Marilyn Botta Photography

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Red Apples and Orange Lilies

June 2, 2025 by Marilyn Botta Leave a Comment

I wanted to create a scene using red on red: I bought a red glass vase and I pared it with two ruby red apples. I created a staircase of candles- each one lower than the previous one. I added beautiful orange lilies to the red vase, I also placed some lovely mini yellow carnations in a small black and white ceramic vase. I added a rustic texture to the background. The scene exudes warmth and calm, complemented by the earthy tones of the setting.


Filed Under: Still Life Photography Tagged With: apple, apple fruit, Apples, arrangement, art, beautiful, beautiful images, bloom, bright colors, buds, candle holders, ceramic vase, colorful, decoration, delicate, flames, floral, floral still life, flower, flowering, flowers, fresh fruit, fruit, glass, glass vase, green candles, indoor, leaf, lilies, lilly, lily, natural, orange, orange candle, petal, photography, photos of flowers, red, red apples, red glass vase, rustic, still life, texture, vase, vase of flowers, white, yellow, yellow carnations tranquility

Clematis Blue Light

April 28, 2025 by Marilyn Botta Leave a Comment

 


I went outside my house after it rained and noticed the beautiful droplets of water on this Clematis Blue Light flower. I grabbed my macro lens and shot this image. The violet petals surrounding the center of this flower, highlighted by droplets of water gently resting on its surface accentuate the natural beauty and complexity of this blossom.This beauty blooms each year at this time.

Filed Under: Flowers and Trees, Macros Tagged With: art, beautiful, beautiful color, beautiful flowers, beauty, bloom, blooming clematis, blossom, blossoming, botanical, card, clematis, clematis blue-purple, clematis flower, clematis purple, climbing clematis, close up, close up flower, closeup, color, colorful, floral photography, flower, flowering clematis, garden, garden plants, gorgeous, greeting card, light purple clematis, light purple flower, macro, macro flower, macro photo, pink, pink flower, pink flowers, purple, purple clematis, summer flowers, water droplets

Lilies, Apples, and Limes

March 31, 2025 by Marilyn Botta Leave a Comment

I always feel that a black background adds a dramatic flair to a composition. This still life creation features a blue vase with orange lilies. Green apples sit at the base of the blue jug. I had a martini glass and added four limes to match the apples. I added a thick orange candle placed on a pewter candle holder. The orange in the candle offsets the orange in the lilies. The black background enhances the reflections.

This still life creation features a blue vase with orange lilies. Green apples sit at the base of the blue jug. I had a martini glass and added four limes to match the apples. I added a thick orange candle placed on a pewter candle holder. The orange in the candle offsets the orange in the lilies. I placed green apples at the base of the jug. The composition is set against a muted background, highlighting the vibrant colors of the objects.


 

 

Filed Under: Still Life Photography Tagged With: art, artistic, beautiful, beauty, black background, bloom, blue, candle, candle holder, color, composition, fine art, flame, floral, flower, flowers, fruit, green, green apples, jug, lilies, lilly, lily, lily flower, limes, martini glass, nature, orange, orange candle, petal, pewter, photography, reflections, still life, the blossom of lily flowers, vase, vintage vase

Halloween

October 30, 2024 by Marilyn Botta Leave a Comment


I thought it only fitting that I do a Halloween themed image. I decided to photograph this scene agains a black backdrop to give it a spooky and eerie quality. I always seem to get some flowers into many of my creations. These pink lilies add a pretty pop of color, as does the bright orange candle. The brown pewter candle holder enhances the color of the beautiful textured candle. I placed a small skull atop a green glass vase. A scorpion and mini pumpkins complete my the eerie atmosphere and my vision.

Filed Under: Still Life Photography Tagged With: 31 october, art, atmosphere, banner, black, black background, boo, candle, candle holder, candles, celebration, creepy, dark, decoration, eerie, festive, flame, ghost, glass vase, green glass vase, Halloween, halloween background, halloween day, halloween decoration, halloween night, halloween pumpkin, halloween pumpkins, happy, happy halloween, holiday, horror, mini pumpkins, night, october, october 31, orange, orange candle, party, pink lilies, pumpkin, pumpkins, red vase, scary, scorpion, skull, spooky

Guardian Lion and Zebra

August 19, 2024 by Marilyn Botta Leave a Comment


I came upon a Chinese guardian lion statue which I originally thought was a gargoyle. I had never seen this before but it looked intriguing so I picked it up. On the same day, I found a zebra bust that someone had discarded. But, another man (or woman’s} garbage can be another woman’s treasure so I bought it too. I also found an animal print vase that spoke to me. I wanted to incorporate these three elements into a a fantasy still life using flowers and a candle. I arranged these items on a beige cloth and photographed the scene against a white backdrop. I then turned the white background into a texture befitting the image. I think I achieved my vision of creating a beautiful fantasy still life.

