I always love a still life photographed against a black backdrop. I find the stark contrast between the bright, beautiful elements of the pink flowers, green candle, brown Bosc pears, and orange ceramic vase creates a gorgeous and amazing composition. The black table creates the lovely reflections which add to the overall beauty of this image.
A vibrant yellow lily stands elegantly in a glass vase beside a martini glass holding a pear, with two more pears placed on a soft green cloth. The muted background enhances the natural colors and simple beauty of the arrangement.
I gathered three ripe pears in my studio and arranged them in a row against a black and then white backdrop. Each image has a different feel to it. Not sure which I like better. All these images were taken in studio. The colors on the second image were added as a texture. The image against the black backdrop were arranged on a shiny black table. Their vibrant green color and smooth, glossy surface give them a fresh and appetizing appearance. They look good enough to eat.
I had an old silver teapot on my credenza, just gathering dust. I bought it years ago in Charleston thinking it might be worth something. I still don’t know about that, but it was pretty. Before using it in my image, I first had to polish it. I always wanted to use it in a still life, but didn’t know what to do with it. Finally, I decided to add some Peruvian Lilies to the opening. I love the look of pears so I added them as well. I added a lovely ornate candle holder with an orange and yellow thick candle to offset the orange in the flowers. The background is a texture I added in. i think the darkish background brings out the beauty and drama of this arrangement.
Where I live, there are many pine trees. I always see the standard pine cones all over the grass and wooded areas, but I never knew what they look like before they mature. I was out walking when I noticed these interesting growths on the pine trees and I wasn’t sure what they were. They were skinny and some very long, so I did a search and found out that these interesting yellow and green cylindrical growths were indeed baby pine cones. I came back with my camera and macro lens and took many shots. The wind was whipping the tree around but I managed to get a few good images.
Since the hurricane in September in Augusta, GA, there are so many downed pine trees. These have mature pine cones–the kind I am familiar with. The second picture is a macro shot of one of these beauties.
I decided to create an image with skulls being the stars. I came across an unusual gold skull and decided to add it to the other two skulls I have. To enhance the eerie quality of this composition, I added a dark orange texture. For a more dramatic effect I added several different sized lit candles. I had an old child’s hat that fit perfectly on the gold skull’s head.
Gerry and Dawn recently got married but didn’t have any really nice portraits of the two of them. I offered to take some studio portraits of them in their wedding outfits. The couple are a bit unconventional in that Gerry wore a gray shirt and black motorcycle vest and Dawn wore a lavender gown. I took many photos of Gerry and Dawn in various poses, most of which show their love for each other. Here are the best images taken. They were very cooperative and it was a fun day.
I decided to do a still life using mini carnations and green pears as the theme. I put the carnations into a pear-shaped brown glass vase. I also added the carnations to a small black-and-shite ceramic vase. I added a green lit candle to a metal holder and placed two green pears beneath it. I placed all the elements on top of a wooden board. I added an orange texture as a background to bring out the beauty of this composition which have complementary colors.
My friend just got an adorable Boston Terrier puppy. She is so bouncy and full of energy the way puppies are. I decided to take some pictures of this adorable subject, which was not easy because she is continuously on the move. For just one moment, she stopped after I made a kissing sound and looked at me. Bam- that’s when I shot the photo. I added a beautiful blue texture as a background to bring out her colors. Her “parents” were thrilled that I managed to capture this special photo. One second later, she was running and jumping again.
I found an orange wax candle, and a peach and cream colored ceramic vase while looking for items to use in my still life. The vase was matched with some gorgeous orange lilies which offset the orange in the candle. Two red apples were placed at the base of the candle holder, and added a gray stone vase with little baby yellow carnations was added. The entire composition was offset by a beautiful texture I added as a background. There is a lovely contrast between the rustic vases and the vibrant colors of the flowers.
