still life photography research paper

Famous Still-Life Photographers – The Art of Still-Life Photography

The best still-life photographers present lifeless objects in a charming, imaginative, and striking manner. This skill allows the observer to appreciate the beauty and magnificence of the items depicted in contemporary still-life photography. Modern still-life photography is an art form, but it also has extensive applications in the publishing, printing, and web image industries. In this article, we will explore the most famous still-life photographers responsible for creating the most renowned still-life photographs.

Table of Contents

• 1.1 Olivia Parker (1941 – Present)
• 1.2 Paulette Tavormina (1949 – Present)
• 1.3 Jonathan Knowles (c. 1952 – Present)
• 1.4 Laura Letinsky (1962 – Present)
• 1.5 Mat Collishaw (1966 – Present)
• 1.6 Marcel Christ (1969 – Present)
• 1.7 Krista van der Niet (1978 – Present)
• 1.8 Jeroen Luijt (1978 – Present)
• 1.9 Henry Hargreaves (1979 – Present)
• 1.10 Evelyn Bencicova (1992 – Present)
• 2.1 What Influenced Still-Life Photography?
• 2.2 What Techniques Are Involved in Still-Life Photography?

Famous Still-Life Photographers

With contemporary still-life photography, an artist may communicate intellect, creativity, and aesthetic sense more powerfully than with any other photographic presentation, making it one of the most inventive kinds of art. Photographers now have the most effective and creative means of expressing their ideas through modern still-life photography. With the development of technology, the modern still-life photography genre evolved to its current form.

Since its inception, still-life photographs have seen several advancements, from the mobile camera obscura to the modern digital camera.

The most significant subgenre of photography that conveys inanimate subject matter—typically everyday things, whether created by nature or by man—lively and profoundly is still-life photography. Contemporary still-life photography has been greatly influenced by Greek, Roman, and Egyptian still-life art.

Ancient Egyptians decorated their temples and tombs with paintings. With those paintings, they wished to demonstrate their sacrifices to their gods.

The ancient Egyptian still-life artworks first gained popularity in the 15th century BC. Food-related paintings, including those of crops, shellfish, and meat, have also been discovered in old graveyards. In the Tomb of Menna, a noteworthy and ancient Egyptian still-life was found entwined with the particulars of their daily lives. However, contemporary still-life photographs and their actual content are currently considerably different from traditional methods. Both the subject content and the technology are up to date. Let’s check out some of the best still-life photographers.

Olivia Parker (1941 – Present)

The year 1995 saw the end of Olivia Parker’s view camera images due to a skiing mishap. Due to a broken leg that prevented her from using the darkroom for a year, she dabbled with digital software and PCs. Fine photographs and reliable prints developed as software and equipment advanced.

Parker misses producing silver prints, but using a digital camera in new ways has opened her to new possibilities.

“Using digital gives me complete flexibility to play without having to worry about using film or having a proper camera setup. However, view camera work was a far greater tutor for me in the beginning than digital would have been. It forced me to take my time, study the edges of the images, and evaluate the dynamics of what lies between the boundaries.”

Paulette Tavormina (1949 – Present)

Tavormina became a commercial photographer after relocating to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she attended a course in black and white photography and darkroom technique. She now specializes in old Navajo jewelry and Indian ceramics.

She used her background in food design to operate as a prop and food expert for Hollywood movies including the 1999 feature, “The Astronaut’s Wife” , where she was responsible for designing complex food sequences.

While visiting Santa Fe, Tavormina was exposed to the masterpieces of Old Master still-life artists Maria Sibylla Merian and Giovanna Garzoni as well as the still-life paintings of Sarah McCarty, a Santa Fe-based still-life painter. She frequently frequents one of the city’s several farmers’ markets in quest of ideally imperfect floral subjects for her photography, amidst the bustle that characterizes the city.

Her arrangements frequently evoke the lavish richness of Old Master still-life painters from the 17th century and act as very personal interpretations of ageless, universal tales.

Jonathan Knowles (c. 1952 – Present)

Jonathan Knowles is known for his unique brand of liquid photography. Knowles is a science enthusiast with a very technical approach to image creation. His passion is creating visual communication that seems natural, whether it is macro liquid photography at one extreme or locale lifestyle at the other.

He believes that the beauty of a good picture comes from catching perfect moments on camera rather than relying on extensive post-production processes.

This attitude, along with the fact that he loves advertising, has resonated with the advertising industry. Whether they are working with customers or on personal projects, his attitude is radically different. With clients these days, there are so many stakeholders that everything must be meticulously prepared and agreed upon before the shoot.

He draws inspiration from art, graphic design, music covers, and periodicals, in addition to photography. He also has a large collection of photographic books, which he revisits from time to time at the studio.

Laura Letinsky (1962 – Present)

Laura Letinsky has focused on the central issue of what precisely qualifies as a photograph throughout her career. Letinsky began his investigation of photography’s link with reality by taking pictures of people, but he soon changed his approach to concentrate almost entirely on objects in the style of still life.

As she experiments with concepts of perception and the transformational powers of the picture, her meticulously constructed compositions frequently center on the leftovers of a dinner or party.

Letinsky utilized tableware, leftover food, and other items like vases or fruit bowls for one of her earlier series of photographs. Letinsky eventually turns this garbage into a subject deserving of study by seeing the images in this series as observations of neglected or forgotten features and leftovers of daily living.

Mat Collishaw (1966 – Present)

Photography and video are used in Collishaw’s artwork. The photograph Bullet Hole (1988), which shows what looks to be a bullet hole wound in a person’s scalp, is his best-known piece. Collishaw obtained the original illustration from a pathology textbook, which really depicted an ice-pick wound. In the last thirty years, he has participated in several solo and group exhibits. He attended Goldsmiths College.

His art is frequently upsetting, and it often takes a second glance to fully comprehend what is happening in his pictures.

For the same reason that Collishaw is a good religious artist and a good artist-artist, he is also a fine political artist. He does so because he respects the power of pictures. The abstract escape and the minimalist half-smile are not for him. He wants to strike your mind in the gut. He validates the art of feeling by demonstrating how its intensity may have depth.

Marcel Christ (1969 – Present)

Since Marcel Christ approaches still-life photography in such a distinctive way, his work is among the most identifiable in the field. Christ, who has researched both chemical engineering and photography, combines these two passions to produce his incredibly dynamic artwork. And it is precisely because of this background that he is an especially dynamic and creative photographer and cinematographer who enjoys pushing the limits of the effects and methods he employs. His artwork is the result of his fascination with the surprise and unpredictable nature of the substances he uses, yet in a strict studio atmosphere.

“Controlling coincidence,” he refers to it as. He accomplishes this by using it to give life to inanimate objects and commemorate little periods of time. Nothing in his art is “still.”

Krista van der Niet (1978 – Present)

Dutch-born photographer and academic Krista van der Niet works in both fields. Her photography mostly concentrates on still life, an age-old subject that she intriguingly enriches with humor and modernity. Even in her busiest works, she manages to attain an almost mathematical sense of equilibrium, which makes her work crisp and aesthetically beautiful.

She fascinatingly blends commonplace items and raises them to the level of art, frequently in order to attack media clichés—and occasionally just to make us laugh.

Naturally, van der Niet enjoys creating beautiful images—she can’t prevent herself from making everything look perfectly organized and beautiful. But it also becomes a little monotonous when it’s just about aesthetics. She desired an unsettling undercurrent. She also appreciates comedy in pictures that makes you want to smile.

Jeroen Luijt (1978 – Present)

Jeroen consistently uses the abstract minimalist still life and the traditional still life in his artwork. His wide-ranging interest in painting, particularly the Old Dutch Masters, serves as an influence on his work. Additionally, it concerns both the substance and the aesthetic. The piece must have a specific connotation.

It takes a long time to create a still life, even an abstract piece.

Making the shot may be a labor-intensive task in addition to the idea and all the preparation. The level of post-processing of the photographs follows. As a result, taking a picture occasionally requires more than a week. Jeroen made the proper decision to pursue photography, as evidenced by the numerous awards his work has received.

Henry Hargreaves (1979 – Present)

Hargreaves was raised in Christchurch, New Zealand, where he attended preschool through university. He never took photography classes, but it was always a pastime of his. He really went out and brought a camera and started playing to see if he could get this thing to shoot good images when he first started working in fashion in the early 2000s. He wanted to be the one pulling the strings behind the camera.

Despite shooting a wide range of subjects, he has learned many lighting methods and tactics, as well as an appreciation for the importance of balance in a composition.

He produces images that speak to him. Ideas can come from everywhere, but he typically believes he should try to build anything if it makes him laugh or continues popping into his head without being written down. The only obstacle when he makes a decision to act is his own drive.

Evelyn Bencicova (1992 – Present)

Evelyn Bencicova’s effort never quite amounts to what it seems. Her images show well-planned arrangements with artistic sterility and poetic overtones of enduring need and longing. In her “fictions based on fact,” Bencicova creates captivating narrative settings that straddle memory, fantasy, and reality.

She manipulates the viewer’s vision to draw them into the hidden maze of her mind by using multidimensional symbolic representations as illusions.

Her photographs allow for a comprehensive investigation of the ideas that go much beyond what they initially show because of their unsettlingly gorgeous symbolic imagery and washed-out color palette, which are set inside weirdly symbolic situations. In order to create a distinctive aesthetic space where the conceptual and the visual come together, Bencicova’s approach blends academic studies with an interest in modern culture.

That concludes our exploration of famous still-life photographers. The possibility to explore arrangement and lighting, possibly far more than the subject of a still life itself, is one of the most fascinating and difficult features of still-life photographs and the explanation why many of the best still-life photographers are drawn to it. With the subject matter being nearly unlimited, contemporary still-life photography allows the photographer to fully express their creativity.

Take a look at our still-life photographers webstory here!

Frequently Asked Questions

What influenced still-life photography.

The paintings made by the Dutch and Flemish Old Masters of the 17th century contain them frequently and prominently, and we can still see them in the works of still life photographers today. As one of the oldest instances of the genre in European painting, the Golden Age of Dutch and Flemish culture provided and continues to provide a plethora of Vanitas still-lifes, serving as an endless source of inspiration for modern artistic practices and still-life painters of all genres. Each of these pieces of art serves as a reminder to the audience of the fleeting nature of human existence, as well as the meaninglessness of all material possessions and accomplishments.

What Techniques Are Involved in Still-Life Photography?

This type of still life offers a huge area of technical exploration because photography is a medium that primarily depends on light. In the style of the Old Masters, still-life photographers produce the ideal contrast between deep shadows and piercing light that illuminates just particular things. Even though many of them are committed to the creative philosophy behind such a composition as well, their inventiveness is arguably best displayed in the fields of advertising and culinary photography. Given the significance of the Vanitas heritage in these nations and the fact that many of the best still-life photographers are from Belgium and the Netherlands, it should come as no surprise that the concept has also influenced numerous camera artists all over the world.

Jordan Anthony is a film photographer, curator, and arts writer based in Cape Town, South Africa. Anthony schooled in Durban and graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, with a Bachelor of Art in Fine Arts. During her studies, she explored additional electives in archaeology and psychology, while focusing on themes such as healing, identity, dreams, and intuitive creation in her Contemporary art practice. She has since worked and collaborated with various professionals in the local art industry, including the KZNSA Gallery in Durban (with Strauss & Co.), Turbine Art Fair (via overheard in the gallery), and the Wits Art Museum.

Anthony’s interests include subjects and themes related to philosophy, memory, and esotericism. Her personal photography archive traces her exploration of film through abstract manipulations of color, portraiture, candid photography, and urban landscapes. Her favorite art movements include Surrealism and Fluxus, as well as art produced by ancient civilizations. Anthony’s earliest encounters with art began in childhood with a book on Salvador Dalí and imagery from old recipe books, medical books, and religious literature. She also enjoys the allure of found objects, brown noise, and constellations.

Learn more about Jordan Anthony and the Art in Context Team .

Cite this Article

Jordan, Anthony, “Famous Still-Life Photographers – The Art of Still-Life Photography.” Art in Context. July 25, 2022. URL: https://artincontext.org/famous-still-life-photographers/

Anthony, J. (2022, 25 July). Famous Still-Life Photographers – The Art of Still-Life Photography. Art in Context. https://artincontext.org/famous-still-life-photographers/

Anthony, Jordan. “Famous Still-Life Photographers – The Art of Still-Life Photography.” Art in Context , July 25, 2022. https://artincontext.org/famous-still-life-photographers/ .

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Still life: a poetic and photographic reflection

Born as a gender of the Dutch painting of the 16 th century, still life served to both a merely decorative taste and the need of deep reflections about the ephemerality of the human presence in the world. While vanitas had as a function to recollect that pleasures and appearances are ephemeral; while memento mori induced to reflection about life and death, reaching in both the forms and the allegorical character. Since the early days of photography, the model is the painting, and the theme of still life appears both in classics like Talbot and Bayard, and in modern Rodchenko and Cartier-Bresson. In the Brazilian modernist poetry, the reading of " Maçã " , by Manuel Bandeira, has already become classical as a cubist still life. Our work aims to investigate settings that the theme finds in the contemporary poetry of Paulo Henriques Brito and Ana Martins Marques, as well as in photographs of Robert Frank and Francesca Woodmann and in a video of Sam Taylor Wood, enhancing its indexical, allegorical and narrative character.

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10 Incredible still life photographers

Complete guide to still life photography – plus 10 contemporary still life photographers that need to be on your radar.

Still life photography, like any photographic discipline takes immense skill. A major benefit however of working with still life or miniature, is that you can try out lighting styles and techniques in a diorama, honing you abilities and adding depth to your knowledge – before taking your ideas to set.

You’ve tested your ideas, and you already know if they’ll work or not. Stanley Kubrick was well known for this, he’d make the entire scene in miniature and then take a 10×8 Polaroid to see if it came out on film how he wanted. A big win is of course it will save you loads of money on gear, don’t bother spending thousands on new lighting rigs, flags and diffusers, simply make them up in miniature and play around with materials you have at home so you can better understand their properties and how they’ll affect light…then scale them up!

In still life photography, the photographer has complete control over the scene. This means that they can take the time to set up the shot exactly as they want it, and then take their time taking the photo. This allows for a lot of experimentation, and gives the photographer a chance to really perfect their craft.

I thoroughly recommend in the first instance to find a still life photographer who’s work you really like and then try to imitate it. You’ll learn a lot, and fast. It’s the quickest way to mastery as you’ll appreciate how light interacts with different surfaces and textures and how different light sources interact with different objects.

Take this seemingly very simple shot by Ashraful Arefin. It’s emotive, artistic and beautifully composed. Better yet, it makes use of objects that can either be found at home, or found outside, all for free. A broken mug, some blossom from a tree and a setting sun to create the orange light in the background. From recreating this simple shot you’ll understand more about lighting, colour theory, composition, story telling, bokeh, depth of field and freezing motion. All for free. Still life photography takes practice and dedication, but the rewards and depth of understanding you’ll receive from undertaking a still life project will far outweigh the effort it takes to set up, plus, it’s alot of fun.

Still life photography can be literally anything. Food, toys, books, office supplies, you name it. The only limiting factor is your imagination. Take a branch of cherry blossom in the spring, place it in a jug by a window with a clean background, boom, looks just like a Cezanne. Fruits, jugs, soft furnishings and flowers are the traditional inanimate objects of choice of the great painters, but hopefully you’ll see from this article that anything can be made into a really cool still life image.

Most people are familiar with still life paintings, which often feature an arrangement of inanimate objects such as flowers, fruit, or books. While still life paintings may appear to be simple, they can actually be quite complex and challenging to create. In order to capture the essence of an object, the artist must have a keen eye for detail. They must also be able to create a sense of depth and perspective, using light and shadow to create a three-dimensional effect. The best still life paintings are those that not only accurately depict the subject matter, but also convey the artist’s unique vision and interpretation. As with any type of painting, the artist’s skill, talent, and imagination are key factors in creating a successful still life painting. The exact same principles apply to photography. Something to consider is that still life composition has been extensively covered by the master painters of the last one hundred years, so there’s a great deal to be gleaned from studying painters as well as photographers. Look at Paul Cezanne, Pieter Claesz, Caravaggio and of course Van Gogh for inspiration.

If you’re conducting more thorough research, the Dutch masters are certainly worth investigating. Dutch still life painting reached its peak in the 17th century, a period coinciding with the Dutch Golden Age. This was a time of great prosperity for the Netherlands, and art was part of the country’s cultural flowering. The paintings were typically small and intimate, often featuring simple arrangements of everyday objects such as flowers, fruit, glasses, and plates. What set Dutch still life’s apart from those of other countries was the level of realism achieved by the artists. They used a technique known as “trompe l’oeil,” which employs subtle gradations of light and shadow to create an illusion of three-dimensional depth. This allowed them to achieve a level of realism that was uncanny for its time. Thanks to the skill of these artists, Dutch still life painting remains some of the most highly prized in the world.

So if you’re looking to get started in still life photography, this article is the complete guide you need to master skills, tips, lighting, and lens needed in creating stunning still life shots.

Table of Contents

• What is Still Life Photography

Types of Still Life Photography

• Equipment Required for Still Life Photography 
• Still Life Photography Ideas – The Best Contemporary Still Life Photographers

What is Still Life Photography?

Still life photography is a form of photography and a work of art focusing on everyday or commonplace inanimate objects. Anything that’s still basically…because, still life…even though the thing might be dead, like a bug. But ‘Still Dead’ might be confusing for some people.. would be a cool play on words for a project idea though!

These objects can literally be anything but more often than not are objects found in nature or in the home that have some inherent beauty, think flowers, fruit, rocks or jugs, soft furnishings and table settings.

Constructing an engaging still life takes great sill and patience. You have to be willing to experiment as you won’t get it right first time.

The principal idea of still life photography isn’t just to create a beautiful scene, it’s to examine the relationship between objects.

Of course you can just photograph one object on it’s own, but then the relationship is with the negative space around it, rather than with another object.

Still life photography is one of the most common types of photography used and prevalent on social media, often referred to as ‘lay-flats’.

There are tons of still-life images across the internet and on websites, billboards, and TV advertisements. 

