Post your still lifes here

[Sirius Glass]

That would be a landscape rather than a still life.

 

[runswithsizzers]

Not sure this qualifies as a still life.

If true, the same could be said of many of the photos in this thread.

Looking at several on-line dictionaries, I see the definition of "still life" includes terms like:

"...inanimate objects..."
"...inanimate subject matter..."
"...all kinds of man-made or natural objects..."
"...an arrangement of objects that do not move..."​

By these simple definitions (maybe oversimplified?), the fuel filler cap photo would qualify. Any photos of flowers which are still living should be excluded, while cut flowers are fair subjects. But hey, it's the internet, where every thread can wander off in unexpected (and uncontrolled) directions. One must develop a certain amount tolerance for confusion, ignorance, and anarchy arising from different educational and cultural backgrounds.

In addition to inanimate subject matter, it is not clear to me how much control by the photographer is implied / required to meet the definition of a still life. Is it a still life if the photographer finds the objects already arranged - or is control of the arrangement and lighting by the photographer required? To me, even if found in situ, and the arrangement is untouched by the photographer, the photographer still exercises considerable artistic control over the composition by carefully choosing the camera angle, framing the boundaries, and choosing an exposure which emphasizes highlights and/or shadows as compositional elements.

I often tag many of my photos as "Still-life" even when they are not still lifes in the more traditional style (objects arranged by the artist on a table top). I do this simply because I don't know what else to call them. I do wish we had another commonly used term for photos of objects which are: found in situ rather than arranged, composed by choosing a camera angle rather than by moving the objects, and framed larger than a traditional still life, but smaller than a landscape. My post #71 is an example of the kind of photo I am thinking of, as are many others in this thread.

Unless/until we can come with another term for this category of objects-which-are-found-prearranged, I am all for a very generous and accepting definition of the still life genre.

 

[David Lingham]

View attachment 240147

I don't use my 12" f4.5 Ektar lens enough!
This is from an 8X10 inch wet plate collodion negative made with the Ektar lens on the Deardorff. Exposure was 8 minutes (yes, you read that right) at f6.3 using Quinn's collodion for negatives and corresponding developer.

Nice work Paul

 

[macfred]

...

Rolleiflex 3.5F - Planar - Neopan 400CN

Rolleiflex 3.5F - Planar - Ilford XP2

Rolleiflex 3.5F - Planar - Neopan 400CN

 

[removedacct1]

Nice work Paul

Thank you David!

 

[David Lingham]

Shadows through distorted glass jar. 35mm Nikon F2 55mm FP4 D76 1+1, Lith print on Foma in LD20.

 

[macfred]

...

FUJI GA645Wi - EBC Fujinon 45mm f/4 - Portra 400

FUJI GA645 - EBC Fujinon 60mm f/4 - Ektar (cropped to square)

 

[pentaxpete]

One more from my Kitchen Table 'Still-Life' event with my 2002 Hasselblad 501CM + 80mm f2.8 CFE Planar T* . 05/1999 Kodak GPY Pro Gold 400 , honme-processd in C41
lighting One Bowens MONOLITE 200 E from left, one SUNPAK auto 36FD on reduced power from right.

 

[Pieter12]

OK. I'm bored, I'll post something I shot the other day (digital).

 

[scheimfluger_77]

The lighting on this is wonderful and somehow the background just completes it. Thanks for sharing this.

 

[logan2z]

 

[Pieter12]

The lighting on this is wonderful and somehow the background just completes it. Thanks for sharing this.

Thank you.

 

[macfred]

...

Rolleiflex 3.5F - Planar - XP2 Super

 

[David Lingham]

Silver bowl and dried flowers. Nikon F2 55mm, 35mm FP4, scanned from 10x8 Ilford Classic print. Sepia and selenium toned.

 

[logan2z]

 

[Hunter_Compton]

 

[pentaxpete]

I loaded a very Old Outdated Fuji Super HG 1600 into my Olympus OM-2n as I wanted to do some grainy and weird 'Still-Lifes' -- the film had a HUGE For Level and scanned very Cyan but I corrected in fastStone IMage Viewer and added some 'Saturation' to bring Bananas back to 'yellow'

 

[BAC1967]

GE Edison Mazda Lamps found in an old barn in Idaho. Photographed with a Graflex Crown Graphic With Graflex Optar f/4.7 135mm lens. The film is CatLABS X 80 developed in Rodinal 1:50.

 

[awty]

Desk by Paul Fitz, on Flickr

 

[Paul Manuell]

Pentax 645NII, 75mm lens, Kodak Portra 160, polariser

 

[David Lingham]

Pictures from lockdown. Dried leaves stuck to a sheet of

tracing paper, illuminated from behind. Mamiya C220, 80mm. FP4 D76 1+1, partial sepia and selenium toned print on Ilford Classic.

 

[Black Dog]

My kitchen table-exploring a small world. There was a fault with the focusing on my camera, but I kind of like the result anyway. Also the SFX plus printing on Ektalure worked well.

 

[markjwyatt]

Zeiss Icarex 35S TM; Carl Zeiss 50mm f1.8 Ultron; Pan-X, D76. Shot around 1976


bullets by Mark Wyatt, on Flickr

 

[pentaxpete]

Taken on a visit to my Sister-in-Law in Southend-on-Sea Essex ( England ) with my 'early' Asahi Pentax LX + Tokina RMC Mk II 28=70mm f4 and 2008 dated Jessops Pan 100S
LX with Tokina 01 by Peter Elgar, on Flickr
LX with Tokina 02 by Peter Elgar, on Flickr
LX with Tokina 03 by Peter Elgar, on Flickr
LX with Tokina 04 by Peter Elgar, on Flickr
LX with Tokina 05 by Peter Elgar, on Flickr
Mostly 'Window-Light' but 04 and 05 had room lights switched on too.

 

[Nokton48]

Flowers Back Porch J Lane Dry Plate Multigrade dev by Nokton48, on Flickr

9x12cm J Lane Dry Plate, loaded into a 9x12cm RADA Normalfaltz Single Plate Holder. Exposed in Plaubel Makiflex Automatic with a lens purchased from an Antique shop in the UK. An 8 inch F4 (?) approx brass projection lens of the Petzval variety. 1/4 sec exposure at wide open F4 (?) approx EI of 1, lightest cloud veiling direct key sun. Almost key light. No fill. Glass neg processed in Ilford Multigrade paper dev 10 mins at 20C.

I also shot frames with modern film, Efke PL100 and FOMA 100. Will be interesting to see the differences.

It does have a period look to it.........