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.
Orange Lilies, Pumpkins, and Candle
I love everything about the Fall–from the beginnings of cool crisp days, to even the end of daylight savings time. I love the colorful Autumn leaves. I decided to incorporate all the elements of this season into these images. Pumpkins are a big part of the season. I incorporated some lovely orange lilies to match the pumpkins. I added some green grapes to a green ceramic vase, as well as an upside down goblet with a white candle and flame. You can see more of my work on: marilyn-botta.pixels.com.
Yellow Sunflowers
I always loved sunflowers; all different sizes. The blooms, bright yellow, are so beautiful but the backside of the flower is exquisite. It is just as expressive and lovely as the front. I decided to concentrate on doing a close up. I had not used my macro lens lately, but I found the closer I zeroed into the lush, complex, green petals of the backside, the more excited I got. I always think an image, especially a sunflower, is so much more dramatic when moving as close as possible and photographing just a portion of the flower. I think this vivid picture was exactly what I had envisioned.
Ukulele, Yellow Lilies, and Lemons
My friend loaned me her ukulele for this photo shoot. I posed ukulele in back of a still life with a brown ceramic vase with yellow lilies and lemons against a black background. I realize this is just one picture but I thought it needed a post of it’s own. I liked using a musical instrument in my still life.
Still Lifes with Blue Vase
I recently purchased a pretty blue vase at Goodwill. Someone discarded it but I picked it up and decided to use it for some studio still life photos with beautiful flowers. Someone else’s trash can become someone’s treasure. Here are four images using the blue vase, some similar, yet different. I decided to use lemons and yellow lilies in a wicker basket, some I used purple poms and oranges, in a glass beaker, as well as grapes. I used black backgrounds on some and one I added a texture.
Self-Portrait
This is a self-portrait that I took in April, 2022. I think it is very reflective of how I feel. It is a close-up of me taken with a macro lens and a tripod in my studio. I got the idea by looking at similar images on line. I would like to take this kind of shot of a model, and hopefully I will, but for now I am my own model. Unlike many of the photographers I see posting on Facebook, I do not have a bevy of people waiting to get their portraits done. I guess if I make a request on FB for models, I should be able to get people to pose for me. I did get a few people and I love how those images came out (Beth, Susan, and Gerry). The black and white images of Gerry are, in my opinion, some of my best work. He was a good model. It would be super if I actually got paid for things. But, for now, I am happy just getting to apply my art to anyone who will model for me. They are actually doing me a favor, and if they want pics and will pay me, all the better.