Most people have taken still life photographs before but not really paid a great deal of attention to it. Each time you capture places you’ve been, things you’ve done, or even meals you made, you’re taking still life photographs with your mobile phone. Only in the context that we are exploring, it’s executed with greater intent and much more control over the subject, it’s setting and how it’s lit. The most common types of still life photography are:

#1. Food Photography

Food photography is a kind of still-life photography that features all kinds of food, from fully cooked meals to raw produce. 

Typically people aren’t included in these shots as the intention is to show off the produce. Either for the purpose of selling a product, or for selling individual produce. Whilst including people in the still life isn’t the norm, this only means there’s room for the genre to grow, why not experiment with it in your own work?

Consider alternatives to producing beautiful shots of food as well, why not explore the dark side? Food rots, this could make for an interesting project. The scene would no longer depict abundance, but decay and death.

Or check out Klaus Pichler’s still life photographs of rotting fruit

Product photography falls into commercial photography categories. Here, you showcase a product to sell it.

These images are typically much more beautiful as opposed to the above which is more conceptual, the intention is purely to drive sales rather than to adorn the walls of a gallery.

#3. Table-top Photography

Table-top photography is another category of still life photography that focuses on arranging objects in an aesthetically pleasing manor on top of a table.

Tables add structure and solid geometric shapes to your composition, this then allows you to add softer elements such as fruits and flowers and immediately have contrast in texture, colour, shape and form.

It is one of the most common still life photography styles, and it is the easiest to pull off.

#4. Flower Photography

Flower photography is a classic and unique type of still life photography with flowers as the subject of the photographs. 

You’ll often find still life photographers arranging beautiful bouquets or petals neatly and creatively.

#5. Black and White Photography

Black and white photography captures still life images but switches from colour to grayscale. 

This is one form of still life photography that photographers can use to improve their still life photography skills. 

Black and white still life photography captures objects in a black and white, it carries a different mood that photographers can leverage for creative vision.

#6. Flat-lay Photography

Flat-lay in flat-lay photography refers to the angle of view and doesn’t necessarily refer to the subject. 

Shooting the perfect flat-lay still life photography requires the sensor to be kept parallel to the surface where you have your subject. 

Flat-lay has become an increasingly trendy type of photography on social networks like Instagram, with still life photographers from around the world uploading some amazing shots. 

#7. Concept Photography

With concept photography, still life photographers use objects to represent things beyond what they are. 

Concept Photography may appear strange or unusual and might be difficult to decipher at first glance, but they convey a deeper meaning and are captured in a way that drives home that meaning.

The below image for example.

The light above the hands looks like light when it reflects off of water in a swimming pool wall. The hands reaching up to the light, are we to believe the subject is drowning? But there is no water? Metaphorically drowning? In what? Conceptual work should leave the image open to interpretation and invite questions.

#8. Toy Photography

Toy Photography is a fun way of recreating iconic scenes and depicting real-life events while exploring the use of additional light sources in still life photography.

Toy photography can be incredibly fun as you can place toys completely out of context to create a new narrative.

Toy photography is excellent for another reason, and that’s because you can test different light sources on miniature people to see if they work before you head out to a portrait shoot with a real person. A great way to be creative on a budget and explore new ideas.

Equipment required for Still Life Photography

In still life photography, there are no rules or regulations made on concrete concerning the equipment to use.

Part of the fun is the challenge of coming up with new and exciting combos to make things work perfectly. Generally, below are some pieces of equipment you will need:

Yes, obvious I know. From large-format film camera to smartphone camera, it doesn’t matter which you use.

Any camera is fine to take still life photographs with, it depends more on what you need the final shot to look like. 

But as a rule of thumb, if you’re needing to print it big for an advert, or it needs to be high resolution for a cook book say, then you’ll want a high end DSLR more than likely.

Lenses are also another important piece of equipment for shooting still life photography, and the prime 50 mm lens is the classic choice.

The prime 50 mm lens is inexpensive and offers a realistic image without distortion on a full-frame camera. 

The 50mm is dependable and largely mimics how the human eye sees the world, so it’s a great way to place the audience in the scene. The higher the lens number in mm the more it will compress perspective, which is great if you have a starter lens that can’t shoot at wide apertures. You can get around this to a degree by using a longer focal length in mm, the longer the lens, the more exaggerated the depth of field becomes.

#3. Lighting

Lighting is another piece of equipment you need in still life photography, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be conventional. 

In addition to flashes and speed lights, you can harness the beauty of natural light for your compositions. Photographers who decide to go with natural light rely on diffusers and reflectors. If you don’t have these, don’t forget you’re playing in miniature, so simply use a white pillowcase, piece of plain paper or even some tin foil.

Coloured reflectors can bring warmth and liveliness to a still life photograph and help the composition by adding particular tones and colours. Again, don’t overthink it, use coloured A4 card.

Diffusers and strobes are additional lighting tools but avoid on-camera lighting that produces a straight-on flash. Its effect is usually harsh and will make your composition look flat.

Always light from the side, never from straight on.

Use a desk lamp if you’re looking for cheap alternative for lighting.

Using a lightbox is also a great alternative and gives you a clean white background to work with.

The tripod is another useful tool for creating great still life imagery. It’s easier to take shots with the camera in a fixed location as you can tweak the setup of your objects without upsetting your overall composition.

A tripod makes this possible when you set up the camera and frame your image while rearranging background and photo subjects. 

#5. Image Editing Software 

Images straight out of the camera typically look a bit rubbish.

If you don’t have Photoshop or Lightroom no problem, there are plenty of great editing apps you can get on your phone completely free, I’m doing a round up post on these soon.

#6. Backgrounds

You also need backgrounds and surfaces to enhance your subject and make your shots engaging. 

Canvas, wood, bedsheets, whatever you can think of. If you place it far enough in the background it won’t be in focus anyway.

#7. A Spirit level

This is invaluable when you’re shooting lay flats.

They are much more complicated to rig up, but if you have a spirit level you can gauge if you are taking your picture parallel to the subject. Getting your lay flats actually flat will make the look a lot better.

Still Life Photography Ideas – 10 contemporary photographers

Without further ado, here are twelve still life photographers that will hopefully inspire you to create a still life of your own.

Hardi Saputra

Surreal, dreamlike and full of whimsy, Hardi Saputra makes creating beautiful, creative still life photographs look easy. I’m keen to draw attention to his work and to list him first in this article because he embraces the idea of utilising what is around him. Yes his scenes are dreamlike, but everything he uses to create his scenes either exists in a typical household or is very cheap to acquire. Take the scene below for example, a child’s toy giraffe, some cotton wool, coloured paper, some string and some ping pong balls, a bit of fiddling with some glue, and you’ve got a picture. Don’t overthink your work or get stuck thinking that you need to spend money to make a cool scene. Use your imagination and make use of all sorts of scraps lying around. For scale, Hardi has said in interviews that he uses a 40cm square box to make his miniature scenes. This should help give you an idea of how you can create beauty on a small scale. He also stated that he started his photographic journey using an Android phone to take pictures. The quality of modern phone cameras is immense, pair it with a few desk lamps and a cardboard box, and you’ve got yourself a mini studio.

“My inspiration comes from my dreams. I always want to see a beautiful field of grass, beautiful clouds, and the stars. Instead of just imagining them, I decided to turn them into artwork. I also get inspiration from video games. The rocket was inspired by the Red Rocket station from Fallout games. I chose soft fabric materials and cute astronauts because I love playing a video game called LittleBigPlanet. The other sources of my inspiration are cartoons and anime. Most of them have unique and beautiful stories, skies and colours, especially the anime from Studio Ghibli because their clouds are so pretty.”

Henry Hargreaves

Henry makes this list because he takes information that is widely available and turns it into conceptual art. The contents of inmates last meals is only a Wikipedia search away, all you need is an idea and a bit of imagination and you’ve got yourself a really cool still life photography project. Exploring difficult topics like the last meal is also a really interesting intellectual exercise and is a great way to expand the creation of new ideas for you own, original pieces. Food is a universal language, each of us needing to eat, but having many different preferences. It allows you to connect with people on a deeper level by exploring what they eat, you could even embark upon a project that explores identity through food, can a picture of food be a portrait of a person? It opens up a whole new world for you to explore and develop ideas. Henry mentions on his website that he thoroughly enjoys collaborating on his projects, which is an excellent idea when trying to create your own still life pieces. Not only is it always handy to have a second person around for company and to challenge your ideas, but inevitably when setting up lights and dealing with small details, it’s always handy to have someone with you to help. You can then also help them with their project and learn from their mistakes too, so you both learn faster.

“In my photography I have always been fascinated by the mix of the mundane and the extraordinary. So I while was reading about efforts to stop the Last Meal tradition in Texas it sparked my interest. In the most unnatural moment there is (state sponsored death) what kind of requests for food had been made?”

There is a great deal to be discovered in Anna’s incredibly beautiful still life photographs. She combines the toolkit of the great still life painters and brings it up to date with the use of the camera. Extreme depth of field, texture and minimalist composition all combine to make truly stunning images. Notice how Anna uses colour in her work. It’s extremely important when trying to master composition that you factor in colour when putting together these images. In the image directly below, the cloth is the same colour as the flowers, the jug and bowl in the background also have accents of pink that help balance the image. The deliberately picked petals at the bottom of the frame help draw the eye to the bottom of the frame and the background also has accents of pink, and the complimentary colour blue. See if you can gather objects from home to make a scene like this at home using your dining table or a block of wood. To get the painterly effect, you’ll need to add a texture layer in photoshop or using a phone app. Try the Mextures iphone app.

Michael Jackson

This one is a bit of a cheat as Jackson creates his still life images in the dark room rather than by setting up objects and photographing them. He is the only person in the world (to my knowledge) that creates these images known as Luminograms. A combination of different light sources, modifiers and bits of glass combine to make something that is truly extraordinary and entirely unique. Most photography students (I hope) will have access to a dark room, but even if you don’t just wait until night time, turn off all the lights and you’ll be able to play with a torch, some tubes and black and white darkroom paper. See if you can crack the code and work out how he does it!

I have a suspicion that he uses something like a Pringles tube and presses it firmly against the paper and then shines a light into it at an angle. The shadow of the edge of the tube would then create the 3D ball illusion. This may be well off, but it’s my guess. I think the straight lines are either created with a resist (something like a pencil and then washed off afterwards), or scored into the paper

Paulette Tavormina

Paulette Tavormina is one of the most celebrated photographers of still life scenes, with her stunning and intricate images of everyday objects revolutionizing the genre. Born in Pittsburgh, PA, Paulette first discovered her passion for photography at a young age. Although she initially envisioned a career behind the camera, she soon found herself drawn instead to art direction and design. After earning a degree from Parsons School of Design in New York City, she went on to work as a set designer for theatre productions across the United States. It was during this time that she developed an interest in still life photography.

Paulette’s unique style stems from her love of crafting intricate compositions out of ordinary objects. She creates lush scenes that incorporate everything from flowers and fruit to toys and trinkets. Her carefully arranged scenes are brought to life by her use of vivid colours and rich textures, resulting in photographs that are at once beautiful and intriguing. Over the years, Paulette has built up an impressive body of work that has earned her critical acclaim both domestically and internationally. Today, she is considered one of the top photographers working in the still life field.

To create your own work in her style, collect fresh flowers and place them on black card. Don’t immediately spend money on fresh flowers, you can make plenty of interesting compositions out common flowers such as Dandelions, field daisies and Sweet Cicely. Then you’ll need a single direction light source, use a room with only one window for ease.

Jeroen Luijt

Still life photographer Jeroen Luijt was born in Holland in 1966. After studying art and design at the Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague, he began his career as a commercial photographer. However, it wasn’t until he turned his camera towards still life that he found his true calling. Luijt’s work is characterized by a strong use of light and shadow, as well as a keen eye for detail. His focus on simple objects—a cup, a vase, a book—has resulted in some truly stunning images. In recent years, Luijt has also begun to experiment with virtual reality, creating immersive experiences that allow viewers to explore his photographs in new ways. Whether he’s working in traditional photography or pushing the boundaries of technology, Jeroen Luijt continues to produce extraordinary work that highlights the beauty of the everyday.

Laura Letinsky

Laura Letinsky is a renowned photographer who is best known for her stunningly detailed and graceful still life photographs. Born in Chicago in 1959, she was initially drawn to the medium of photography from a young age, using her high school darkroom to explore the possibilities of this new art form. After graduating from college with a degree in art history and religion, she decided to pursue her passion for photography professionally, studying at the San Francisco Art Institute before going on to complete an MFA at Yale University.

Letinsky’s work has been widely recognized and celebrated, with over 45 exhibitions and projects spanning countries around the world. Her style involves a careful and meticulous approach that focuses on capturing small details – an object here or a hand gesture there – within larger settings. She is famous for exploring themes such as domesticity and human relationships through intricate visual compositions that draw the viewer in. Her skilful use of light reveals beauty in even unexpected or mundane subjects, highlighting their textures, colours, and subtle interactions amongst one another.

Today, Letinsky continues to explore new topics within her artwork while teaching photography at various universities across North America. Her lifelong dedication to exploring both aesthetics and ideas through the lens have resulted in some truly stunning photographic creations that both inspire and challenge the viewer.

“In giving ourselves over to our sense of vision, it’s as if we’re saying it’s the only sense that matters.”

Olivia Parker

Born in 1938 in Pasadena, California, Olivia Parker was a self-taught photographer with a passion for capturing beauty through the lens of her camera. Her career began in the 1960s, when she shot a series of photographs depicting everyday objects and landscapes that were featured in titles such as Look, Harper’s Bazaar, and Town & Country. However, Parker quickly developed a unique style that set her apart from other photographers working at the time. While many others relied on vogue clothing and architecture to create dramatic visual compositions, Parker preferred simpler subject matter like fruit or bread. She often arranged these objects into still life’s on table top surfaces, drawing attention to the surfaces themselves rather than to any surrounding scenery. This approach helped to revolutionize the field of still life photography and has influenced countless artists since. Today, Olivia Parker remains one of the most celebrated names in this genre of art, with numerous exhibitions around the world and a legacy that continues to inspire new generations of photographers.

Born in Tel Aviv, Israel, in 1967, Ori Gersht is one of the world’s most prominent imaging artists. His distinctive style blends documentary photography with painterly imagery, exploring themes of death, war, and environmental destruction.

Ori first discovered his passion for photography as a teenager, when he began documenting newspaper announcements about political conflicts in Europe at the end of the Cold War. These images would eventually serve as inspiration for his signature hybrid style of still life photography.

Throughout his career, Ori has travelled all over the world to capture spectacular images at breath-taking locations such as Chernobyl and Oslo’s Vinderen Cemetery. He uses sophisticated equipment to freeze moments of intense emotion or tension that play out almost too quickly to see. Whether capturing fragments of exploded vintage porcelain shattered by air gun pellets or a bulldozer working its way through a layer of rime ice on top of crevices filled with icicles and snow crystals, Ori’s work offers complex layers of symbolism and beautiful visual contrast.

Despite the power and intensity of his photos, Ori manages to convey a sense of serenity in each image that belies their often devastating subject matter. His unique blend of intense emotion and meditative calm has made him one of the most celebrated still life photographers of his generation.

Margriet Smulders

Still life photographer Margriet Smulders is best known for her highly stylized and meticulously composed images. Born in the Netherlands in 1958, Smulders began her career as a fashion photographer before turning her attention to still life’s. Working in both digital and film mediums, she often combines traditional photography techniques with digital post-processing to create her signature look. Her work is characterized by a careful attention to detail, whether she is photographing a simple floral arrangement or a elaborate tableau. In recent years, Smulders has also begun experimenting with incorporating found objects and nature into her still life’s, creating unique and evocative images that are as much about the process of creating them as they are about the final product. no matter what the subject matter, Smulders’ photos always exude a sense of calm and beauty.

Creating beautiful and successful still life images is an impressive feat, and as you can see from the images above, has incredible scope for you to apply your creativity and imagination to in order to develop and explore your own ideas.

It doesn’t matter your creative vision or artistic goals. Still life photography is a fantastic place to start and a different type of photography worth trying.

Still Life Photography: The Ultimate Guide (+ 9 Tips)

A Post By: Lea Hawkins

Ever looked at a simple fruit bowl and wondered if it could be something more? Well, it can! Still life photography is all about transforming ordinary objects into visual art, and it comes with an array of powerful advantages:

• It’s highly accessible (you can do it in your own home!)
• It doesn’t require ultra-expensive gear
• It’s not nearly as hard as it might seem

I’ve been taking still life images for years, and in this article, I offer everything you need to improve your shots. I cover all the key elements including lighting, composition, and editing – so that, no matter your level of experience, you’ll be ready to shoot some amazing still life photos of your own.

Let’s get started.

What is still life photography?

Still life photography is an art form that involves capturing inanimate objects. This can include anything from a bowl of fruit to a carefully arranged collection of antique tools.

The appeal of still life photography lies in its accessibility and its potential for immense creativity. With complete control over all elements, from lighting to composition, you can turn ordinary objects into something extraordinary.

Seeing everyday objects through an artistic eye is the essence of still life photography. It’s about finding beauty in the mundane and ordinary. Whether you’re a professional photographer or just starting, still life photography invites you to see the world anew, and it’s a wonderful way to explore your creativity!

Essential still life photography gear

You don’t need to spend a fortune to get started with still life photography. An entry-level mirrorless camera or DSLR will work just fine. These camera types provide more control and flexibility compared to simple point-and-shoot models. Paired with a close-focusing lens , they allow you to capture sharp images of your subjects that you can edit, print, and hang on your wall.

A tripod is another important item, and while not every still life photographer works exclusively with a tripod, it’s a great piece of equipment to obtain. Even a slight camera movement can change the focus and composition, so a tripod will help streamline your workflow. More importantly, it’ll keep your camera steady, which is crucial for achieving clear, sharp images in low light conditions.

Other useful accessories include reflectors to reduce shadows and diffusers to handle too-harsh lighting.

That said, you don’t need to go gear-crazy; the key is to understand that quality images don’t necessarily come from expensive gear. With the right basic tools, beautiful still life images are entirely within your reach.

