natural drops and props

be still week 2-7

you can hunt for props and backdrops in thrift- and giftshops or search for them at home, but nature sometimes provides unique and amazing arrangements that need no further styling or embellishments. 

here are two natural still life shots with a mossy tree trunk and a tangle of flotsam. in the first one the moss serves as table top and the flotsam as backdrop, in the second one it is the other way around. 

here the prop (transparent blue bottle) is almost swallowed by the surrounding moss and flotsam, and embraced (protected?) by two curvy, gnarly waterlily stalks

in this shot the props (trash) seem to serve as a diagonal demarcation line between the moving water and the pile of rotting branches.

accidental still life with plate and cup

be still 52 week 2-7

on my daily rounds with the dogs i sometimes happen upon a so called 'accidental' still life: objects, carelessly discarded, that have unintentionally been arranged in an interesting way.  i then try to 'frame' them as if they were purposefully arranged and styled.

this plate has been given 'room to breathe'; including the surrounding vertical and diagonal lines of the dried reeds makes the arrangement more dynamic.

for this dirty, crumpled plastic cup i moved in closer, to emphasise the contrast between the mud-colored plastic and the fresh green leaves and grass surrounding it.

still life with brushes

be still 52 week 1


though my main focus for the still-life project is shooting stuff i find on my daily rounds with the dogs, i just couldn't resist playing around with my paintbrushes....

here is a bunch of them, resting on a sheet of textured acrylic paper. shot with my iphone (5S) and processed with snapseed, brushstroke and blender

still life with crumpled cans

be still 52 week 1

today i collected four dirty tin cans from among the rotting brown leaves in the bushes. i also took some of the muck that was sticking to the outside.

at home i arranged a piece of deep green gauze with glittering twigs and plastic flowers attached to it and created this still life.  
the fabric creates a connection with the brown leaves and twigs sticking to the can in the middle and with the landscape where i found the cans 

still life with clamshell

be still 52 week 1

yesterday i started a new course with Kim Klassen. fifty two weeks of creating, shooting and sharing still life photographs.

i have decided to use the stuff i find daily, when i am out with the dogs in the polder behind my house, and then combine it with some of the numerous objects and fabrics i have collected over the years.

today's find is an opened clamshell.

i placed it on some light grey gauze, embroidered with silvery spiderwebs. then i poured some water inside the hollow shells to bring out the pearly shine a bit more. the glittering, drop-like knots in the embroidery create a connection between the water clinging to the shell and the fabric.

horse power     
photo heart connection november
recycling photos to create new works of art

my creative adventures in iphoneography have been continuing this past month, intensifying during a short stay at the hospital, where i produced a series of digital collages (i organised them in a set on my flickr page)

i am linking this blog post to Kristen Radden's december creative iphoneography challenge as well as Kat Sloma's november photo heart connection.

on november 14th i went to the seaside with my dad and shot this steel rocking horse with my iPhone. i later used several apps to turn it into a golden stead fit for a fairy tale. i just loved that horse….. so i used miracam's x-ray filter to create another shiny version of it and then cut it off of its pedestal and out of its frame….. wanting to use it as a symbol in some of my collages. i even gave it a name and called it Silverado :-)) for me it served as a kind of magical power horse that would rescue me from all the fear and hurt associated with my surgery.

never in my wildest dreams

yearning for salvation

speed of light

stage fright

bridging the gap

dreaming of horses

these six images were created in the ten days just before, during and after my stay in the hospital. looking at them now, i can still feel the horse's (and my creative spirit's) incredible magical healing power…….

the art of shopping          
fine art photography with my iPhone
discovering the extra in the ordinary

this past month i have been totally engrossed in iphoneography. taking shots of whatever 'tugged at my sleeve', things that somehow begged to be perceived, to be explored further, transferring them on to my iPad and then playing around with a number of apps, trying to coax out the deeper image hidden inside.
what i love most of all is window shopping, capturing the different layers of the goods on display, the activities in the back of the store,  the reflections of people passing by behind me and the street life in the background. always far too much to see in one glimpse, therefore loads to discover when poring over my shots later on....

here are three jackets from the same fashion store, the first one has big white clouds and steel poles through its collar and a brick wall  coming out of its side. the second one reflects me, next to a bright yellow application of an owl with huge round dark eyes. the third one has a  beautiful pattern with some cars reflected in the middle, like a belt.

all of them fascinating, captivating, definitely worth post processing.

this time i decided to combine them and take them to another level. i blended them together, post processed them with some of my favorite apps and then painted in some subtle details with a drawing app. so here's the hidden image. i call it 'bird's-eye view'. and i am totally in love with it!

joining october's photo heart connection at KatEye Studio