I wanted to create a rustic composition that had both warmth and elegance. I assembled a pretty glass red vase and added pink lilies. I matched the red vase with a lit red candle on a pewter holder. I added red apples spilling out of a wicker basket. I then arranged these gorgeous elements on a green cloth for contrast. I added a complementary texture to highlight the beauty of this composition.
Purple Hydrangeas and Plums
I came upon some beautiful purple hydrangeas and decided to incorporate them into a still life. I had a multicolored purple glass vase at home that I had picked up a few weeks before. I love the look of wicker baskets and fruit, so I added a round wicker basket filled with a few plums to my arrangement. It really started to take shape when I incorporated the elements on a brown wooden board. I felt that a green background would best bring out the composition that I was aiming for. I photographed the scene against a white background and added a green texture during editing. I think the contrasting colors and shapes make for a very pleasing image.
I decided to experiment with the elements that I had used in a prior image. However, this one would be against a black backdrop, photographed on a black table. I used the round wicker basket, and purple plums, but I substituted a clear glass purple vase and added a small gold glass. It is amazing that just by changing the elements of an image, a whole different composition will emerge. They are similar yet different. I like the reflections on the table too.
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.











