a single image. The subject's component parts are captured separately and in great focus.
Individual negatives are then exposed one by one on photographic paper. This results in a tight-
fitting jigsaw that is tightly organised to form a new, cohesive image.

Although creating a still life was not the primary goal when these photos were taken, the objects and
physical arrangements reflect the characteristics of a still life composition.

These images reflect on mortality and the passage of time. To transmit political or personal
meanings, some people purposefully alter and undermine established symbols.

Types of Still Photography

Still life photography is divided into several subcategories. Here are a few examples:

Tabletop Photography

The most prevalent type of still life photography is tabletop photography. When most people hear
the term "still life photography," they immediately think of this. Shooting things tiny enough to fit on
a table falls within this category. As long as the things are inanimate, the photographer can use
whatever he or she wants.

Product Photography

Product photography is another example. It can be classified as a sort of still life because it involves
photographing inanimate objects. The key difference between the two categories is that product
photography's primary objective is to showcase a product.

The goal of these images is to provide a clear view of the product with no interruptions. Still life
images, on the other hand, are usually more artistically motivated and provide more options for
creativity.

Here’s What I’ve Learnt about Still Life Photography

Start with a theme. You could choose music, writing, art, or sports in general, for example.

Once you've decided on a topic, choose one concept from it. Each object in your still life should
support or compliment your overall concept. Also, one of the most important questions that I ask
myself in the planning state is: With images, what do I want to express about this concept? Consider
what you want to say to the audience. Sometimes we make "art for the sake of art."

To understand how photographers have done their work historically, go through them, not just still
photography but paintings too to understand how artists manipulate the light to capture their
subject.
Personally, I like to look at Irving Penn’s work.

When working with still-life shots, doing a trial and error approach will not be the ideal one.

Sketching down your rough ideas on a pen and a pad to help you visualise what exactly you’re trying
to say is going to help you in your creative process.

I discovered that photographing still lifes outside rather than in a studio was much easier. The
objects are first pre-arranged. I've photographed various outdoor things in still life, including a
mailbox, a fire hydrant, and a stop sign. Second, for the majority of the photos, I used ambient light
or accessible light—bright sunlight or diffused light from an overcast sky. I love photographing found
objects, such as a discarded, empty beer bottle in the woods or a seashell on the beach. Rocks,
flowers, trinkets, toys, and vintage artefacts like a record player are all common still life subjects. A
still life shot can feature any inanimate object.

I try to shoot no more than ten photos from various perspectives and lighting.

I've discovered that the more images I shoot, the less comfortable I am with item placement. "A
good photograph is one that communicates a fact, affects the heart, and leaves the viewer a
changed person as a result of seeing it," remarked Irving Penn. The best photographers, in my
opinion, are capable of arranging and capturing still life things as art.

To understand the still-ness better, these are some of the finest works that I like to go through to
help me realise there is a lot of beauty even in things you wouldn’t realise instantly.

Some Historic examples of Still Life Photographs

The mechanics of movement are demonstrated in Eadweard Muybridge's sequential series of

animals or athletes in motion, represented by Animal Locomotion, Cockatoo Flying (1887, below).

These still lives are based on scientific approach and experimentation in equal measure. Shutter
speed, exposure time, aperture size, lens length, and a variety of film emulsions were all
meticulously tracked, tested, and investigated. Photographs that were often artistically beautiful or
intriguing were simply a byproduct of all of these scientific issues.

The diversity seen in contemporary photographers' work, which uses staging or construction to
create still life compositions, is often rooted in the re-visiting of classical ideas. This typically features
purposefully faulty and occasionally bizarre copies of the classic still life genre, with camera-ready
setups evocative of Surrealist imagery.

Philip Halsman's Dali Atomicus (1948) is an example of this, in which surrealism of  disorder takes
the front row.

 This is in stark contrast to the motivations that drove Roger Fenton and T.B. Gonne's mid-
nineteenth-century still life photography.
Source: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/195560/animal-locomotion-plate-758

Source: https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/person/103KEV

Another, maybe more powerful, motif found in 17th century paintings was death. Motifs like low-
burning candles, withering flowers, the bodies of slain wildlife and animals, and the occasional
glimpse of a skull in the background represented destiny and mortality. Two stereoscopic pictures by
Thomas Richard Williams, The Sands of Time (1855, below) and Articles of Vert (1855, above), are
excellent examples of early photographers recognising and employing these symbols. Williams used
the aesthetic of traditional 'vanitas' paintings to create images that could be viewed in three
dimensions with the help of a stereoscopic viewer.

Source: https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/object/104FDM

This drastically changed the visual dynamic, and just as digital technology continues to push
boundaries today, so did the Victorian era's willingness to experiment with and explore new
technologies. During that time period, the intensity of experimentation resulted in and brought
about unexpectedly rapid developments in photographic technology.

Don McCullin’s A Dead North Vietnamese Soldier and his Plundered Belongings, Hue (1968, below)
Source: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/mccullin-a-young-dead-north-vietnamese-soldier-
with-his-possessions-ar01195

Is a completely different type of documentary photography. The dismal reality of combat and the toll
it takes on life is revealed, and a famous allusion to 'nature morte' is made as a result. McCullin had
organised this soldier's paperwork and personal belongings, which was unbeknownst to the viewers
at the time this photo was taken. As a result, for aesthetic effect and emotional intensity, the shot
was staged. Paul Graham's Grave with Plastic Flowers, Belfast (1984) offers an equally profound and
poignant allusion to death and our relationship with it, in which the artificial beauty of the flowers
strives in vain to compensate for the painful loss of a loved one.

The interplay of light and shadow has fascinated and influenced a number of early twentieth-century
photographers, including László Moholy-Nagy, Aleksander Mikhailovich Rodchenko, and Josef Sudek,
in the same way that it has informed and occupied the work of notable historic painters like
Caravaggio. Changes in the direction or brightness of a light source may dramatically modify the
visual dynamic of a picture.

The strategic use of light and shadow is exemplified in Paul Strand's New York (1916), where the
strength of contrast between light and shadow is key to the aesthetic and visual impact—the strong
chiaroscuro and clash of diagonals completely dominate the composition, creating an essentially
abstract image—

The still life photograph, as a vehicle for hybridity and the 'art of arrangement,' is an art form that is
currently approaching its second century.

In terms of art history, it is still in its infancy, with a youthful vitality to connect with new ideas and
technologies, and, like painting, the still life genre will not go quietly.

Resources used

https://www.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk

https://www.getty.edu/art/collection

https://www.vam.ac.uk

YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6bnfOOYYNA&t=4s

Reddit
Thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/photography/comments/2noa9r/who_are_your_favorite_still_lif
e_photographers/