Good morning, dear bloggers! How are you this fine morning? We have had a bellyful of bad weather here in New Jersey this week, and I'm battling a cold. I don't really have anything too exciting to report, so I thought I would show you my latest artistic endeavor -- making photographic still life images.
It started as a word prompt from a photo group on flickr. The Shutter Divas group is run by Christina Greve, whose wonderful blog Divas and Dreams is an inspiring place to visit if you love photography. Every Sunday, she posts a word prompt for the week. This week's word was "polka dots." So I searched for some polka dots and came up with a few pastel dish towels and small bowls from HomeGoods. How to include them in a photo? I thought I would take a crack at making up a traditional still life image.
And wow, it's harder than it looks. It took me a while to come up with a decent composition. I just love all the old still life paintings from the nineteenth century, and I have also been inspired by contemporary photographers who mimic that style.
I've been setting these up in our living room, with the dark fireplace as a backdrop. There is strong natural light coming from camera left. I actually used a wooden cutting board on top of a small end table for the surface. The point of view is from straight on or slightly above. The "brushstrokes" you see are achieved with a texture overlay, which is brushed off on a layer mask in Photoshop.
And now I'm addicted to shooting still life. I can't wait to try more. Finally, all those thrift store finds are going to shine! lol