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.
Red Apples and Orange Lilies
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.
Oranges, Lilies, and Blue Vase
A vibrant arrangement features orange lilies in a blue vase, accompanied by a woven basket of mandarin oranges and three lit candles. The calm composition is enhanced by the contrasting colors and soft lighting. The orange and green candles add to the calming atmosphere.
Vintage Cameras
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.
Trumpet, Music, and Ice
I just love the look of a trumpet–so shiny and sleek. In planning this composition I envisioned a lonely musician, having just taken his instrument out of the case, and fixing himself a hard drink to get him through the evening. I tried to elicit the jazz world with the contrasts of the gold of the trumpet, the black case, the ice in the drink, and black background. I feel by incorporating these elements, I have captured the mood of this scene.
