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.