Key still life photography settings

Manual mode is where you want to begin in still life photography. Working in this mode gives you ultimate control over your image, allowing you to fine-tune the aperture, ISO, and shutter speed. With control over these settings, your creativity can truly shine.

A narrow aperture such as f/8 is a standard choice for still life photography. It keeps the subject in focus, giving you the crisp details that’ll make your still life images stand out. As for the ISO: Keep it low to maintain the best image quality. As long as you’re using a tripod, shutter speed is less critical; you can slow it down without causing blur.

Understanding these settings is essential to achieving professional-looking photos. While dialing in apertures, ISOs, and shutter speeds may seem technical at first, you’ll find that it quickly becomes second nature!

Basic lighting for still life photography

Light is an essential component of still life photography , and many still lifes feature beautiful lighting arrangements (which often create moody, painterly effects).

But it’s important to realize that you don’t need fancy lighting to create a stunning still life . When you’re starting out, I recommend using whatever light you have available, such as:

• Indirect light from a window
• A flashlight

Don’t just create your setup, take one shot, and call it a day. Instead, try out different lighting effects! Use a curtain to block out some window light, then remove the curtain to let the light stream in. Shine a flashlight at your main subject, then try a second shot where the flashlight is positioned off to the side and shrouds your subjects in shadow. Make sense?

Note that, if you’re using lamps, flashlights, or candles, you will definitely need a tripod; indoor lighting won’t get you a fast-enough shutter speed for handheld shots. (This can be a relatively cheap model; as long as it’s positioned on a sturdy surface, it should be able to keep your camera steady.) When you’re ready to shoot, just mount your camera to the tripod, activate the two-second self-timer , and start taking images.

Still life photography composition

Learning to compose still life photos is often a struggle for beginners. This is understandable, as still life composition brings up a ton of questions, such as: Where should I place all my items? Should they overlap? Should they be close to the background? What camera angle should I use?

Fortunately, still life composition isn’t as hard as it might seem. I have two main recommendations, and they will take you far:

First, if you’ve not encountered them before, read about the rule of thirds and the rule of odds . These will offer a fantastic compositional starting point for beautiful still life shots, plus they’re really easy to use.

Second, just keep moving your items around.

This latter recommendation might seem a bit silly, but I promise: If you rearrange your objects enough, you’ll eventually hit on an arrangement that looks great. Don’t just settle for the first composition that you try – instead, test an arrangement, then evaluate it critically. Determine what you like and dislike about it, then make adjustments.

As you create different compositions, here are a few items to keep an eye on:

• Overly empty gaps (you generally want to keep the entire arrangement balanced!)
• Busy areas (you don’t want to confuse the viewer with too much activity)
• Movement between objects (aim to lead the eye from one object to the next)

Remember: A tiny tweak can make a huge difference. So if an arrangement doesn’t seem perfect, make a few changes. Chances are that you’ll soon hit upon a better setup!

Tips and tricks to improve your still life photos

Now that you’re familiar with the basics, let’s dive into some of the higher-level aspects of still life photography, including subject selection, different lighting directions, and more!

1. Look at the work of great still life photographers

It’s a valuable practice to study the work of great still life photographers online. By observing their photos, you can learn about the different ways to arrange elements, and you can even find inspiration for new subjects.

But don’t limit yourself to photography alone; look at the world of painting as well. Masters like Cezanne offer a treasure trove of lessons on composition, balance, and the use of color. The way these painters arranged objects, used light, and chose colors can translate into unique insights for your photography. A painter’s eye for composition can open new doors for your creativity.

Learning from others can be an exciting and enlightening process. While it’s important to develop your unique style, the techniques and ideas you glean from observing the masters can enhance your skills.

2. Experiment with sidelighting

Sidelighting is a powerful tool in still life photography. By ensuring that your light source is hitting the subject from the side rather than the front or back, you add shadows that improve a sense of three-dimensionality. The play of light and shadow brings depth and drama to an image, allowing ordinary objects to appear extraordinary.

A 45-degree angle is often a fantastic starting point for sidelighting. It offers a balanced blend of light and shadow, producing a visually appealing effect. Don’t be afraid to play with different angles and light sources; experimentation is key to finding what works best for your particular setup.

Realize that the angle of light can drastically change the mood and appearance of your photograph. By embracing the experimentation and understanding how sidelighting works, you add an essential tool to your still life photography toolkit. It’s a step towards creating more engaging, eye-catching images.

Bottom line: Whether you’re using natural light from a window or an artificial source, sidelighting can become your go-to option for stunning still life shots.

3. Pick items that interest you

Still life photography beginners often struggle to pick a subject and get started. But in truth, there are no “best” still life subjects, so there’s no need to stress! Ideal subjects are simply items that interest you , and they can come from anywhere, including:

• Around your house
• Flea markets and thrift stores
• Estate sales
• The grocery store
• The florist

Of course, the words “still life” generally conjure up visions of vases of flowers, pears on candlelit tables, old paper, and violins. And you can certainly capture beautiful still life shots by obtaining and arranging these “classical” items.

But you don’t need to spend time pursuing such images if they don’t interest you. Instead, ask yourself: What is meaningful to me ? What objects do I love? Is there a story I would like to tell with my still life?

Alternatively, you might look for items that simply catch your eye. This next shot contains a piece of dried seaweed on some calico. Was the seaweed meaningful to me? Not really. Did it tell a story? Nope. It simply looked beautiful, so I wanted to capture it!

Finally, you can capture “found” still life arrangements – that is, still life arrangements that already exist (in houses, backyards, or on the street). Here’s a found still life, taken of a friend’s bedside table:

When picking still life subjects, here’s my final piece of advice:

If you’re stuck, just find some items that are personal and important to you, such as:

• Family heirlooms
• Pictures containing relatives
• Books that you love

Then, after a bit of arranging, you’ll capture a still life that’s loaded with meaning!

4. Work with a theme

Still struggling to pick the right still life photography subjects? Then I highly recommend working around a single theme.

Themes are an essential aspect of still life photography that can add depth and coherence to your images. They help you move beyond randomly selected objects and push you to think about the mood and meaning you want to convey. Whether it’s a color, season, or concept, a unifying theme can drive creativity.

For example, if you choose a theme around the color blue, you may gather items like blue glassware, a blue scarf, or blueberries. The consistent color palette not only creates visual harmony but also allows you to explore various textures and shapes within a specific color family.

Themes also help in storytelling. A setup focused on a seasonal theme, like autumn, can evoke feelings of warmth, change, or nostalgia. From leaves to pumpkins, selecting objects that resonate with the chosen theme helps in creating visually compelling stories that speak to the viewer.

5. Carefully select a background

The background can make – or break- your still life. If you want great results, you must choose your background with great care.

Specifically, don’t choose a background that features distracting elements. Avoid eye-catching colors that draw the eye, and if you use fabric, make sure you iron it first (few things are more distracting than a wrinkled backdrop!).

Instead, keep it simple. Fabric, cardboard, and existing walls often work great, provided that they’re relatively plain. The goal is to emphasize your still life subjects (so the viewer knows exactly where to look).

Here’s an image featuring a plain backdrop made from a couple of old potato sacks:

And here’s another shot, this time featuring a sheet of red fabric:

Also, experimentation is important! Different background textures and colors can complement your subjects in different ways, so it pays to test out a few options before deciding on a final arrangement. You may be surprised by the backdrops that make your still life really pop.

And while I generally do advocate using a narrow aperture and a deep depth of field when starting out, over time, you might want to try experimenting with focus and depth of field . You can create a shallow depth of field effect – where you keep the front element sharp and the background blurry – for more artistic shots. It’s a trick that can also come in handy if you like the background but find it a little too conspicuous.

6. Try light painting for creative still life shots

Light painting is a thrilling technique that allows you to “paint” with light. It involves setting your camera to a long shutter speed, usually in the range of 10 to 30 seconds, and then moving a flashlight or candle around your subject during the exposure. The result can be mesmerizing.

One of the great things about light painting is that it enables you to have greater control over your lighting without investing in expensive strobes and softboxes. You can create unique effects and highlights exactly where you want them. All you need is a dark room and a source of light, such as a flashlight, candle, or even a glow stick.

Experiment with different light sources, movements, and exposure times. You’ll soon discover a whole new world of creative possibilities. Light painting can add depth, character, and flair to your photos, making it a valuable technique in your still life photography toolbox.

7. Consider using artificial lighting

Once you’ve mastered basic still life lighting using natural sources like windows or candles, you may wish to explore artificial lighting for more control. Studio strobes, speedlights, or continuous LEDs are common options, and each has its advantages.

For those just starting, speedlights can be an affordable choice. They are portable and easy to use but still deliver excellent results. Strobes, on the other hand, are more powerful and include modeling lights so you can see the lighting effect in advance.

Whatever your choice, softboxes are essential. A bare flash will result in harsh and unflattering light. Softboxes diffuse the light, making it softer and more pleasing to the eye. They come in various sizes and shapes, allowing you to fine-tune the lighting effect to match your vision.

Artificial lighting may seem intimidating at first, but with practice, you can use it to create stunning still life photographs. From generating specific effects to offering complete control over the intensity and direction of light, artificial lighting opens up a new realm of creativity. It’s an investment not just in equipment but in expanding your artistic capabilities.

8. Shoot from different angles

The angle you choose to shoot from can dramatically alter the look and feel of your still life photograph. While it’s common to start with a standard frontal composition, experimenting with different angles adds richness and variety to your portfolio.

Moving to the right or the left, shooting from above or below – these choices offer new perspectives on familiar subjects. Even slight adjustments in camera height can change how a setup is captured. Higher angles can amplify depth, making objects appear more spread out, while lower angles can give a greater sense of intimacy or grandiosity.

Experimentation is key here. There are no rigid rules, so feel free to explore various angles until you find what resonates with your subject and theme. Try photographing a bowl of fruit from directly above to emphasize shape and pattern, or shoot a vase of flowers from below to give it a towering, majestic appearance. The creativity of angles is in your hands.

9. Make sure you spend time editing your still life photography

Post-processing can make a huge difference to your still life photos, so I highly recommend you spend time editing your images in Lightroom, Photoshop, Capture One, or some other program.

Start out with basic adjustments, such as white balance, exposure, contrast, and saturation. Then, as you become more experienced, play around with more advanced options.

Consider doing HDR photography , where you take several images at different exposure levels then blend them together in Lightroom. Or use Photoshop to add a beautiful texture to your image for a painterly look:

How to create stunning still life photography: final words

As you’ve discovered, the world of still life photography offers a vast playground for creativity, exploration, and skill-building. By working with themes, you can craft images that are not only visually stunning but also filled with depth and story. Shooting from different angles adds another layer of expression and offers endless possibilities for capturing ordinary objects in extraordinary ways.

Remember to embrace the tools and techniques outlined, and practice to see how they transform your still life photography. The joy of creating mesmerizing still life photos isn’t reserved for professionals; it’s within your reach.

So experiment with lighting, composition, and editing. Have fun! Enjoy yourself! You’re bound to end up with some stunning photos.

Now over to you:

What type of still life photos do you plan to take? Which of these tips are your favorites? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Read more from our Tips & Tutorials category

is an Australian photographer working mainly in the areas of portraiture, fine art, and for the local press. Her work has been published, exhibited, selected and collected – locally, nationally and internationally, in many forms. All shot with very minimal gear and the photographic philosophy that it’s not so much the equipment, but what you do with it. You can see more of her work at www.leahawkins.com

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Still Life Photography: Ideas, Tips, and Theory for Success

• Jonathan Jacoby

Last updated:

• February 13, 2023
• See comments

Still life photography was born out of an ancient discipline in the visual arts. Already centuries ago, countless artists used the field of still life painting to test and display their technical skills.

Today in modern photography, not so much has changed. The still life image is still an incredibly useful medium to experiment, broaden your creative horizons, and show off your talent.

It can also serve as a useful base for generating new photography ideas and improving the diversity of your portfolio.

Today’s guide is going to delve deeply into the world of still life photography. By the end of this short read, you will understand not just what still life photography is all about and how it is viewed.

You will also have the aesthetic and technical understanding necessary to create excellent still life images by yourself. Without further ado, let’s get right into it!

What is Still Life Photography?

First, let’s lay down some working definitions. Still life photos are prominent in many genres and fields of visual art and design, but their popularity actually leads to a lot of confusion as to what precisely makes a still life and what doesn’t.

In simple words, a still life is a scene that portrays a static ( still ) set of subjects, usually everyday objects. These can be man-made or natural, inanimate objects or organic (such as plants).

As you can imagine, the arrangement and presentation of these objects – not to mention the choice of props – all play a huge role in how the viewer’s eye perceives a still life photo.

Anatomy of a Still Life Photo

To gain an understanding of how still life photography works in practice, you need to be aware of how it functions at its core.

When you dissect a still life and how it is made, it reveals itself as actually so much more than a visual motif. In truth, still life shots are the intersection where nearly all basic photography skills and techniques come into play at once.

That includes composition , exposure , lighting , aesthetics , complete control of your gear, and working with color .

Thanks to this universality, still life photography is a truly amazing learning tool for photographers of any experience level!

Throughout the rest of this chapter, we will delve deeper into what makes a still life photograph tick and how you can approach its many components without getting overwhelmed.

Created Still Lifes and Their Appeal

Though there are as many types of still life photographs as there are still life photographers, many choose to broadly divide still lifes into one of two categories.

The first of these are created still lifes. The word “created” here references the fact that the props, i.e. your subjects, are staged and carefully posed and put in place.

Because of this, created still lifes usually take place in a studio environment.

However, they don’t have to. You can create a still life scene by arranging props you find out in the outdoors and in natural light!

Created still life photography is seen by many as more beginner-friendly because it affords you unlimited time and creative control over every aspect of your composition.

Found Still Life Photography

As directly opposed to created still life photography, there is the found kind.

For a still life to be found means that for its props to be left as they were in nature, without any involvement on the side of the photographer.

Of course, you can still use artificial lighting (though there are some purists who would argue otherwise), but the main idea is to try and find interesting still life compositions in the world around you instead of staging them.

One word of caution: the found still life photographer faces one particular ethical duty shared with street photographers and many others.

Namely, to be honest about whether a photograph was really “found” or not.

For the sake of your dignity and the integrity of the medium, don’t pass of even minimally created still lifes as found photography!

Technical Guide for Successful Still Life Photography

Now that you should have a basic grasp of the aesthetic and compositional aspects of still life photography, let’s explore the technical side of the medium.

In the following, I’ll go over all the camera settings and key techniques you’ll need for success, including gear, lens requirements, and more!

Recommended Camera Bodies

Of the attributes that make a camera body perfect for still life photography, much of it has to do with sensor size.

The debate between APS-C and full frame cameras will likely never end completely, but larger sensor formats do offer some notable advantages for still life photographers.

The larger the sensor, the more image fidelity you can retain, even at very high ISOs. This is particularly useful for still lifes, which are often shot indoors and preferably without flash.

Larger image formats also offer higher tonality (fine gradation between shades of colors) and more control over depth of field. Again, these kinds of advantages are very nice to have when composing still life photos, particularly in the studio.

For making large-scale prints, the higher average resolution of larger sensors is also helpful.

Other features that routinely help pro cameras sell – such as lightning-fast autofocus, weather sealing, IBIS, and more – are generally a lot less relevant to still life shooters.

The Best Lenses for Still Life Photography

Next to the choice of camera, the lens you pick is among the items that are going to affect the way your photographs turn out the most.

But what makes a lens great for still life photography in particular?

What you should look for are fast apertures for controlling depth of field and ease of working indoors, as well as reliable, ergonomic manual focus.

Of course, overall build quality and value also play a large role.

Other pricey specs, like image stabilization or specialized lens elements, are far less crucial than they are in some other photographic fields.

Which Focal Length to Choose for Still Life Photography?

A normal prime lens of a focal length between 35 and 55mm (full-frame equivalent angle of view) has always been popular in still life photography and remains so. These lenses can be had for cheap, often feature great glass, and tend to be lightweight and easy to use.

Other options include wide-angle lenses, with 28mm being particularly common.

These can give your still life photography a more dramatic look, but you need to take into account the extra real estate offered by the short focal length . Packing enough interesting subject groups into a tighter frame can be challenging!

Note that while zoom lenses have their place, they are really not necessary, and many still life photographers choose to go without them. A simple set of primes can weigh and cost less yet yield optically superior results!

Must-Have Accessories and Gear

What other gear does the pro still life photographer pack in their bags?

While camera and lens are essential, there are a few other considerations, too.

For instance, consider the fact that your subjects never move in still life photography. It’s an amazing opportunity to utilize the full gamut of shutter speed settings, including long exposures.

The only problem? Keeping your camera steady throughout!

A quality tripod will outlast your camera (mine dates from the 1970s and still works as new), can be used in nearly any environment, and will keep your camera stable no matter your photographic situation. It’s a must-have investment!

Other essential gear items for still life photographers include special lens effects filters. For working in monochrome, you’d also want to pick up a few color filters.

These can significantly alter the mood and tone of your still life image in a way that is easily reversible, predictable, and entirely in-camera!

Some still life photographers will also want to add a dedicated flashgun or even a whole studio-grade lighting setup, including light boxes, reflectors, and diffusers. This is optional but can greatly enhance your workflow in the studio.

Basic Still Life Compositions and Technique

Composition is a still life photographer’s bread and butter, arguably the most important skill to master in the genre. Here are a few cool photography techniques that you may practice to refine your compositional skills and get those creative juices flowing.

There are numerous compositional tricks that work well for every photography genre, such as the rule of thirds and others that mostly deal with aesthetic proportion.

However, specifically for still life photography I think there is no better ace to have up your sleeve than layering .

In short, layering is a way of thinking about your final image as a set of boxes instead of one big (and potentially messy) frame.

Still life photographers who work in layers usually begin by choosing one focal point. This is your main subject, and you should strive to direct your viewer’s attention toward it as much as possible.

From this central subject, build outwards, adding more and more layers of peripheral props to fill out the composition.

You can take this literally, too, by placing your subjects within physical frames, such as shelves or boxes that sort objects of interest for the viewer’s eye.

