Thursday, January 29, 2015

Thoughts on Still Life Style (Be Still 52, #3)

Wedding Bud Vase
Only three weeks into the course, I can already tell that Kim Klassen's Be Still 52 is going to be a winner. This week's lesson was jammed full of all kinds of information and ideas. I chose to focus on two things from lesson #3: beginning to define my style and working with different textures in backdrops. I spent about two hours this morning shooting still lifes! I've got about 50 images still to process and cull through, but I wanted to share these first three with some thoughts on still life style. Kim shoots a lot of flowers, and I went out to the yard today to see if I could find any. I found one bud on my hydrangeas with which to work. "Wedding Vase Bud" is one of my favorite photographs from this morning's shoot. I like the focus, the cropping, lighting, and sense of peace. It is also very much in the same style as Kim's still life work.
Winter in California
Here's another of my favorite photographs from this morning's session. It features the same hydrangea bud, but this time positioned on one of my favorite props (an old wash board) and shot out doors on my back deck. This one feels much more like me - there's more saturated colors, a bit more quirkiness and more energy. It's still heavily influenced by Kim, in terms of focus, cropping and subject (the hydrangea), but it feels much more like me.
Boy's Life (taken on my ipad; unedited)
And, finally, here's one I took in my studio yesterday afternoon when I was digging out my washboard and looking for various props to include in a still life. It kindof fell together, and I really liked the composition. I didn't have my camera with me, but I had my ipad and decided to try taking a photograph with it. I really like the end result. It's go a bit of a journalistic feel to it. It tells a story. It feels almost like a mixed media/collage version of still life. Something that is very much me and hardly any Kim at all.
I don't think there's any right or wrong here. Just some thoughts on a journey which I am enjoying very much. If you take still life photography (or any photograph), do you have a style that you can identify? Which of these three photographs appeals to you? For long time readers, which one do you think is the most me?

15 comments:

Kim Klassen said...

wonderful....

so glad you are embracing the Be Still journey....

i love the focus and fall on the top image.....
also the washboard is a wonderful backdrop idea.... your colour and light is wonderful.

fabulous.

Anonymous said...

Hi Maria, I'm also taking Kim's class, I saw your link on this weeks lesson. I'm so excited by your first two photos and comments. I'm in Canada and we are having a snow storm now and the thought of you going into your garden and still finding a flower is kinda shocking...we are coming to California next week (first time), I'm so excited. Your photos are lovely.

Mommy2CVC said...

I love all three for different reasons. I love flowers and love what you did with the first two and how they feel completely different even though it's the same flower. I love the 3rd one and it does speak to me. Great job! Thank you so much for my postcard!!! I love it!

scrappyjacky said...

All 3 are great photos....personally I prefer the second flower to the first which is a bit stark. The third picture is definately you.

~*~Patty S said...

Your Wedding Bud Vase just sings Rinda = beautiful!
oxo

Anonymous said...

I love the focus on the flower in the first photo and how it fades into the vase! Beautiful!

Halle said...

Your photos are lovely

helena said...

all 3 lovely and I'm envious of your sunny light in January. 1st reminded me of Kim K but with a Rinda influence, I think the last I'd recognise as yours if I just saw the photo

Sian said...

Oh, tricky questions! In many ways I think the last one is most you because of the story it tells, but at the same time I don't want to underplay the technique which has you capturing that lovely light in the other pictures

Karen said...

I definitely think the last one is the one I'd associate most with you and your style (and I like it very much), although I must say, the first one is lovely.

Lou said...

the first one is my favourite, yet the third one i would say reflects you the most x

The Mann Fam said...

I really like your unplanned still life with the baseball and paraphernalia on the wash board. It looks real and like there is a whole story in there somewhere. It draws you in. It makes you think.

Beyond the Dog Dish said...

The wedding vase is a beautiful photo. i also love the flower below. I need to get going on week 3!

robin. said...

isn't trusting the process amazing. great series of shots.

Anonymous said...

They're all great looking photos but my favourite is the second one. Love how you're using Kim's ideas but doing your own thing.