Filed Under: Still Life Photography Tagged With: animal, animal print vase, art, background, balanced, beautiful, blossom, botany, brown vase, candle, chinese lion, color, decoration, decorative, design, exotic, fabric, fantasy still life, flame, floral, flower, guardian lion, leaves, lily, lily flower, lit candle, nature, serene, spotted vase, still life, summer, texture, vase, wax candle, wildlife, yellow lily, zebra, zebra bust

Baby Elephant in Wonderland

July 16, 2024 by Marilyn Botta Leave a Comment

 


I came upon a baby Lenox elephant while looking for inspiration at Goodwill. I wanted to create a serene scene by using soft muted colors of green, blue and beige hues.I added two candles of green and beige, matching the color scheme. Light yellow/white carnations, in a green glass vase, added to the serene and peaceful atmosphere. In addition, I added some pretty rocks surrounding the elephant. It is abstract, something one would not normally find in nature, but that is my interpretation. I enjoy placing objects that don’t go together in a beautiful cohesive scene. It is amazing how that works to create a lovely and unusual fantasy still life.

Filed Under: Still Life Photography Tagged With: abstract, animal, art, baby elephant, beautiful, beige candle, bloom, blossom, blue beige background, blue green texture, botany, calm, candle flame, candles, carnations, color, colorful, cute, elephant, elephant ear, elephant sculpture, elephants ears, flame, flora, floral, flower, flowers, gardening, glass vase, grass, gray elephant, green, green candle, green vase, rock, rock garden, rocks, serene, stone, texture, thrift, vase, yellow flowers

Hubcap and Orange Lilies

July 2, 2024 by Marilyn Botta Leave a Comment

 


I was out doing my walking last week when I came upon a hubcap, in good condition. I decided it might make an interesting picture. I tried to use travel as a loose theme, so I added an old New Jersey license plate, yellow sunglasses, and a wrench. In keeping with the colors of the flowers, I included a green apple. I added a candle and metallic candle holder to complete the image. I felt that a black backdrop would enhance the scene.

Filed Under: Still Life Photography Tagged With: abstract, alloy, art, automotive, black, black background, blooming flowers, blossom, candle, candle holder, car, car rim, chrome, circle, decoration, decorative, design, flame, floral, flower, flowers, geometric, glass vase, green apple, green vase, hub caps, hubcap, hubcaps, layers, leaf, license plate, metal, metallic, New Jersey, no people, orange flowers, orange lilies, petal, petals, red, round, starburst, still life, symbol, transportation, wrench

Chess, Hat, and Flowers

May 27, 2024 by Marilyn Botta Leave a Comment


While shopping for interesting items to use for s still life, I came upon a pretty green candle and a black chess piece–a king. I decided to create a magical fantasy. I placed a green spherical ceramic vase, a black chess piece, a green hat, and green patterned cloth on a tan drop cloth which I used as a table cloth. I added some white daisies to the vase. I then incorporated a green glass vase with pink blooming lilies, and a green lit candle on a bronze candle holder. My theme was the color green and various complementary colors. This arrangement was photographed against a white backdrop in my studio. I added a brownish, orange texture during editing. The lighting is soft and subdued.

Filed Under: Still Life Photography Tagged With: art, beautiful, beauty, black chess piece, candle holder, ceramic vase, chess, chess piece, cloth, daisies, decor, decorative sphere, flame, floral, flower, flowers, glass vase, gorgeous candle, green candle, green hat, green vase, hat, piece, pink lilies, plant, still life, texture background, vintage, white flowers

Mardi Gras Masks

May 6, 2024 by Marilyn Botta Leave a Comment

 

I came upon these two Venetian masks in Goodwill. I was drawn to them and felt these beauties would make an unusual and vibrant image.These pair of Venetian-style masks are displayed prominently, one adorned with colorful details and the other in a stark black and white motif. A bouquet of red alstroemeria flowers and a single red rose add a vibrant touch to the composition, while a lit red candle provides a warm glow from the side. I placed the red candle atop an hourglass containing white sand. I photographed this arrangement against a white backdrop and added a lovely blue texture to create an etherial, otherworldly look.

All of these are somewhat similar, but different. Some have skulls, some have flowers or candles, yet all show the beauty of the masks displayed different forms.



Filed Under: Still Life Photography Tagged With: abstract, alstromeria, art, beautiful, bokeh, carnaval, carnival, carnival mask, carnivale, celebration, colorful, costume, decorative, disguise, disguised, exotic, face, fantasy, Festival, flora, flower, golden, gras, green vase, hourglass, italian, magical, mardi, mardi gras, mardi gras mask, mask, masked, masque, masquerade, masquerade mask, orleans, painted, petal, red, red flowers, red rose, rose, still life, texture, theater mask, theatrical, venetian, venice, venice carnival, vivid, woman

Vintage Cameras

March 7, 2024 by Marilyn Botta Leave a Comment

I always wished I had not sold my old Nikon FM 2 film camera. At the time it was considered one of the fastest SLRs. When I upgraded to digital, I decided I didn’t need it anymore. But when I started doing still life photography, I thought that my antique camera would make a good subject. But, recently a friend had some old camera equipment used by his father packed away in a closet. He was doing housecleaning and came upon a box of two cameras–a Canon and a Minolta, plus numerous lenses. He asked if I wanted it and I said yes because I simply wanted to photograph these treasures.


Filed Under: Still Life Photography Tagged With: aged, antique, aperture, art, background, black, camera, canon, classic, color, composition, equipment, exposure, film, film camera, film dust, filmstrip, glass, image, isolated, lens, lenses, manual, megapixels, minolta, monochrome, negative film, nostalgic, old, old-fashioned, Photo, photo camera, photocamera, photograph, photographic, photographic equipment, photographing, photography, professional, retro, shutter, studio, vintage, vintage photo effect, zoom lenses

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