There are many other elements of still life photography composition, of course – too many to cover today! – but so many of them flow out from this central theme of layering and compartmentalizing.

Using Depth of Field Smartly

You might also want to play with your aperture, as shallow depth of field can be very easily used to bring attention to certain aspects of your composition.

There’s no need to exaggerate proportion. Any sense of space at all can greatly help your viewer’s eye traverse the frame of your still life.

In general, the concept of depth and the three-dimensional distances in space between your subjects is a crucial elements of still life composition. Feel free to play around with it!

Since most still life photography ideas emerge and are shot indoors, this gives you a perfect opportunity to make use of that super-fast 50mm f/1.4 lens you might have lying around!

How Use of Lighting Can Transform Any Still Life Photo

Apart from composition, lighting is another huge player that can significantly affect the outcome and look of your still life shots.

Whereas composition greatly affects the way your still life photography is perceived intuitively, lighting plays a much more major role in how the viewer assesses your photo’s emotional nature. In other words, lighting sets the mood!

As in portraiture, aim for lighting that flatters your main subject. Instead of head-on lighting, go for angles that accentuate interesting curves, angles, patterns , and textures.

Many opt for low-key lighting when working with still lifes. This can come out well, as the example above demonstrates. However, it can also risk looking tacky and overdone. Not to mention the potential downsides of making parts of your composition hard to see!

Go for something that genuinely matches the atmosphere you are trying to create instead of sticking with a certain effect just because you’re told it looks “good”.

Remember that there’s also no reason not to use a mix of artificial and natural light where applicable.

A few rays of sunlight coming in through the window can work just as well as a carefully positioned floor lamp.

Prop Selection and Its Effects

As a matter of course, your choice of props seriously changes the way your still life comes across to the viewer. Aim for a certain harmony by designing your selection of props along a pattern or theme.

This can be a location-based theme, like “kitchenware”, or a contextual theme, like “all the things I had in my pocket this last week”, or something else entirely!

Try to use themes like these to help your still life photography stand out and garner interest from your audience.

Artistic Approaches to Still Life Photography

The still life as a tradition emerged in the world of fine art. In that vein, let’s take a look at how still lifes can be an exciting and valuable exercise for artistic photographers today!

The Importance of Still Lifes Within Fine Art Photography

Still life photography continues to hold a certain cachet in the fine art world. Without a photography portfolio that features at least some creative still lifes, many don’t make it far in their careers.

In other words, the same rules apply as in the traditional art scene.

There is a particular appeal in the still life’s limitations – the lack of motion, and the absence of dynamism and action. These elements can appear as hindering the photographer to some, but they actually make the still life a real test of your creative photography skills.

In other words: if you can succeed at making still lifes, then you are far less likely to struggle creatively elsewhere in fine art photography.

Still Life Photos as Narrative

One way in which still life photography is used, especially in artistic contexts, is as a narrative expression . The kinds of inanimate subject matter that still lifes deal with lend itself very easily to storytelling.

To better relate to this thought, imagine the kinds of messages that manmade or natural objects can evoke. What can your possessions say about you? How much could a person learn about your character just by means of one still life?

Work on this theme and see where it leads you – that’s the core of narrative still life photography.

Use of Color

While the use of color has been an integral element of artistic expression on the painted canvas for centuries, photography spent much of its earlier history restricted to monochrome palettes.

Only fairly recently (in historical terms) have photographers been able to freely choose between working in color or black and white .

Generally speaking, those who stick with the latter prefer the daring and stunning still life photography they can produce with careful use of lighting.

For instance, inanimate subject matter can really pop out dramatically under harsh light, whereas a different still life subject might benefit more from soft illumination.

These kinds of differences exist across the board, of course. But when your entire exposure consists only of gradients of whites, greys, and blacks, they stand out more.

Conversely, some may find that interesting clashes of color and high (or low) contrast can make for a much more interesting way to catch the viewer’s attention. Whichever you prefer, make a conscious choice to utilize your color or lack thereof in a creative way!

Working With Textures

Apart from color, the texture is another constant to keep in mind when creatively designing your composition.

Everyday objects vary in consistency, feel, and material. All of those things affect the texture. Consider how the texture changes how the subject reacts to light – and position it accordingly.

Overlaps Between Still Life Photography and Other Genres

Still life photography can very well open the door to various other branches and genres.

This chapter will give you a quick overview of some of the areas where still life photography skills can augment and enhance your existing work in other fields.

The Found Still Life as a Sub-Genre of Landscape Photography

Traditionally, still life has been directly opposed to the art of landscape work, whether in painting or in photography.

However, things aren’t that simple. Many examples of still life photography breach the boundaries between the two by, for example, building still life scenes out of found natural objects in outdoor environments.

Depending on framing and composition, these can impress as both still lifes and landscape photographs at once.

Still Lifes as Architecture

Often, still life photography is used to showcase ordinary objects in an urban setting to display thoughts on architecture. Especially interior architecture and design make heavy use of the medium that way.

In this context, the composition – in the sense of the arrangement and feng shui of all the props – is absolutely the most important factor.

Still Life Images as Documentary Photography

The still life is called such partly because it serves a great documentary purpose. The things that we interact with – objects, items – can tell stories about our lives long after we are no longer able to tell them ourselves.

In this vein, documentary photographers have made use of still lifes to explain and describe the lifestyles, histories, and cultures of others by means of impressively staged low key photography.

The Still Life in Commercial Photography

Of course, making still lifes is not just for highbrow artistes . There are plenty of applications where still life photography can be highly useful commercially!

Let’s take a look at a few of those, shall we?

Product Photography Using Still Life Images

Where the still life really reigns king commercially is in the world of product photography .

Countless brands and corporations use still life photography routinely to show off their designs and build an online portfolio that’s recognizable and sells easily.

Photographers who work in this niche often do double or triple duty – as co-portraitists, architectural photographers, or more.

How the Still Life is the Hidden Star Behind Food Photography

Ever wondered who takes those countless pictures of food you see every day, from Instagram ads to the illustrations on restaurant menus? It’s food photographers, of course!

Though some don’t think of it in this way, food photography is another one of many examples of still life photography in day-to-day contexts. Arranging food is just like arranging any other prop, with the critical difference that it doesn’t need to just look good aesthetically but also be convenient to eat!

Still Life Photography as an Essential Expression of Your Creative Vision

As you have seen today, still lifes are an incredibly versatile and expressive medium.

Whether to advance your career, expand your creative horizons, or learn something new, still life photography encompasses a wealth of opportunities no matter your experience level!

This really does make them one of the most essential creative photography expressions to master, in my opinion.

I hope that this guide got you started off on the right track and motivated to learn more. I suggest you start off by researching examples of still life photography composition and expression that interests you.

Try to replicate it using the photographic techniques we covered today, and see where you end up!

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• June 24, 2024
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Still life photography: The essential guide for photographers

Published by Feature Shoot • 4 years ago

In 1860, the early English photographer Roger Fenton faced a new challenge when confined to his home due to terrible, unpredictable weather. The renowned landscape photographer suddenly found himself cut off from the gorgeous countryside, unable to produce the kinds of pictures that had made him famous. But instead of packing away the camera, he began to create lush still lives indoors, using lilies, ferns, roses, grapes, and plums to create bountiful arrangements.

Those simple still lifes , made at the end of Fenton’s short photographic career, remain some of the most iconic pictures in recent history, rivaling even his epic landscapes. More than a century and a half later, they still feel fresh and modern. Right now, during a time when so many of us are isolated in our homes, Roger Fenton’s story serves as a powerful reminder that the simplest objects and the most modest of means can form the foundation for extraordinary images.

The still life genre, of course, comprises all images featuring inanimate subjects, from food to objects found around the house. Still life photographs can include any item that does not move (e.g., office supplies, kitchen utensils, etc.) or has died (e.g., cut or pressed flowers, plucked fruits). Here are our tips for getting the most out of this timeless niche. Throughout, we’ve included examples from the 500px community to inspire you along the way.

Develop a strong idea

Still lives, whether painted or photographed, often speak in allegory. When Man Ray photographed a dead castor bean leaf in 1942, for example, he famously made it look like a hand or a claw so as to reference our mortality and the preciousness of life. More recently, photographers like Dina Belenko have created still lives inspired by imagined characters, sometimes referencing specific painters and movements from art history.

Still lives can be straightforward formal studies on the surface, but more often than not, they also hint at larger hidden meanings. Maybe, in the tradition of Man Ray, you take an everyday object and turn it into something else, or perhaps you allude to a work of fiction or literature. Once you have your initial concept, refine it, and add as many details as you can. The more fleshed out your idea, the easier it will be to bring to life.

For some brainstorming ideas, be sure to check out Dina’s still life how-to guide .

Choose a style

One advantage of shooting still lives is that you have maximum control over not only the light and composition but also the mood and atmosphere of your work. As Paul Martineau, associate curator of photographs at the J. Paul Getty Museum, once put it, the true magic of this genre lies in the fact that it can be as conventional or experimental as you wish.

More traditional still lives might follow in the vein of 17th-century European paintings, where imported flowers and fruits represented the earth’s rich and decadent pleasures. On the other hand, you can take a pop-art inspired approach with bright colors and mundane, everyday objects.

Perhaps you opt for a cookbook-worthy food shot, or you use found objects from thrift or antique stores and repurpose them in unusual and surprising ways, or you create a portrait of a specific place by arranging various souvenirs from your travels. You can go high-key with bright light and few shadows or low key with dark and muted tones. Select an aesthetic that works with your concept, and pull some photos from 500px for creative inspiration.

Perfect your composition

When shooting still lives, feel free to take your time planning and refining your composition. Consider conventions like the rule of thirds , leading lines, or the rule of odds, which dictates that an odd number of objects (e.g., three or five) makes for a more dynamic image than an even number (e.g., two or four). Weigh the pros and cons of using a traditional tabletop composition (shot from the side) versus a flat-lay, where every object appears on the same plane.

If you want to create floating objects, bring out your glue gun, or incorporate strings and toothpicks. Toy blocks, modeling clay, poster putty, and coins can also help you balance objects and perfect their positions. If you’re using your hands, wear gloves to avoid smudges and fingerprints.

Color will also play a role in your composition, so think about what hues work well together, and use saturated colors to draw attention to specific parts of your photo. You can fill the frame, or you can make a statement with plenty of negative space. Play with scale by placing a large object and a small one side-by-side, or introduce two seemingly disparate, juxtaposing elements to pique our interest.

Once you’re on set, use a tripod and maybe even a remote shutter release to free up your hands for some finessing and rearranging as you go. For convenience, you can start with one object, light it well, and gradually add others as the shoot progresses.

Use light modifiers

Tabletop still lives date back to the Dutch golden age, when painters like Pieter Claesz and Floris van Dyck set up common food and drinks on wooden surfaces. For these kinds of still lives, it might be worth experimenting with natural window light; schedule your shoot for overcast days or the golden hour , and use a white curtain to diffuse the sunlight.

On the other hand, if you plan to shoot product photos for a commercial client, you might opt instead for an off-camera flash and softbox for more power. A portable light source will also give you the freedom to move around; use backlight for silhouettes, or create some side-lighting to highlight textures.

Modifiers like reflectors to bounce the light or gels and filters to change its temperature will also come in handy, and you can use flags to block out the light or create shadows where you want them. Photographers have been experimenting with modifiers for generations—around the turn of the 20th century, the photographer Baron Adolf de Meyer even placed a thin scrim in front of a set of glassware to make his pictures look more like paintings or etchings—so feel free to try new things.

Try out different lenses

Although cameras with a live-view LCD can be ideal for still-lives, you can create these kinds of photos with any camera on the market, from a point-and-shoot to an old film camera to a DSLR. More often than not, your lens can also help to determine the overall appearance and aesthetic of your photo.

Early still life photographs often had a hazy, gauzy look reminiscent of painting and brushstrokes, and you can still get that look today. Select a fast lens with a wide aperture for a shallow depth of field; once you’ve focused on your subject, the background will be thrown out of focus, creating a dreamy, blurred aesthetic. An affordable prime lens like a classic “nifty-fifty” will serve you well in most cases.

If, on the other hand, you want close-up photos, you might consider opting for a macro lens. These can be ideal for highlighting tiny details that are invisible to the human eye, bringing new life and layers to even banal subjects. If you find your depth of field to be too shallow, use a focus-stacking technique in post.

In general, you won’t need a wide-angle lens for still lives, as you won’t be shooting vast areas, and you’ll want to avoid any unnatural distortions. Whatever lens you choose, use manual settings if you can for the most creative control possible.

Get creative with backgrounds

Your choice in background will set the scene for your still life shoot, whether you choose to have it in focus or not. While professional seamless paper works well for commercial shoots (especially if you want to isolate your subject), you can also play with rustic wood or stone backgrounds.

Keep in mind that shiny surfaces will create reflections; these can work well in product photography but often prove difficult to control, so if they’re causing issues, feel free to use some dulling spray on set. Velvet or velour, on the other hand, will absorb light.

In some cases, wallpapers or even a painted canvas could also add texture and bring out the colors of your scene. Alternatively, you can build miniature setups or stage sets using cardboard and fabric. As you expand your repertoire, your still life background collection will grow, and you’ll also develop an eye for repurposed fabrics or surfaces that you can incorporate into future shoots.

In our increasingly fast-paced world, still life photography provides us with a rare chance to slow down. If street photography is defined by fleeting, blink-and-you-miss-it moments, still lives represent the opposite. You can spend all day photographing the same setup, making minor adjustments to lighting and composition, or you can photograph the same object over and over again, for days on end, using different setups altogether.

As we weather this pandemic together, we’re heartened to see photographers push the boundaries of this time-tested genre and create pictures that spark our imaginations and transform everyday objects into something more.

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Beginner’s Guide to Still Life Photography

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Still life photography is a great way to improve your photography skills. And our article will show you how to get those perfect still life photos!

But what makes up a still life photo? A still life image is the photographic counterpart of still life painting. Common subjects for still life photography include inanimate items like flowers, food, plants, rocks, etc.

And tabletop photography is a branch of still life photography that focuses on capturing items placed on a table. The most common photography subjects are food, products, and found objects. These are the main types of still life photography.

We take you through four case studies to show you how to make a still life photo. Then we review three lighting setups and give you tips on focusing and focus stacking.

We also look at some fun still life ideas to boost your creativity. There’s also a section on the gear you need for still life photography, so you can kit up before you next photoshoot.

Use the links below to navigate through the article. 

• What is Still Life Photography

Four Still Life Photography Setups

Three still life photography lighting styles, still life photography focusing, still life photography ideas, gear for still life photography, still life photographers, what is still life photography.

Still life photography is when people take pictures of objects like fruits, flowers, or everyday things. They make them look interesting and artistic. It’s like creating art with a camera!

A still life photo could be a neatly arranged stack of books with a pair of glasses resting on top, creating a cozy reading scene. It captures the beauty of ordinary things in an image.

Why Should I Try Still Life Photography?

You can learn a lot from still life photography. For example, you can observe how different kinds of light affect the scene. Did you know that sidelight from a low-light source is great for revealing textures?

With still life and tabletop photography, you are totally in control of every aspect of your photo. It is all your decision, from staging the scene to firing the shutter.

Despite the commercial nature of still life photos, you don’t have to shoot them commercially. You can always create a nice storytelling image like the one below.

If I were to tell you everything about still life photography, this post would never end. Instead, I want to show you what you can do with cheap and basic equipment in four case studies. We go from the simplest setup to more complicated ones.

We listed my gear and whether I used low or high key light . Note that “key light” refers to the main light source.

1. Simple Overhead Shot

• Camera : iPhone 5S
• Light Modifier : Circular reflector

Lighting Setup

• Setup Type : High key
• Key Light : Natural window light to the left of the scene
• Fill Light : Circular reflector on the right of the scene

This is the simplest setup you can create. It is most suitable for food photography and small scenes.

I could not fill the frame with the sushi because I had no macro lens for my iPhone. I had to stage a scene with props for this overhead shot. I used a pink bamboo placemat and placed a nice cast iron teapot with a cup.

I displayed the sushi using a small plate with some soy sauce. And a pair of chopsticks added a nice finishing touch.

2. Classic Food Setup

• Camera : Olympus OM-D EM-10 Mark IV
• Lens : Olympus OM 50 f/1.4 (equivalent to a 100mm lens on a full frame)
• Accessories : Tripod and a +2 close-up lens
• Setup : High key

This is a classic setup in food photography. I decided to photograph dark chocolate Belgian pralines, creating contrast by shooting a nice high-key image.

I used a long, narrow white plate decorated with orange peel to display the pralines. And then, I set focus on the first chocolate.

3. Low-Key Close-Up

• Lens : Olympus Zuiko OM 50 f/1.4
• Accessories : Tripod and a +3 close-up lens
• Setup : Low-key lighting
• Key Light : iPhone 5S running the pro version of the Soft Box Color app from above the scene on the right
• Fill Light : Circular reflector on the front right of the scene

To stand out, white Belgian chocolate pralines call for low-key images. A dark grey plate displayed a single white praline decorated with caramel.

Using a +3 close-up lens allowed me to get really close to my subject. I then decided to crop the image in a square format with the subject off-center. It provided a better and even tighter composition.

4. Complex Still Life Scene

• Lens : Sigma Art 30mm f/1.4 DC DN (equivalent to a 60mm lens on full frame)
• Accessorie s: Metz 48 AF-1 flash, tripod, light stand, three-meter E-TTL cord
• Light Modifier : Circular reflector, softbox
• Setup : Low key
• Key Light : Flashgun in manual mode, 1/16 power setting, placed on the right side of the scene, two meters away
• Fill Light : Circular reflector on the left of the scene

A more complex setup for this low-key scene is showing my Yashica-MAT LM TLR medium-format film camera from 1950. (Still in working condition, by the way.)

I used a roll of 120mm camera film  and my favorite hat as props to fill the scene. I also made sure the Figosa leather strap was clearly visible.

Note that you need not be in a pitch-black environment to take this low-key image. You can do them in broad daylight if you use very narrow apertures.

It is best to shoot without a flash to get a black image of the scene. (E.g., use very fast shutter speeds, lowest ISO settings, and narrow apertures.) Then connect the flash and take a real photo. The scene will be illuminated only by the flash, regardless of the amount of ambient light. 

