# Common Theme Photo Gallery - October 2011



## yustr (Sep 27, 2004)

Still Life - with or without Woodpecker


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## zuluclayman (Dec 16, 2005)

a series of 3 Vanitas still life images I made mid way through last year while recovering - maybe a little reflection on my life going on then :grin:

1: Faith - the ceramic piece is one of my sculptures from 1990










2: Plenty - using food & other items as symbols of plenty but also of impermanence & decay










3: Time - a reflection on the passing of life - the photograph is one of me (and my older sister) when I was a baby


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## Dori1960 (May 19, 2011)

What a lovely series! All are very balanced and well lit!


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## DonaldG (Aug 23, 2007)

A lovely bottle of French wine. A lovely day, lovely meal, lovely company and now a lovely memory...


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## DonaldG (Aug 23, 2007)

What Dori said +1


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## Dori1960 (May 19, 2011)

Very good detail in yours, Donald. I like that it is BW! ray:


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## yustr (Sep 27, 2004)

Two - very much not related


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## DonaldG (Aug 23, 2007)

I had this bright idea:











Mother Nature's still life:


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## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

Superb pics all, beautiful detail and well composed ray:

@ Donald - Re: the B&W wine-bottle, Mrs WereBo asks if it's B&W, how can you tell if it's a red or white wine?.... :grin:


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## Acuta73 (Mar 17, 2008)

Very nice shots! I love that light bulb and the B/W bottle, Donald. Love the message of that sculpture too, Zulu. Very nice.

I have never tried stills or portraits (beyond random pics of people that wouldn't qualify as a portrait). I guess I need to give it a go? Composition actually seems easier in a landscape or macro, nature does the work for you. Time to learn to compose my own shots, I suppose!


Edit: Why food and wine? I certainly enjoy both, but not sure I understand the desire to photograph them in such a way...


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## zuluclayman (Dec 16, 2005)

Acuta73 said:


> Edit: Why food and wine? I certainly enjoy both, but not sure I understand the desire to photograph them in such a way...


Still life can be simply a pleasing composition where it is irrelevant, in some ways what the elements are. (yustr's crayons make a pleasing shape and colour composition)
It can be a representation of elements of something that evokes a feeling/mood or resonates with one or more of our senses - taste, touch, smell, sight or sound. (yustr's wine and food alludes to the taste of fine food and wine, good times etc)
It can be a detailed portrait of an object in space - where the negative space is as important as the positive space taken up by the object or is simply showing an interesting object's shape, texture, colours (Donald's B&W wine bottle, light bulb)
It can also tell a symbolic story as in my Vanitas images.

It can also serve more than one of these purposes - this is where the viewer comes in - each person will "get" different things from any one of the images depending on their background.

Lecture over - please summarise points and present them in class with an image of your choice next lesson - ha ha, can't get the teacher out of my system yet


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## Acuta73 (Mar 17, 2008)

Well, it seems I have my assignment....

Will see what I can do in the next week or 2. 

Read the Wiki entry and your description. Thank you.


@Werebo- the cork is stained dark? <hides>


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## DonaldG (Aug 23, 2007)

Superb comentary, ZCM! ray:


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## Done_Fishin (Oct 10, 2006)

zuluclayman said:


> Still life can be simply a pleasing composition where it is irrelevant, in some ways what the elements are. (yustr's crayons make a pleasing shape and colour composition)
> It can be a representation of elements of something that evokes a feeling/mood or resonates with one or more of our senses - taste, touch, smell, sight or sound. (yustr's wine and food alludes to the taste of fine food and wine, good times etc)
> It can be a detailed portrait of an object in space - where the negative space is as important as the positive space taken up by the object or is simply showing an interesting object's shape, texture, colours (Donald's B&W wine bottle, light bulb)
> It can also tell a symbolic story as in my Vanitas images.
> ...


so what you are saying is that anything can be still life .. it's just how the photographer feels about it ???


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## zuluclayman (Dec 16, 2005)

Still life is usually thought of as a collection of inanimate objects - can be almost anything non living - picked flowers, fruit etc counts as non living (inanimate) because it they no longer have life/movement/growth. This means that images of many different objects could be classified as still life. Portraits & landscapes don't come into the still life genre.
The commentary I gave above is just some ways that still life can be interpreted by photographers/artists. For me to think of an image as a good still life there needs to be some kind of intent, a rationale for making the image - not just that the object looks good of itself - this can be as simple as a good composition or as complex as a heavily symbolic image.
hmm - does that add to the confusion or help :grin:

just to confuse/expand the issue:

Salvador Dali, the great Surrealist painter did a painting which has the popular title (not its real title) of Still LIfe - fast moving:










Phillipe Halsman did a photographic portrait of Dali based on this idea of a still life with movement:











To do this took a number of takes - Dali jumping each time and assistants throwing water and a poor cat each time until Halsman was happy with the image. :laugh:

and, no it is not considered a still life :grin:


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## aparis99 (Mar 1, 2011)

2 by AParis99, on Flickr


IMG_3286 by AParis99, on Flickr


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## Done_Fishin (Oct 10, 2006)

Does this count as still life ?? :laugh:


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## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

I'd guess so, just as long as you don't drink from the can whilst photographing it.... :grin:


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## Done_Fishin (Oct 10, 2006)

Luckily I don't drink that dark brew .. so I wasn't tempted .. :laugh:


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## Done_Fishin (Oct 10, 2006)

for those who have visited Greece .. this is a Frappe Coffee .. for those that haven't .. it's about time you did!


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## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

Although I don't drink coffee, I'd love to visit Greece - Unfortunately, I'd need several years there, to investigate all the historic sites... :grin:


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## Done_Fishin (Oct 10, 2006)

several years just isn't enough .. several lifetimes might be closer :laugh:


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