This setup is great for revealing textures and making your shot moody. I did this for a pair of used red Camper Peu leather shoes (in the photo below).

Now let’s review the three general setups I used so you can use them for your still life photography.

1. Low-Key Setup

For low-key photography, I prefer to work in low light. I build my set with two pieces of black cardboard. The one I use for the stage (50 x 70 cm) has a glossy finish, while the one for the background (100 x 70 cm) is matte.

The flash is off-camera on its light stand. And I usually place it on the front or side of the set. This setup is like the one used in the fourth case study. And the resulting photo is shown below.

2. High-Key Setup

This is my typical setup for high-key photography with two pieces of white cardboard. The one for the stage (50 x 70 cm) is resting on a coffee table. The background (100 x 70 cm) is vertical and on a footrest.

3. Fill-Light Setup

In the photo above, you can see my small  Lastolite double-sided silver and white circular reflector . I use it to soften the shadows by bouncing some light back into the scene.

The photo below compares a scene photographed without a reflector (left) and with a reflector (right). As you can see, the shadows in the right image are softer when the reflector is used, and the scene is more pleasant.

First of all, forget autofocus and go with manual focus. You want absolute control of what is in focus and what is not.

If your camera has it, use Live View and turn on any possible manual focus-assisting function you have. This could be image magnification, focus peaking, or combining the two.

For a shot with a narrow (shallow) depth of field, you need to focus manually and mount your camera on a tripod. Use a remote shutter or the self-timer to avoid camera shake.

Be aware of one problem you may face when working with macro or close-up lenses—the very shallow depth of field. Sometimes, you won’t get even a small subject entirely in focus.

Focus Stacking

If stepping down your lens (a smaller aperture is not desirable) or the resulting depth of files is still too narrow, you’ll have to focus stack .

Focus stacking tends to happen in post-processing. But some cameras allow you to do in-camera focus stacking. Several Olympus cameras have this feature, like the OM System OM-1 .

In Photoshop , focus stacking is done by selectively merging some photos. Each photo is focused on a different part of the scene. This technique involves loading your images into Photoshop as layers. You then mask the unwanted parts of the images before merging the layers to create the final image.

For example, consider the photo below—an overhead flat lay of some of the finest Belgian pralines. To get this final image, I had to focus stack three different photos to get all the different elements in focus.

Looking for inspiration for your still life photography? Here are a bunch of easy and fun ideas to try at home.

Create metaphors by comparing dissimilar subjects with a detail in common, like color or shape. Turn oranges into balloons or use a CD as the Earth.

Make dimensional typography from objects like flowers, clips, or spices. Arrange items in patterns, like sweets or leaves, and break the rhythm with different colors. Pick an object like coffee and create 15 stories around it.

Tell a story about a person through the objects on their desk. Draw with chalk to transform ordinary items into a new scene. Flowers are a perfect still life subject, especially when telling a story.

Still life photography ideas are endless, so let your imagination run wild and have fun!

Black and White

Black and white still life photography is a beautiful way to capture the simplicity of inanimate objects. By removing color, you can focus on the textures, shapes, and lines of your subject.

Low key lighting with natural light from a window or a soft sidelight works well for emphasizing these elements.

Even the most mundane objects can become works of art in black and white. Look around your home or garden for subjects that tell a personal story, such as antique objects, jewelry from an elderly relative, or your favorite food.

Use simple compositions that don’t distract from the shapes, lines, and textures.

Fine-tuning your images in post-production is an important final step. Adjust the HSL color sliders in Lightroom or Camera Raw to lighten or darken parts of the photo and change the mood of the image.

With black and white still life photography, you can push the boundaries and get creative.

If you’d like to learn more about black and white still life photography , this blog post is a must-read resource. 

Creating smoke for photography is a fun way to add drama and atmosphere to your images.

You’ll need a few props like a glass jar, incense sticks, paper silhouettes, and a dark background. Arrange your scene with the largest objects first, then add smaller details to create a mystical feel.

Lighting is key for capturing smoke. Place your main light source behind the scene to make the smoke glow and outline the silhouettes. You can use a second light or reflector to fill in shadows.

Light the incense, let the smoke fill the jar, and snap away. Experiment with different amounts of smoke and camera settings to get the look you want. In post-processing, make simple adjustments like boosting contrast and fixing any overexposed areas.

To learn more about make smoke for photography , check out this in-depth article.

Sparkler photography is a fun and creative way to add magic to your still life images.

To get started, gather your props, sparklers, and camera gear. Create a story with your still life setup, building it one object at a time.

Use two light sources to illuminate your scene, but be careful not to overexpose as the sparklers will also provide light. Keep the sparkler steady to prevent motion blur, and adjust your camera settings for well-exposed photos.

Experiment with shutter speeds between 1/100 to 1/10 second and use burst mode to capture the perfect moment.

Try photographing sparklers inside jars or making glowing figures with tracing paper. Post-processing is minimal, focusing on choosing the best shot and adjusting tone and contrast.

With these sparkler photography techniques, you can create stunning and magical still life images.

Christmas Ideas

Christmas is a magical time for still life photography. Capture the cozy feeling of steaming hot drinks with backlight to make the steam shine. Arrange star-shaped cookies in a flat lay with tea cups, cinnamon, and fairy lights.

Build a classic gingerbread house and use it as a prop to tell Christmas fairytales. Light up your composition with sparklers using a shutter speed of 1/60 s or 1/20 s and burst mode.

Create still life photography Christmas cards with festive letters made from gingerbread, sprinkles, or candy canes.

Tell stories of presents and surprises using smoke, silhouettes, and colorful Holi powder. Add snow to your scene with flour or powdered sugar.

Capture miniature scenes with tiny Christmas trees or LEGO people. Experiment with Christmas drink photography by making marshmallows or berries fly in a spiral.

Christmas still life is a great way to have fun and tell magical stories through your photos.

A professional still life photographer may need a suitable setup and expensive equipment. But you can still take amazing photos with basic equipment in the corner of your living room.

Keep costs low by getting creative and crafting DIY accessories and solutions to get your desired shot. Below is a list of the materials and equipment you need to begin tabletop and still life photography.

Required Equipment

• Camera : A digital camera is cheaper to run, and you can have immediate feedback. But nothing is stopping you from using your film camera .
• Lenses: A telephoto lens or a fast standard lens like a 50mm f/1.8. Old, manual lenses are good and usually cheap.
• Reflectors : Small silver and white light reflectors bounce light back into the scene. These can be easily built using tinfoil and cardboard.
• Scene Materials : Different materials to create the floor and background of your scene.
• Props : Look around your house or visit a flea market for interesting props that enhance the scene. You can read our posts about food and product photography props for still life prop ideas.

Lenses for Still Life Photography

A macro lens is a valuable tool for still life photography. It allows you to capture stunning close-up details and create beautiful background blur.

The most common focal lengths for macro lenses are 60mm, 90mm, 100mm, and 105mm. A 60mm macro lens is a great choice for cropped sensor cameras, while a 90mm or 105mm lens works well on full frame cameras.

When using a macro lens for still life photography, don’t just use it like a traditional macro lens. Step back and capture more of the scene to tell a story.

Shoot a range of apertures to get the right amount of detail and blur. Play with distance and angles to find unique perspectives.

If you’d like to learn more about lenses for still life photography , you have to see our full article.

Recommended Equipment

• Macro Lens or Close-Up Lens : You can get away with a set of close-up lenses. Since I do not own a macro lens, I usually work with a +2 and +3 close-up lens. They reduce the minimum focus distance of my lenses.
• Flashgun : Ideally, the flashgun can be used in manual mode and has adjustable power. We recommend the Godox V860III for Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm, Olympus, and Panasonic.
• Softbox : This is for your flashgun. I use the Neewer Translucent , a wonderful, affordable, compact softbox.
• Tripod : You should have at least one. A second one might be necessary if you want to mount your flashgun instead of using it handheld.
• Wireless Trigger or E-TTL Cord : This is to enable flash off-camera. The cord should be fairly long, like with the Pholsy E-TTL .

I usually use an old manual, Olympus 50mm f/1.4 , and the Sigma Art 30mm f/1.4 , which are super sharp and cheap lenses. I use those lenses on a Micro Four Thirds camera with a 2x crop factor.

This means these lenses are equivalent to 100mm, 60mm, and 120mm on full-frame cameras. Generally, you are better off staying between the 50 and 120mm focal range for still life and product photography.

Here are 10 contemporary still life photographers to follow in 2024. Each has their own unique style that can inspire your own still life photography.

Jonathan Knowles is an award-winning advertising photographer known for his unique lighting techniques. Jenny Van Sommers creates quirky and innovative images for clients like Apple and Nike.

Mat Collishaw’s often confronting work has been featured in famous art institutions worldwide. Henry Hargreaves is known for his funny and edgy still life food photography.

Evelyn Bencicova uses symbolic elements to create images with hidden depths. Still life photographers like these can provide plenty of ideas and inspiration to improve your own photography.

Conclusion: Still Life Photography

You do not need to invest much money to wet your feet in still life photography. You can create your own little home studio with just a few simple pieces of equipment.

And you can find many everyday items around the house to begin shooting. Tabletop and still life photography are both very accessible types of photography. We hope we have inspired you to give it a try!

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‘Deadly Pet’, 2020 © Charles Negre.

‘Games People Play', 2020 © Caroline Tompkins.

‘Quarantine Man', 2020 © David Brandon Geeting.

‘Colls Road’, 2020 © Harley Weir.

The latest book by Shanghai-based publishing studio Same Paper, Still Life brings together 13 international photographers exploring their lockdown experience

Covid-19 has trapped the world at home. National lockdowns have caused millions of bored, trapped, stagnant humans. This is in contrast to the expected life of a photographer: the singular artist, camera in hand, roaming the world, traversing border after border to get that perfect shot. It is an art, which for most, requires one to leave the house. It is quite easy to imagine how this has limited most photographers. The brief for Still Life was simple: create a story about your lockdown.

The publication is very much aware of the long western canon of still life. Artists have been tackling the genre for centuries, but due to the current climate, life itself has become the static subject. It is in this lack of movement that the book finds its originality. The work produced is a look into the lives of the artists, and the small worlds each have built for themselves over lockdown. Life with young children, seeing friends from a window, and the awkward intimacy of an unexpected roommate. Life continues within each of the photographers’ bubbles, the images acting as postcards from each artist and their individual lockdown world. The book includes work by 13 international artists, including Charles Negre, Harley Weir, David Brandon Geeting, Xiaopeng Yuan, and Caroline Tompkins.

Everybody has lockdown memories. Some good, some sad, and some mundane. Still Life uses the vision of 13 artists to give insight into the sublime mundanity of a Covid-19 year. Although everyone’s lockdown experiences differed greatly, we can all find a shared experience within these works.

The mundanity of the domestic can be transformed when one spends multiple months in the same chair, bed, or desk. Objects such as discarded toys, soap in the sink, and crisps on the shelf become fascinating subjects. Items which would go years unnoticed become the muse of the bored photographer. Despite the stagnancy of a still life, beauty in one’s surroundings can still be found.

Home & Belonging 

www.samepaper.com

Isaac Huxtable

Isaac Huxtable is a freelance writer, as well as a curator at the arts consultancy Artiq. Prior to this, He studied a BA in History of Art at the Courtauld Institute, followed by roles at British Journal of Photography and The Photographers' Gallery. His words have featured in British Journal of Photography, Elephant Magazine, Galerie Peter Sellim, The Photographers' Gallery, and The South London Gallery. He is particularly interested in documentary ethics, race, gender, class, and the body.

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Home » Still-life photography – How to take perfect still-life photos

Still-life photography – How to take perfect still-life photos

We show you how to master the art of turning ordinary objects into interesting subjects..

Still-life photography is a great subject for both the experienced and amateur photographer, whether shooting macro, miniature, food or products etc. . Claire Gillo reveals her top tips for perfecting the art of still-life photography.

Simply put, still life is about photographing inanimate subjects, and puts the photographer in control of every aspect of the image, from composition to lighting. It’s all about mastering the art of composition and light to make an ordinary subject appear more interesting.

From a beginner’s perspective, it means you can really take your time with composition and experiment with different lighting techniques . For the more experienced photographer, still life gives the opportunity to push the boundaries of creativity and originality.

Which subjects lend themselves to still-life photography?

A great place to start is with food , because it varies in shape, texture, colour and size . For inspiration, study the classics such as Edward Weston ’s pepper and cabbage leaf from the 1920s, or still-life images by Edward Steichen from the same era. Fruit and vegetables shot against a dark backdrop are a great place to begin.

Plants and organic matter such as shells and bones are also incredibly popular with still-life photographers as their shape and form are a subject in their own right. Again, for historical inspiration, Imogen Cunningham ’s botanical studies are a good place to begin, as is Edward Weston’s Shell.

Man-made objects such as toys , clothing , and vintage objects like cameras or shoes also make great subjects. In the end, still-life photography can be anything you want it to be – there are no strict rules. For example, some still-life photographers may choose to bring in a hand to the corner of the frame (this works well in food photography) or create a wisp of steam or smoke above a subject.

How do I photograph a still-life photography setup?

The minimum you need to shoot a still-life setup is a camera, lens, tripod, and subject . Although some lenses are better suited to the genre than others – such as a 50mm or 85mm – there aren’t any rules when it comes to lens choice. Your subject and composition will determine the focal length you use.

A tripod is an essential kit for still-life photography as you need to take your time when composing. Also, if shooting with natural light , the chances are you’ll have a slow shutter speed, so a tripod will be necessary for this, too.

When composing your shot , think about where and how your subject sits in the frame and whether you are to introduce other items. In some circumstances, additional props and accessories can enhance a shot: at other times less is more.

In dressing your shots and balancing composition, try to lead the eye through the frame . This can be achieved through the use of negative space – where the space is the emphasis – or objects is up to you and something that can take practice.

Sometimes I place props in the corner of the frame or along an edge to hold the eye in. When it comes to composing still-life scenes the rule of thirds is useful to start with; however, as we all know, rules are made to be broken and sometimes a symmetrical composition can be equally effective. You need to experiment with this and this is why it is useful to have your camera set up on a tripod.

Learn how to set up a still life studio, and how to take product shots for eBay.

What is the best lighting for still-life photography?

Lighting is another consideration when setting up your still-life photoshoot. If you are new to photography, we suggest keeping it simple and using natural light .

A large window and a reflector or tinfoil wrapped around a piece of card (to bounce light back into the shadows) are all you need to create an effective setup. For those who have more experience, you may want to bring in external speedlight/s or studio light/s depending on the effect you seek.

Finally, for your still-life setup, you also need to think about the background . Are you going to shoot your subject in its setting? Or are you going to drop a background in behind/underneath your subject and what will that do for the image? Are you going to shoot indoors or outdoors and what does this add or take away from your shot?

Where and how you place your still-life subject is what makes or breaks the image. For example, a piece of plastic washed up on the beach photographed on the sand might not look as interesting as if you took that same piece of plastic and photographed it against a black background with studio lights. Textured or plain backgrounds of all different colours and appearances can work effectively if used in the right way.

What camera settings do I need for still-life photography?

To take great still-life setups, the most important setting on your camera is the aperture . This controls the depth of field and determines how much of the subject is sharp and how much is soft. It is something that you will need to experiment with, depending on your setup.

Also, keep in mind, the closer you are shooting, the shallower the  depth of field . For example, in a landscape setting if your focus point is set at infinity and the aperture is set to f/11, the whole scene is likely to be sharp from front to back (if you have a foreground object this may blur depending on how close to the camera it is, but you get the gist!).

However, with still life, when you shoot close up, even with an aperture set at f/11 it is likely that your subject will have some blur (how much is determined by a number of factors such as how far you are from your subject and your lens choice). If you want the whole of your subject to be sharp, you will need to explore a technique called focus stacking , which is where you shoot your subject at different focal points and then edit the images together.

Top tips for still-life photography

1. low-key lighting.

One technique that lends itself particularly well to still-life is low-key lighting . Low-key lighting often only uses a single light source , and as the name suggests this isn’t a powerful burst of light over your subject, but rather a subtle and soft wash of illumination that falls across it. Natural light or reflected light can work well for low-key lighting. A dark background will also help you create a more atmospheric result.

2. High-key lighting

If you want a light and bright image, try using high-key lighting. You can use natural light or artificial light to achieve this look. The trick with high-key lighting is you want to create minimal shadows and use a large, wide light source . This effect works particularly well when shot from a bird’s-eye view, as in the example here.

3. Backlighting

Backlighting is when you light your subject from behind. The idea is to create a fringe or outline around the edge of your subject to highlight its shape and form . In the case here, it’s a dried-out hydrangea. To take this image I used a single flashgun and placed it behind my subject. This creates a silhouette effect. If you want your subject to be lit as well, use another light at the front.

4. Play with the shadows

For intentionally harsh shadows, create a hard lighting effect . Flash is the easiest way to create this effect as you have full control over its intensity and direction . In this example, the light was placed to the side of the skull.

5. Background choice

Your still-life’s background drastically alters the overall impact on your image. In this example, a vinyl backdrop creates the perfect setting to show off this vase and flowers . Even the wooden table effect underneath is a vinyl sheet.

6. Bokeh backgrounds

An easy way to create a twinkling and atmospheric background is to use fairy lights . To create this effect, I simply lit the main subject in the foreground using natural light and then bunched some fairy lights in the background around a metre away. By opening up the aperture on my camera, the lights in the background transformed into the perfect twinkling circles.

Still-life photography kit list

For still-life photography, your lens choice will be determined by your subject. One of my favourites in my kit bag is my Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art , which produces excellent results. For most of my still-life images, I work between 50mm and 100mm.

A tripod is an essential part of my kit for my still-life shoots. Whether I shoot with natural or flash, I always use a tripod. Not only can I keep tweaking the composition of my frame when my camera is on a tripod, I can also adjust the light and camera settings until everything is perfect. In my kit bag I have the Manfrotto 190go! with the XPRO Geared three-way pan/tilt tripod head . The tripod comes with an interchangeable centre column, and the three-way tripod head can be finely adjusted.

In my kit bag, I have three Nissin Di700A flashlights and three PixaPro LUMI 400 II 400Ws Studio Flash lights and accessories. The subject determines what setup I use. For any close-up work, my Nissin Speedlites are more than powerful enough to get great results.

4. Backdrops

From twinkling fairy lights in the background to textured or plain pieces of card, I have a wide selection of backgrounds that I use for my still-life setups. Some of my favourite textured backdrops have been bought from Black Velvet Styling .

Related reading:

• Macro still life photography masterclass
• Still life photography with continuous lighting
• More still life photography tips
• How to shoot floral still lifes

Read more articles by Claire Gillo:

• Best cameras for portraits and portrait photography
• Best full frame mirrorless cameras
• How to make money from photography and sell your photographs
• Fine Art Photography Guide: how to do it

Follow AP on Facebook , Twitter , Instagram , YouTube and TikTok .

Claire Gillo is a creative brand, commercial product and event photographer based in South Devon. She shoots all types of genres from portraits, music, interior, product to food & drink. Claire has much experience in the publishing industry too, and has worked across many of the big photography magazine publication titles from Amateur Photographer to Digital Camera. Find out more about her at www.clairegillo.com and follow her on Instagram @clairegillophotography.

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Hunters and Gatherers of Pictures: Why Photography Has Become a Human Universal

Leopold kislinger.

1 Independent Researcher, Leonding, Austria

Kurt Kotrschal

2 Department of Behavioral Biology and Konrad Lorenz Forschungsstelle, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

3 Domestication Lab at the Konrad-Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Wolf Science Center, University of Veterinary Medicine, Ernstbrunn, Austria

Associated Data

The original contributions presented in the analysis are included in the article, further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author.

Photography is ubiquitous worldwide. We analyzed why people take, share, and use personal photographs, independent of their specific cultural background. These behaviors are still poorly understood. Experimental research on them is scarce. Smartphone technology and social media have pushed the success of photography, but cannot explain it, as not all smartphone features are widely used just because they are available. We analyzed properties of human nature that have made taking and using photographs functional behaviors. We did this based on the four levels, which Nikolaas Tinbergen suggested for analyzing why animals behave in a particular way. Including findings from multiple disciplines, we developed a novel conceptual framework—the “Mental Utilization Hypothesis of Photography.” It suggests that people adopt photography because it matches with core human mental mechanisms mainly from the social domain, and people use photography as a cognitive, primarily social coping strategy. Our framework comprises a range of testable predictions, provides a new theoretical basis for future empirical investigations into photography, and has practical implications. We conclude that photography has become a human universal, which is based on context-sensitive mental predispositions and differentiates itself in the social and societal environment.

Introduction

Photography is ubiquitous around the world, with the number of people taking and using personal photographs steadily increasing (Lee and Stewart, 2016 ; Canon, 2018 ). More than 90 percent of all photographs (henceforth photos ) are taken with smartphones (Carrington, 2020 ), and more than half of the world's population uses smartphones or mobile phones to take, view, and share photos (Statista, 2019 ; Kemp, 2021 ). Smartphones integrate photography with many other functions, notably with access to the internet and social media (Smith, 2011 ; GSMA and NTT DOCOMO, 2014 ). This has rapidly shifted photography from an exclusive activity of socio-economically capable minorities toward engaging a majority of the world's 7.8 billion people.

We examined the question why people take, view, own, share, and use personal photos, and why photos are important to them. We consider the distribution of smartphone technology and social media a precondition for the sweeping success of photography, but insufficient to explain it, as not all smartphone features or technologies are widely used just because they are available. The technology to make audio-recordings, for example, has not been adopted by many people (Milgram, 1976 ). Although smartphones are capable of easily recording the voices of loved ones, conversations, the sounds of a birthday party, or of a strange city, people rarely use this function (GSMA and NTT DOCOMO, 2014 ; Lutter et al., 2017 ).

There is extensive research on the psychological bases of pictorial representation and art (e.g., Deacon, 2006 ; Donald, 2006 ; Dutton, 2009 ). No theory, however, has suggested an integrated psychological basis of the wide range of photography-related behaviors. Photography differs significantly from other visual representation techniques. The invention and further technical developments in photography have conveyed images with characteristics that drawings, paintings, maps, or plans do not have: (a) photos are realistic in a special way; (b) photos are produced by technical devices; (c) part of the information in photos is there by chance; (d) people tend to believe that what they see in photos really happened that way; and (e) photos can be created easily, quickly and effortlessly. We will describe these properties in more detail at the beginning of the following section.

Milgram ( 1976 ) assumed that taking and using photos conveys specific abilities, which can be best understood if cameras and photos are regarded as “evolutionary developments” (p. 7). We followed this approach and hypothesized that the urge to take, view, share, and use photos is based on human nature (Wilson, 2012 ; Kotrschal, 2019 ), i.e., on evolved context-sensitive predispositions and mechanisms, mainly rooted in the social domain. We examined this hypothesis on the basis of the four levels of Tinbergen ( 1963 ) to analyze and explain “natural” traits, i.e., those which evolved via the Darwinian processes. These levels relate to (1) the physiological mechanisms underlying a certain behavior, (2) it's ontogeny, (3) evolutionary history, and (4) adaptative value. This frame guided half a century of behavioral research and may be considered the research program of organismic biology in general (Bateson and Laland, 2013 ; Nesse, 2013 ).

We place photography in the context of the coherent theory of the evolution of life (Darwin, 1859 , 1879/2004 ; Jablonka and Lamb, 2014 ) and human nature as an outcome of this evolution. The four levels proposed by Tinbergen are the theoretical and practical formulation of this context. Since there is only a single Darwinian theory of evolution, and culture is part of human nature (Jablonka and Lamb, 2014 ), the biological context should allow us to develop a unified explanation, coherent with contemporary knowledge particularly on the proximate mechanisms (i.e., current physiological mechanisms and their ontogeny). According to the four levels of Tinbergen, our central research questions are: What are the cognitive and physiological mechanisms underlying taking and using photos? How does taking and using photos develop ontogenetically?—which is important for understanding the development of inter-individual variation. What is the phylogenetic basis for photographic behavior? What may the functions and adaptative value of taking and using photos be? In this respect, a contribution of taking or using photos for survival and individual reproductive success may not be obvious in modern humans, but to qualify as an evolutionary function, the proof of a direct effect would not be needed. Rather, it would be sufficient to find a plausible positive effect on a person's social and mental well-being, which, in turn, on a population level, would entail a positive, supportive effect on societal and biological fitness.

Our aim was to create a theoretical framework, which describes why and in what way taking, viewing, sharing, and using personal photos are functional behaviors in terms of what is presently known about human nature. The development of this framework was based on the integration of available empirical findings on photography from multiple research areas with findings from biology, psychology, and neuroscience. We consider cultural and biological traits as closely interconnected and interacting in driving evolution and individual behavior (e.g., Jablonka and Lamb, 2014 ; Kotrschal, 2019 ). To the best of our knowledge, a similarly comprehensive integration of findings into a coherent theoretical framework has not been attempted before. Our framework generates a number of predictions about the specific characteristics of personal photos and photography-related behaviors, which can be tested through empirical investigations.

Based on our framework and data on the global availability of smartphones and social media, we intended to show that photography qualifies as a human universal (Murdock, 1945 ; Brown, 1991 ; Antweiler, 2016 ; Christakis, 2019 ; Kotrschal, 2019 ). The concept human universal is traditionally associated with traits, activities, characteristics, or institutions, which are observed in all cultures and societies worldwide, like social organization, cooking, language, music, or weapons (Brown, 1991 ). According to this view, photography would not be a human universal. Historically, photography is a new development and did not exist in the traditional societies described by ethnology. For traits or behaviors, which have only recently become universal, Brown ( 1991 ) introduced the term “‘new’ universals” (p. 50). He cited dogs, tobacco, metal tools, and plastic containers as likely examples. Hence, according to Brown's classification, photography is a “new universal.” We describe photography as a human universal, which is based on context-sensitive predispositions, which differentiates itself over ontogeny in the societal environment. Our evolutionary approach does not suggest categorizing photography as a stereotypic behavior based on “innate” dispositions. In line with the present concepts of human social behavior and human universals, we emphasize context-sensitivity, inter-individual variability and individual uniqueness of photography-related behaviors within the frame of the human reaction norm (Woltereck, 1909 ), as comparable, for example, with language or music.

Materials and Methods

Specific characteristics of photographs and photography.

Our focus is on personal photography , that is, on photography-related behaviors, including taking, viewing, sharing, and using photos, which are performed for personal reasons and without commercial intent (Chalfen, 1987 ; Kindberg et al., 2005 ). In particular, we refer to photography-related behaviors, which people perform immediately and voluntarily (spontaneously), without intentional preparation or planning beforehand. We specifically referred to characteristics of photos and behaviors related to photos, which other representational pictures and behaviors associated with them do not have:

Photos Are Realistic Images

An object depicted in a photo can share a large number of visual features with the object that was seen in the environment at a specific point in time from a specific location (Bradley and Lang, 2007 ). Because of this characteristic, photos are called realistic images (DeLoache et al., 1998 ). When individuals see a photo, a retinal image can be formed, which is similar to the image that would be formed if they saw the represented event or object in the environment in real life (Perrett et al., 1991 ). When investigating the neural bases of recognizing or categorizing objects (e.g., faces, bodies, sites, or objects), neuroscientists and cognition researchers often assumed that there is an equivalence between the photographic representation and the perceptible object in the environment and presented photos of objects as stimuli instead of the real objects in question. Important psychophysiological mechanisms underlying photography-related behaviors are related to the fact that photos of objects elicit reactions in certain areas of the brain similar to events, which are effectively seen in the environmeint.

Photos Are Produced by Technical Devices

Drawings and paintings can also be realistic images. In contrast to photos, the creation of drawings and paintings involves the hands of the artists who created them, and important visual characteristics resulted from the dispositions, ideas and decisions of these artists. Photos are created by technical devices, and viewers know this fact.

Part of the Information Came Into the Photo by Chance

The people who use cameras choose a certain perspective, a certain frame and a certain moment when they press the shutter button. Photographers use this selection to control the characteristics and meanings of photos. In complex natural scenes, photographers cannot control all of the information that gets into the photos. Some information comes into the pictures by chance (Talbot, 1844/2011 ). This is hardly the case with representative drawings or paintings.

People Assume They See Reality in Photos

People tend to believe that what they see in photos really happened that way—even if photos are posed, manipulated or forged (Wade et al., 2002 ; Nightingale et al., 2017 ). This phenomenon is still poorly understood. It is possibly related to the knowledge of the viewers that they see a picture that was produced by a technical apparatus. This knowledge could be linked to the assumption that the picture is little affected by the personal attitudes and intentions of the person who made it (Miller, 1973 ; Gu and Han, 2007 ).

Photos Can Be Created and Understood Easily, Quickly, and Effortlessly

Unlike drawings, paintings, maps, or plans, photos can be created easily, quickly and effortlessly. Three-year-old children can take informative and expressive photos (Magnusson, 2018 ). Without complex knowledge or skills, people can take photos that they and other people find excellent (De Looper, 2016 ). Complex events represented by photos are quickly and easily understood. A single quick glance is enough for viewers to understand, for example, an interaction between two individuals (Hafri et al., 2013 ).

Taking, sharing, and using photos are not behaviors, which have all of a sudden appeared as something completely new and an emergent property of culture. We hypothesized that they are deeply rooted in organismic and cultural evolution. The basic cognitive and physiological factors underlying photography-related behaviors are common to all people. Some of these factors may vary relatively little between individuals, but others, for example, related to individual personality structure may show great inter-individual variability. But even such a pronounced inter-individual variability is far from random, as much of ontogeny seems to depend on context-sensitive human dispositions (e.g., Jablonka and Lamb, 2014 ; Kotrschal, 2019 ). Such dispositions are the result of non-random interactions between genes, epigenetics, and the social and societal environments during ontogeny. They frame the way people tend to take, view, share, and use photos.

Empirical Data and Findings on Photography-Related Behaviors

Empirical data and findings on taking, viewing, recognizing, sharing, and using photos come from a variety of disciplines, such as psychology, neuroscience, human-computer interaction, and anthropology. In analyzing the questions on the level of the cognitive and physiological mechanisms underlying photography-related behaviors, we referred to studies that examined the following questions: Which cognitive processes in the brain play a special role in photographing (Barasch et al., 2017 ; Blitch, 2017 )? How do people's brain responses to photos they have taken themselves differ from their responses to photos taken by others (Sellen et al., 2007 ; St. Jacques et al., 2011 ; Diefenbach and Christoforakos, 2017 )? Which brain responses do photos elicit in which viewers see a person with whom they are connected through a close emotional relationship (Bartels and Zeki, 2004 ; Gobbini et al., 2004 ; Leibenluft et al., 2004 ; Master et al., 2009 ; Eisenberger et al., 2011 )? Which brain responses do photos evoke in which viewers see themselves (Devue et al., 2007 ; Butler et al., 2012 )? Which neural processes form the basis for viewers to find a picture beautiful or ugly (Kawabata and Zeki, 2004 ; Jacobs et al., 2012 )?

To describe the ontogenesis of photography-related behaviors, we refer to studies that examined the development of the ability to recognize the representational properties of photos (DeLoache et al., 1998 ; for review, see Bovet and Vauclair, 2000 ), as well as to studies, which examined the age at which children start taking photos and for what purposes they use cameras (Mäkelä et al., 2000 ; Sharples et al., 2003 ; GSMA and NTT DOCOMO, 2014 ).

In analyzing the evolutionary roots of photography-related behaviors, we refer to studies of the ability of non-human primates and other animals to recognize objects depicted in photos (Bovet and Vauclair, 2000 ; Kano and Tomonaga, 2009 ; Aust and Huber, 2010 ). Information was also provided by investigations into the question how people develop the ability to recognize objects pictured in photographs (Deregowski et al., 1972 ; Miller, 1973 ; Bovet and Vauclair, 2000 ).

Table 1 briefly summarizes some of the research that will be used to analyze the level related to the adaptative value of photography-related behaviors. Every single referenced study provides a number of answers that are not always consistent with the answers from the other studies. The answers given are therefore rather examples of content to which we refer in the article than representative information.

Questions and studies used to analyze the adaptative value of photography-related behaviors.

Results: the Four Levels of Tinbergen ( 1963 ) As a Theory Frame

Psychophysiological mechanisms underlying photography-related behaviors.

Researchers have used photos as stimuli. Thus, quite some knowledge on the psychophysiological mechanisms involved in recognizing and viewing photos has accumulated, but experimental research on the mechanisms involved in taking photos is essentially lacking (except for Blitch, 2017 ). The success of photography, however, is primarily related to features of taking photos (Krämer and Winter, 2008 ; Hu et al., 2014 ; Lee et al., 2015 ; De Looper, 2016 ; Malik et al., 2016 ; Carrington, 2020 ). These include various activities and outcomes. These activities are, for example, associated with relating to individuals or objects as well as creating and appropriating images of them and their desirable properties. Outcomes may be associated with a sense of control and efficacy. The rapid global spread of photography was not driven by new opportunities to get, acquire, or exchange photos taken by other people, but mainly by the increased availability of inexpensive cameras, particularly smartphones, and opportunities to share one's own photos electronically. For this reason, we address in this section the specific mechanisms that form the neural basis of taking personal photos. The following description of the processing steps in taking pictures corresponds to hypothetical predictions. We mainly employ findings on processes in primates including humans from various contexts, which can be related to the psychophysiological mechanisms involved in taking photos. Figure 1 shows a hypothetical model including the major steps of taking a photo.

Hypothetical process model including the major processes and activities that occur in an individual who engages in taking a personal photo. The place within the sequence where the processes and activities are located indicates either when they occur or when they first occur. In order to keep the presentation clear, possible feedback effects of activities on the antecedent steps are not shown. Downward arrows mean “then occurs”; a horizontal arrow means “interacts with”.

Initial Steps in Taking Photos

The first steps in taking a photo do not involve conscious awareness (Custers and Aarts, 2010 ). A mother, for example, responds spontaneously to the happy expression on the face of her 6-year-old son at his birthday party, or a hiker responds to the overwhelming panorama at a mountain top. In these examples, the perceptual input activates a fast, low-level system of subcortical structures related to affective processing (Baxter and Murray, 2002 ; Pourtois et al., 2013 ), including neurons responding to the visual information and others responding to relevance and information related to primary (evolutionarily developed) or individually acquired reward value. Some of these structures project to the midbrain dopaminergic system (Dommett et al., 2005 ; Schultz, 2006 ). In turn, dopaminergic projections from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) in the midbrain reach the ventral striatum, including the nucleus accumbens (NAcc), amygdala, hippocampus and other areas of the mesolimbic system (Berridge and Robinson, 1998 ; Alcaro et al., 2007 ), which functions as the central neural basis for approach and motivation. This mesolimbic system overlaps with the social behavior network in the brain, responsible for the control of social behavior (Goodson, 2005 ; O'Connell and Hofmann, 2011 ).

The activity of the dopaminergic neurons in the brain of the mother who sees her happy son corresponds to a “wanting” reaction (Berridge and Robinson, 1998 ). It makes her son's excited face salient and attractive. The fact that the mother likes what she perceives may be related to the release and processing of endogenous opioids (Panksepp, 1998 ; Kringelbach and Berridge, 2009 ; Hsu et al., 2013 ). Whereas dopamine conveys motivational incentives, endogenous opioids convey “liking,” but also have a calming effect and reduce neural responses to pain, stress and anxiety (Carter, 1998 ; De Kloet et al., 2005 ).

In everyday life, people usually take photos of pleasant events (Chalfen, 1987 ; Sharples et al., 2003 ; Hu et al., 2014 ). We assume, however, that the motivation to take a picture is often also related to the activation of a mental representation of a negative context, which is processed non-consciously. In our example, this negative context would be that the mother knows that her son celebrates his last birthday party before entering school. As her own mental representations of school are ambivalent, she develops an anticipatory concern regarding the situation of her son, which is threatening and creates mental stress (Ulrich-Lai and Herman, 2009 ). Representations of such threats correlate particularly with activities in the amygdala (Baxter and Murray, 2002 ; Pourtois et al., 2013 ), triggering a cascade of adaptive neural and neuroendocrine reactions (De Kloet et al., 2005 ; Schiller et al., 2008 ; Ulrich-Lai and Herman, 2009 ; Hostinar et al., 2014 ). They include the activation of the stress systems leading to an increase in excitement and alertness.

Hence, we suggest that two conflicting representations are activated in the mother's brain, each associated with a different behavioral response than the other. The mother needs to mobilize cognitive and behavioral resources to be able to balance the two possible meanings and reactions, which in essence employ different parts of her brain. The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) plays an important role in this. The ACC lies inside the frontal cortex, where it extends around the dorsal side of the corpus callosum, the nerve tract that connects the two cerebral hemispheres. It integrates and organizes emotional and cognitive information related to coping with pain, fear, anxiety, and stress, and potential motor responses, and is a major neural basis of cognitive control (Bush et al., 2000 ; Shenhav et al., 2013 ). Cognitive control is defined as regulating reactions to pieces of information that are in conflict with one another and in which automated processing may lead to errors (Miller and Cohen, 2001 ). The goal of cognitive control is to integrate conflicting information into representations that support appropriate behavioral decisions.

The mother's medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) signals that there is something out there that offers the opportunity to collect or appropriate something valuable—mPFC is a central part of the neural basis of appropriating or collecting something (Anderson et al., 2005 ; Turk et al., 2011 ). Based on the dopaminergic processes involved, the motivation for appropriating something can be very strong: mPF and ACC have the greatest densities of dopaminergic projections from the midbrain of all areas in the cortex (Williams and Goldman-Rakic, 1993 ; Cohen et al., 2002 ).

Based on her photography-related knowledge, the mother categorizes what she perceives as “something that is photographed.” What is going on out there, could enable her to create a valuable picture. According to the assumptions of Event Cognition (Newtson, 1973 ; Zacks et al., 2001 ), “a children's birthday party” is not represented in the mother as a continuous, uniform event, but in the form of a few interconnected discrete units or steps, such as welcoming the guests, eating the birthday cake, blowing out the candles, and so on. The mother has detected that such a discrete step of the party has occurred. A photo of it could represent much of her son's birthday party. Activation patterns in prefrontal and hippocampal areas switch on photography-related memory contents that are connected to one another and retained in various locations widely spread over the cerebral cortex (Tonegawa et al., 2015 ). Context and scene are associated with possible outcomes of taking a photo with a smartphone camera, including a coarse anticipatory representation of the possible photo and its use.

Still without the involvement of conscious processes, the representation of the goal to take a photo is activated in structures of the mother's anterior prefrontal Cortex (PFC) (Soon et al., 2008 ; Custers and Aarts, 2010 ). Processes in OFC, mPFC, ACC, and ventral striatum analyze whether the goal to take a photo can be achieved in the given situation, and whether it is worth the effort. The result is the decision that the photo is worth the effort.

Steps Accompanied by Conscious Awareness

For taking the photo, representations from different explicit and implicit memory and processing systems must be integrated. Our mother is now consciously recognizing (Dehaene and Naccache, 2001 ; Damasio, 2010 ) that she is perceiving something that might be worth photographing. She takes her smartphone and points the camera at her son, who is surrounded by friends. She controls what will be seen in the picture. OFC, ACC, amygdala, and the anterior insula build the neural bases of various valuation, filtering, ordering and decision processes (Hsu et al., 2005 ). The mother's working memory (Baddeley and Hitch, 1974 ; Miller and Cohen, 2001 ) processes, maintains and integrates different pieces of information of internal and external origin.

The mother takes a photo of her son, a person with whom she is connected through a close positive emotional relationship. Seeing him activates areas in the mother's brain that have a high density of the peptide hormones oxytocin and vasopressin (Bartels and Zeki, 2004 ). Oxytocin and vasopressin are produced in the hypothalamic Nucleus preopticus (NPO), stored in pituitary, and are involved in the development and maintenance of close selective social relationships (Carter, 1998 ; Panksepp, 1998 ; Scheele et al., 2013 ; Hostinar et al., 2014 ). They also support the control and suppression of threat-related information (Nelson and Panksepp, 1998 ; Donaldson and Young, 2008 ; Scheele et al., 2013 ). Particularly oxytocin is involved in the development and maintenance of close selective social relationships or attachment and conveys the feeling of social connectedness (Carter, 1998 ; Panksepp, 1998 ; Scheele et al., 2013 ; Hostinar et al., 2014 ). Both hormones are associated with activating the mesolimbic reward system (Donaldson and Young, 2008 ). Oxytocin release correlates with opioid activities, reduces stress and thereby causes a calming effect (Nelson and Panksepp, 1998 ). In fact, there is a strong antagonism between oxytocin release and glucocorticoids synthesis, i.e., metabolic hormones that are produced and released in response to stressors (Carter, 1998 ; Hostinar et al., 2014 ; Preckel et al., 2015 ).

The mother's vmPFC assigns a positive value to the neural representations of the situation, photographing in general, and the intended photo in particular. On a non-conscious processing level, however, the anticipatory representation of the threat of her son's potentially negative experiences at school is still effective. This threat is primarily processed in the amygdala, but the mother's vmPFC projects into the amygdala and, thereby, inhibits its activity, which reduces fear and anxiety (Andolina et al., 2013 ; Hostinar et al., 2014 ). In addition, vmPFC, OFC and ACC project to the hypothalamus and reduce the activity of the mother's stress systems (Ulrich-Lai and Herman, 2009 ; Hostinar et al., 2014 ). Her implicit processing mechanisms suggest that she can now safely ignore the threat (Schiller et al., 2008 ).

When she recognizes a sufficient correspondence between the characteristics of the picture on the smartphone display and the mental representation of the desired photo, she presses the shutter button. She creates a permanent external picture of her son in a particular context, a representational digital object, which she possesses and can share with others. An important part of the value the picture has for her is related to the fact that she has created it herself. Actually, people can reliably distinguish between photos that they have taken themselves and photos taken by others (Sellen et al., 2007 ; St. Jacques et al., 2011 ).

A mountain hiker who discovers something she wants to photograph may have a different experience than a mother at her son's birthday party. She likes to hike alone and enjoys nature and silence. When looking at the mountain landscape, the anticipation of a longer period of non-self-chosen solitude has been activated. The hiker can take a picture, which will allow her to share her experience with her friends. Unlike our example mother, the hiker has more time for taking the picture, because the landscape does not change as quickly as social situations at a party. The hiker can use this time for creatively composing a photo, which will be different from ordinary photos depicting similar landscapes and which the viewers will find beautiful, useful, or important (Thagard and Stewart, 2011 ; Ellamil et al., 2012 ). She associates and integrates the incoming visual information with certain conceptual and emotional categories as well as with internal representations of existing extraordinary landscape pictures. The neural bases of these operations include structures of two cortical networks that are usually not active at the same time. One of these networks is activated when people focus their attention on external stimuli, the other network when attention is focused on thoughts, memories or imagery (De Pisapia et al., 2016 ).

Ontogeny of Recognizing, Taking, and Using Photos

Human babies recognize certain photos at an age of 3 months or even earlier (for review, see Bovet and Vauclair, 2000 ). In a cross-cultural study, DeLoache et al. ( 1998 ) showed that 9 months old babies treated pictured objects as if they were real objects, explored them with their hands, tried to touch them, or to take them out of the picture. At the age of 19 months, human children understood that pictures are both concrete real objects, but also representations of other objects. From about 1-year of age, children begin to create traces on two-dimensional surfaces with suitable materials (Thomas and Silk, 1990 ; Wright, 2010 ). At the age of two, children begin to name the meanings of their drawings or paintings. They also know that pictures are made with specific intentions to represent objects or events (Preissler and Bloom, 2008 ). Children aged 3- to 4-years know what properties of pictures are helpful if they are used to convey ideas of objects to other people, and that there are better and worse pictures for this purpose (Allen et al., 2010 ). They know that pictures containing a lot of visual details are best used to tell others what objects look like.

Many children like to draw. As much as they develop joy and zeal in drawing, they usually have little interest in owning the pictures as soon as they are done (Thomas and Silk, 1990 ; Cox, 2005 ; Cherney et al., 2006 ; Wright, 2010 ). If they have mastered a special pictorial challenge, they proudly show their picture and look at it together with others, but they do not go for drawings they made the week or the month before to look at them again. The fascination lies in the activity of drawing itself, in experiencing the ability to create a picture with a certain meaning—and to use this to relate to others (Cox, 2005 ; Wright, 2010 ). The early ontogenetic development of competences related to producing and using representational pictures happens in the social environment, usually the family. The family is also one of the most productive places of personal photography (Chalfen, 1987 ; Petrelli and Whittaker, 2010 ). The most successful photography exhibition of all time even had “family” in its title: The Family of Man ( 1955 ).

Children see the photos their parents keep in photo albums, photo books, boxes or computer folders. The photos of the ancestors—and their actions, experiences, relationships, occupations, and possessions—that a family owns can give children a sense of social belonging, societal significance, and security (Csikszentmihalyi and Rochberg-Halton, 1981 ; Chalfen, 1987 ; Petrelli and Whittaker, 2010 ). These photos are heritable assets of knowledge. They are usually linked to oral or written information, which shows and tells to whom the children belong and whom they can trust. Through mechanisms of social learning, family traditions of photography emerge (Mäkelä et al., 2000 ; Sharples et al., 2003 ; Petrelli and Whittaker, 2010 ). Children get to know certain ways of using cameras and photos early on (Mäkelä et al., 2000 ; Sharples et al., 2003 ). They experience how their mother or father reacts to certain events by taking photos—usually positive, which supports this behavior via positive reinforcement learning. Children also realize that taking, viewing, and sharing photos is repeatedly done in certain social contexts, for example at a birthday party, graduation, or wedding. They learn that photographers keep some pictures and discard others and may shape their own taste along this.

Many children start taking photos themselves at preschool age (Sharples et al., 2003 ; Magnusson, 2018 ). Seven- to 15-year-olds take and use photos in connection with the playful and explorative use of electronic devices (Mäkelä et al., 2000 ; Sharples et al., 2003 ). They use cameras and photos for joking, like making faces or adopting funny poses, for expressing feelings, or telling stories. According to an international survey, 81% of the 8- to 18-year-olds in Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia used a mobile phone in 2013 (GSMA and NTT DOCOMO, 2014 ). Most of the children got their own mobile phone between 10- and 12-years of age and 55% had access to the internet. The features most used by children and adolescents were cameras (91%), followed by music players and video players. Many young people in their teens and early twenties take and use photos to create a sense of self and an identity (Schiano et al., 2002 ; RSPH and YHM, 2017 ). Social media provides them with a platform where they can use photos to express different characteristics of themselves and to experience other people's reactions (Krämer and Winter, 2008 ; Hu et al., 2014 ; Lee et al., 2015 ). Photos of family members and pals are especially important for people (Mäkelä et al., 2000 ; Sharples et al., 2003 ), and the value of these photos increases with the age of their owners (Csikszentmihalyi and Rochberg-Halton, 1981 ).

Evolutionary Roots of Taking and Using Photos

Why do photos have the characteristics they have? Why are they important for people all over the world? Which meanings can almost only be represented and communicated through photos Kislinger, 2021 ), and which cannot? In this section, we will refer to cognitive and social building blocks, which are part of the evolved nature of modern humans and suggest answers to these questions. Figure 2 presents an overview of the evolutionary building blocks that underlie the success of photography to which we refer.

Schematic illustration of the building blocks that are part of the evolved nature of modern humans and form the basis of the importance of photos for people. The arrows show the order in which we describe the building blocks in our model.

Vision as a Central Element of Human Cognition

People take and use photos to represent important events in the environment. Representing features of the environment with survival value is one of the core functions of central nervous systems (CNSs) since they exist. Organisms developed sensory organs, which react to relevant physical and chemical events in the environment, as well as neurons, that is, cells capable of receiving, generating, and transducing signals for internal communication and for relating to the environment (Butler and Hodos, 2005 ; Gregory, 2008 ). By means of neural activation patterns, organisms have used “images” for hundreds of millions of years (Damasio, 2010 )—as representations of the environment enhancing predictability in interaction with this environment and, thus, survival. Although it is hard to imagine how a jellyfish with its dispersed nervous system should be able to form an image-like mental representation, the fact that its body responds to stimuli in a coordinated and adaptive way at least hints at such a possibility.

Mammals evolved out of mainly visually oriented reptiles (Northcutt, 2011 ; Striedter, 2020 ). During their first 100 million years of evolution, however, the reign of dinosaurs forced them underground or into a nocturnal lifestyle. This led to a reduction in visual orientation, while olfaction and hearing were optimized. Within the modern mammals we see a full reinstatement of trichromatic vision only in the primates, while most other mammals remain bi-chromatic as an adaptation to being active at dusk and dawn and at night. Due to specific properties of their central nervous systems, including retinae, primates can extract a broad range of information from the properties of light and its reflections in the physical world (Felleman and Van Essen, 1991 ; Gollisch and Meister, 2010 ). Vision is a central component of human cognition. Visual content dominates, for example, perception, memory, imagining, and dreaming (Posner et al., 1976 ; Zimmermann, 1989 ).

Living Together in Groups and Social Attachment

People primarily take photos of other people, especially people to whom they are emotionally connected (Chalfen, 1987 ; Hu et al., 2014 ; Lee et al., 2015 ). Processing stimuli with social significance has a long evolutionary history (Wilson, 1984 , 2012 ). The tegmental and diencephalic parts of the brains of birds, bony fish, and mammals feature an evolutionary extremely conservative—hence homologous—social behavior network (Goodson, 2005 ). This regulates social recognizing, mating, parental behavior, persistent bonding, expressive behavior, aggression, and responses to social stressors. Primates inherited this network virtually unchanged in structure and function from their ancestors. The primate ancestors of humans established close relationships with other individuals in their groups who were not reproductive partners or relatives (De Waal and Brosnan, 2006 ; Wilson, 2012 ). Social cohesion improved the ability of individuals and groups to adapt to variable environments, to survive and to reproduce. Living together in groups affected both behavior and cognition. In primates, the social domain hosts a substantial part of the motivation to orient to and perceive stimuli, and to carry out certain behaviors and actions. Important and mutually linked social behavior systems are attachment and care , that is, a close selective emotional connection with another individual—the caregiving attachment figure, or the other way round, the attached dependent (Bowlby, 1974 ; Carter, 1998 ; Panksepp, 1998 ). There is a strong antagonistic interaction between the feelings of safe attachment and distress (Panksepp, 1998 ). Threatening or stressful situations elicit the desire for social closeness, and societal cohesion increases in times of crisis. Support by an attachment figure provides a sense of security and calmness. Conversely, being isolated from attachment figures or other socially supportive individuals is perceived as a potential threat. This antagonistic interaction is relevant in terms of photography-related behaviors. Photos of attachment figures or of the attached dependents convey important potentials. In experiments, for example, merely seeing the photo of an attachment figure reduced physical pain as effectively as the actual closeness to that person (Master et al., 2009 ; Eisenberger et al., 2011 ).

Social Learning, Cultural Evolution, and Symbol Systems

An important ability of animals living in groups is profiting from experiences or interactions with other individuals, called social learning (Richerson et al., 2010 ; Jablonka and Lamb, 2014 ). A system of characteristic behavior patterns and preferences, which are socially passed on through generations, is referred to as culture and its gradual change as cultural evolution (Jablonka and Lamb, 2014 ). Cultural phenomena have probably played a greater role in human evolution than in any of the other animals showing cultural diversification (for example wolves or orcas) ever since the common ancestors of humans and chimpanzees (Richerson et al., 2010 ; Whiten, 2011 ).

Social learning is the base for tradition forming and transferring information via culture. The ancestors of humans used gestures, vocalizations, and found objects as signs for something that was not currently present in the environment to communicate with others (Seyfarth et al., 2005 ; Deacon, 2006 ; Arbib et al., 2008 ). Over many generations, groups gradually developed a complex system of gestural and vocal signs, as well as rules specifying how these signs were to be combined into larger units of meaning (Seyfarth et al., 2005 ; Arbib et al., 2008 ). As a crucial step in human evolution, humans began to use symbols , this is, signs that represent meanings based on rules and conventions. Symbols are part of an evolved cultural system, which regulates the relationships between individual signs and indicates how they are combined to represent units of meaning (Jablonka and Lamb, 2014 ). The use of symbols for organizing and conveying information was a crucial step in human evolution. Human symbols are considered as discrete dimensions of inheritance and evolution which interact with genetic evolution. People developed systems of symbols to represent and communicate knowledge, rules and ideas (Jablonka and Lamb, 2014 ; Tomasello, 2014 ). Language became the most important symbol system, likely also pushing brain development. Cultural evolution and genetic evolution interacted and led to a positive feedback selection between cognitive mechanisms, language, and social skills (Deacon, 1997 ; Jablonka and Lamb, 2014 ).

Cooperation, Property, Status, Reputation, Courtship, and Mating

Among the evolutionary mechanisms, which favored cooperation in groups, direct and indirect reciprocity appear to be particularly relevant (Nowak, 2006 ). These mechanisms are also relevant in terms of taking and using photos. Direct reciprocity is effective when two individuals encounter each other repeatedly: one cooperates assuming that the other one will reciprocate later. Cooperation, hence, benefits both. The mechanism of indirect reciprocity explains cooperation in situations where one individual helps another individual whom the individual may not meet again or from whom no help is expected. This can still pay off, if the helpful behavior is observed by other group members. Indirect reciprocity describes the benefit of an altruistic act for the helping individual, which spreads via gossip or other information. In this detour, the helping individual acquires the reputation of being “generous,” i.e., able and willing to cooperate. This reputation supports access to resources and reproductive success (Nowak and Sigmund, 2005 ; Nowak, 2006 ). With the evolution of complex language—and later with the distribution of photos—the subset of a population that could receive information about the cooperative potential of an individual tremendously increases as compared to the number of people able to directly observe an individual's behavior. Photography and social networking services on the internet have increased the potential audience enormously.

In human societies, it is generally advantageous to regulate resource use and ownership through rules or conventions in order to avoid costly redundant conflicts (Stake, 2004 ). Depending on socio-economic background, people have developed specific rules about the appropriation of things as well as about the retention and distribution of property (Stake, 2004 ). Many animals appropriate things and retain them (Stake, 2004 ). Property-related experiences and behaviors are based on specific neural substrates, especially in the frontal cortex (Anderson et al., 2005 ; Turk et al., 2011 ). The brain structures involved are particularly rich in dopamine receptors. The acquisition of property is accordingly associated with strong motivation. When individuals acquire and possess valuable resources, it may also be beneficial to their status within their groups, or may even be to the benefit and status of these groups (Brown, 1991 ; Van Vugt and Tybur, 2016 ). Much of human social complexity is about status and prestige. This modulates, in turn, individual access to resources in a social dynamic between cooperation and competition (Nowak and Sigmund, 2005 ; Van Vugt and Tybur, 2016 ). Individuals can display their property and signal that they have a certain status within the social and cultural hierarchies of their group or society. To communicate this status, individuals may use symbols of their possessions. Individuals can also share their resources with others, be generous or even wasteful with their possessions to increase their prestige and, ultimately, their reproductive success (Buss and Schmitt, 1993 ). In women and men, the acquisition, retention, and use of resources or possession have specific characteristics (Brown, 1991 ; Buss and Schmitt, 1993 ).

Photography has provided people with effective means to signal their social status to a large audience (Krämer and Winter, 2008 ; Piazza and Bering, 2009 ). Distributing selfies with famous people or in front of famous sights, for example, is motivated by telling others about one's own potential to meet these famous people or to travel, and to communicate one's own interests and attitudes (Krämer and Winter, 2008 ; Diefenbach and Christoforakos, 2017 ). Many people also take and share status-relevant photos of themselves with their “belongings,” such as house, car, boat, their beautiful partner, or children (De Looper, 2016 ; Jain and Mavani, 2017 ). Empirical data suggest that people also use photos for enhancing their mate value in the minds of potential romantic or sexual partners (Piazza and Bering, 2009 ; Smith, 2016 ; Hobbs et al., 2017 ; Sedgewick et al., 2017 ; Gale and Lewis, 2020 ; Kemp, 2021 ; Morris, 2021 ). We will discuss this in more detail in the section on the functions of photography.

Memory and the Urge to Create Coherent Explanations for Events and Conditions

Humans improved their ability to use language to categorize behaviors, events, objects and states. They developed a special system of comprehensive memory for experiences, including social, called episodic memory (Tulving, 2005 ). Thereby, experiences of “what,” “with whom,” “when,” and “how it felt” are integrated in a way that individuals can consciously access their stored representations and have a comprehensive awareness of their own life as related to others. With the ability to represent, process, and communicate past and future, as well as possible or imagined events through language, came the urge to explain what happens in the world, to interpret the past and to predict the future (Pettitt, 2011 ). Humans developed an awareness of mortality, thinking about death, and the desire to overcome mortality. The earliest burial sites found with material traces of ritual practices are around 100,000-years old (Pettitt, 2011 ; Wilson, 2012 ). The desire for extending one's effectiveness beyond lifespan could also play a role in taking pictures (Csikszentmihalyi and Rochberg-Halton, 1981 ; Chalfen, 1987 ). Many people retain photos of ancestors in a respectful way, in the implicit understanding that their descendants will do the same. This is reminiscent of animistic cultures, where identity and existence of people are deeply rooted in cults around ancestors (Frazer, 1911 ; Bird-David, 1999 ).

When taking a photo of another person, the photographer not just appropriates a picture of the light reflections from this person, but also of the visual, behaviorally relevant signals that this person emits at that particular moment. This may be part of the reason why many people consider appropriating a picture of a person to have “magical” (Frazer, 1911 ; Kittredge, 1929 ) or “animistic” (Bird-David, 1999 ; Harvey, 2005 ) properties. The term “animistic” refers to the belief that not only humans, but also animals, plants, lakes, mountains, etc. have souls and are animated (Harvey, 2005 ). With taking a picture of a certain person her or his personality and even “soul” may be captured, and the owner of this picture can change the condition of the pictured person—with potentially negative consequences (Hetherwick, 1902 ; Frazer, 1911 ; Hocart, 1922 ). Image magic has a long tradition going back far into human prehistory (Kittredge, 1929 ). Today, there is an ongoing struggle for legal regulation of the protection of one's image as part of personal rights and property rights, indicating that personal images still retain their special private status. Even on a rational base, the power that is conveyed by taking, owning, and using photos [e.g., Regulation (EU), 2016 ], is still a delicate topic in modern Western societies.

Language enables humans to integrate a huge amount of information into meaningful contexts and to create explanations of events in which these events appear ordered and understandable toward a goal, rather than meaningless, accidental and pointless (Kahneman, 2011 ). In addition to language, an evolutionarily older cognitive system remained (Evans, 2008 ; Kahneman, 2011 ), providing quick reactions to relevant events in the environment on the basis of minimal sensory information, for example, via faces with emotional expressions or expressive body poses (Kislinger, 2021 ). Certain events depicted in photos cause activations of evolutionarily old brain structures, like superior colliculus, pulvinar, and amygdala (Morris et al., 1999 ; Van Le et al., 2013 ; Almeida et al., 2015 ). Objects and events pictured in photos are not only recognized by humans, but by many other species (Bovet and Vauclair, 2000 ; Kano and Tomonaga, 2009 ). In some cases, the last common ancestor of humans and a species in question lived long ago, e.g., 220 million years in the case of pigeons (Aust and Huber, 2010 ). This either hints at an ancient ability shared via phylogenetic inheritance (homology) or at parallel evolution (analogy).

Functions and Adaptative Value of Photography

A “function” of a behavior describes a specific contribution of the individual expression of this behavior to survival and reproductive success (Jablonka and Lamb, 2014 ). Photography-related behaviors touch the evolutionary functional domains of well-being and social connectedness, which are at the core of human nature. These behaviors will therefore, directly or indirectly, relate to potential individual societal and—ultimately—reproductive success. We suggest that taking, owning, viewing, sharing, and using photos provide a specific and effective strategy for coping with complex environments fraught with uncertainty. Photography as a coping-strategy comprises four core domains: (1) making sense, (2) appropriating an image, (3) establishing and supporting social connectedness, and (4) courtship and mating. These four domains can be involved in different photography-related behaviors to different degrees.

Making Sense

“Making sense” plays a role in many photography-related behaviors (Harrison, 2002 ; Frohlich et al., 2013 ); it is particularly evident in the taking of photos (Chalfen, 1987 ; Gillet et al., 2016 ). Thereby, people assign a certain cause to an event—that is, they create an explanation for why this event occurs—or a certain meaningful order, which is consistent with a goal. The 6-year-old birthday boy from our example above laughs because he gets along well with other children, and other people want him to be happy. The photo of the hiker shows that being alone on a mountain top is great, because it gives one a deep personal feeling for nature, which still can be shared with friends via a picture. According to our framework, people build mental representations, which make an event understandable. As a consequence, the future course of the event appears predictable and controllable. Taking photos allows making sense immediately and intuitively, without the involvement of complex reasoning.

Sharing and viewing photos can also be used for making sense of events. The photo of a family reunion can show a group of laughing people who relate to each other in a friendly and nice way, even if a heated argument broke out at this meeting, which may have led to long-term insults and resentments. Particularly, people who were at this meeting can look at this photo to reassure themselves that, despite certain controversy, things are fine and people like each other. This is supported by the propensity of viewers to assume that what they see in photos reflects reality. Understanding photos does not require the mastery of a particular language, complex cultural knowledge, or elaborate thinking. A single photo can give a fairly comprehensive idea of an event—possibly better than any verbal description: “a picture is worth a thousand words” (The Post-Standard, 1911 ).

Appropriating an Image

The domain “appropriating an image” is related to the fact that people gain permanent access to valuable information by taking, sharing, or getting a photo—most frequently related to social relationships. Photographers relate to an event or object through the camera, select certain properties of this object and the scene in which it is contained, and create a focus. From the flow of the object's appearances, which they perceive over a certain period of time, they extract a single picture and fix it. It represents only a small fraction of the sensory information that is available in that situation. By selecting and organizing the information, which they include in the picture, they interpret the object or event. If they have managed to create the picture with the intended meaning, this success conveys the experience of effectiveness and competence (Krämer and Winter, 2008 ). This experience reduces emotional arousal and physiological stress responses to potential threats and supports coping with them (Bandura, 1997 ). A man looking out the window of the plane that is taking off, for example, may take a number of photos, thereby potentially also coping with his fear of flying. Taking photos may help to maintain control in a potentially stressful situation.

Establishing and Supporting Social Connectedness

Seeing an important person in a photo allows the viewer to relate emotionally to this person, although she or he is absent or may have passed away. Photos of their own children, parents, or romantic partners are particularly important to people (Bartels and Zeki, 2004 ; Gobbini et al., 2004 ; Leibenluft et al., 2004 ; Petrelli and Whittaker, 2010 ; Hu et al., 2014 ). Photos of loved ones enable people to feel close to them, provide a sense of security and calmness and reduce the sensation of pain (Master et al., 2009 ; Eisenberger et al., 2011 ). Photos, to some extent, can substitute for physical closeness. Viewing, owning, or sharing photos of family members or ancestors support developing cultural and genealogical roots (Csikszentmihalyi and Rochberg-Halton, 1981 ; Petrelli and Whittaker, 2010 ). Hence, taking and using photos relates to establishing, maintaining and strengthening social connections (Kindberg et al., 2005 ; Barasch et al., 2014 ; Lee et al., 2015 ; Pittman and Reich, 2016 ).

Many people share their photos, and if a photo is liked and appreciated by others, the photographer experiences self-efficacy (Krämer and Winter, 2008 ) and self-esteem (Burrow and Rainone, 2017 ). This is exploited by the “like buttons,” an enormously popular feature of social media platforms (Kemp, 2021 ). Sharing photos contributes to a common understanding of the world. Sharing photos also enables people to convey others views that they enjoy, e.g., photos of hilarious events or natural sceneries. Photos of natural scenes (as opposed to human artifacts or urban environments) have a positive influence on the well-being of viewers (Berto, 2005 ; Valtchanov and Ellard, 2015 ) as “Biophilia” is a human universal (Appleton, 1975 ; Ulrich, 1983 ; Wilson, 1984 ; Kaplan and Kaplan, 1989 ). Viewing such photos relaxes, reduces emotional stress, and thereby regenerates depleted cognitive resources.

People often use photos to show others who they are and what role they play in society. Issues of identity, reputation, prestige, or status often play a role in personal photography (Chalfen, 1987 ; Barasch et al., 2014 ; RSPH and YHM, 2017 ). If one person photographs another person, this can be of value only for the photographer, or for both (Milgram, 1976 ). People can use photos to influence how other people perceive the pictured individuals, objects, or events and thus exert social control (Sharples et al., 2003 ; Diefenbach and Christoforakos, 2017 ). People being photographed, however, may also use this circumstance for their own goals, like for influencing how others perceive them (Harrison, 2002 ; Krämer and Winter, 2008 ; Jain and Mavani, 2017 ). Being photographed can immensely increase the size of the “audience.”

As humans are radically social in their nature, observing or monitoring the behavior of other people plays a central role in the motivation to use social media on the internet and to post photos (Joinson, 2008 ; Lee et al., 2015 ; Malik et al., 2016 ). People are usually aware of the presence of cameras. This may produce “audience effects,” i.e., the feeling of being watched influences behavior and makes people behave in a socially agreeable way (Bateson et al., 2006 ; Oda et al., 2015 ), by showing, for example, “photo faces.” Through this tendency, photography supports cooperative coexistence in complex societies and has an adaptative value both, on the individual and on the societal level.

We are well aware that people also distribute photos of atrocities. The impact of such photos can be used to boost the importance of the photographer or distributor, or even to hurt other people, to violate the rights of others, or to deceive (Smith et al., 2008 ; Kowalski et al., 2014 ). Manipulative to harmful photo use is facilitated by the fact that photographic forgeries are becoming increasingly difficult to detect, both in social and in journalistic media (Campbell, 2014 ; Nightingale et al., 2017 ). Various detrimental outcomes of taking and using photos have required legal regulation of photography-related behaviors [e.g., Regulation (EU), 2016 ]. The ubiquity of taking photos has massively reduced possibilities of intimacy and privacy. A vast dark side of photography exists outside of personal experience. The large social media providers use the shared personal photos as a data source. The acquisition of these data, their possession, the algorithms of their management and the extraction of information from them give the companies enormous power, which has not been put under democratic control until now (Zuboff, 2015 ).

Courtship and Mating

Courtship and mating are certainly part of the domain of establishing and strengthening social connections and attachment (Hazan and Shaver, 1987 ; Fisher et al., 2002 ). But they are directly relevant in terms of evolutionary function and as such encompass a range of distinct strategies and conflicts (Fisher et al., 2002 ; Buss and Duntley, 2011 ). The global prevalence of intimate partner homicide reflects the high value of the activities and resources that are at stake, as well as the severity of the conflicts in question (Stöckl et al., 2013 ). Sexual or reproductive behaviors shaped all living beings and played a central role in the evolution of human cognition (Miller, 2001 ; Nowak, 2006 ). Sexual themes and symbols are featured in some of the oldest preserved artifacts (Conard, 2009 ). With photos, a new type of visual cueing was developed that fulfills special functions in attracting potential partners, mate selection, and sexual behavior. The potentials of photography range from tender romantics to hardcore pornography.

“Beauty” plays a special role in this context. Many people want to take and use beautiful photos (Bakhshi et al., 2015 ; De Looper, 2016 ). Darwin ( 1879/2004 ) associated the “sense of beauty” (p. 114) with the context of sexual selection: the function of beauty is that the choosing female or male individuals are “excited” by it. Individuals considered to be beautiful manage to “excite attention” (p. 467). In this sense, beauty is a sensory signal that it could be advantageous to pay attention to, and approach, the sender of this signal. Among the hashtags (terms assigned to posted photos) that were most frequently used on Instagram in 2020, “Love” came first, “Art” fifth, and “Beautiful” sixth (Kemp, 2021 ). Instagram is the most photography-related social platform and was the fifth most visited website worldwide in 2020 (Kemp, 2021 ).

The invention of photography and its further technological developments, including digital communication, allowed people to create a new type of sensory cues relevant to courtship activities, mate selection, sexual intercourse, and (ultimately) reproduction. Photography has been used almost from the start to satisfy cravings for pictures of naked people and for erotic images. Retinal images of naked potential partners expressing interest in sexual activity has meant observers had access to reproduction for hundreds of thousands of years. Photos of sexual acts are among those images that are most emotionally arousing (Bradley and Lang, 2007 ; Wehrum et al., 2013 ) and pornography is one of the most prominent domains of internet use.

People also use photos to influence choices of potential romantic or sexual partners. The success of dating applications on the Internet has greatly increased the importance of photos in connection with courtship and mating (Piazza and Bering, 2009 ; Smith, 2016 ; Hobbs et al., 2017 ). Social media platforms and dating apps enable users to form relationships with people they have never seen before. Mobile dating applications are used by more and more people (Smith, 2016 ; Morris, 2021 ). People looking for partners create profiles on these apps that they use to present themselves. Photos of oneself play a central role in this. People show photos of themselves—often also taken by themselves—in which they are represented as they would like to be seen by potential romantic partners (Sedgewick et al., 2017 ; Gale and Lewis, 2020 ). The use of such photos enables people to reveal actual traits of themselves, but also to make themselves appear more attractive than they potentially are (Sedgewick et al., 2017 ; Gale and Lewis, 2020 ). People can also use symbolic self-made photos to create a desirable impression of themselves in potential romantic partners, for example photos of groups of nice, laughing people, pets, flowers, a beautiful garden, an elegant apartment, tourist attractions, dangerous environments, sporting events, or full bookshelves (Krämer and Winter, 2008 ; Piazza and Bering, 2009 ). Online dating is not only increasing rapidly among young adults, but also among the older population (Smith, 2016 ; Morris, 2021 ). Through dating apps, photos play an increasingly important role in mate selection, which played a central role in the evolution of human cognition (Miller, 2001 ). When photos are used in dating and courtship, there is also the characteristic connection between emotionally positive information and the processing of uncertainty (Berger and Calabrese, 1975 ; Knobloch and Solomon, 1999 ), addressed above. In this context, the positive information concerns one's own attractive properties. Uncertainty is associated with one's search, and potential negative outcomes of establishing relationships with people one does not know from face-to-face encounters.

The Mental Utilization Hypothesis of Photography

We propose that the success of smartphones as well as photography is based on core human mental mechanisms which are primarily related to the social domain. Photography exploits evolved cognitive and social predispositions. In this sense, our framework is a mental exploitation hypothesis, analogous to the Sensory Exploitation Hypothesis in evolutionary biology (e.g., Ryan, 1990 ). This hypothesis states that new preferences evolve along established pre-existing sensory biases and response tendencies, such as primates owing their social and/or sexual preference for red to their old predilection for this color, which usually indicates ripe fruits (Ghazanfar and Santos, 2004 ).

Sensory biases and preferences also play an important role in photography-related behaviors. The visual channel provides information, which is converted into, or affects, mental representations. In our framework, however, the focus is on a higher, more integrated level of processing, on which those mechanisms and functions are organized that control the mental representation of the world and flexibly adapt social behavior. In connection with photography, the term exploitation may have a negative connotation, such as photographers exploiting the people in front of the camera (e.g., Sontag, 1978 ). For this reason, we refer to our framework as the mental utilization hypothesis of photography. It suggests that photography fits the nature of human perception and mental processing like a key fits its lock.

Photography as a Coping Strategy

Along to the four levels of Tinbergen, our analysis of photography-related behaviors suggests that people take and use photos to cope with certain stressful and threatening events in specific ways. The conceptualization of photography as a coping strategy is counterintuitive against the background that people usually like to take photos and generally take, share and own photos of events associated with happiness, pleasure, love, or success (Chalfen, 1987 ; Sharples et al., 2003 ; Hu et al., 2014 ). Individuals who take or use such photos, we propose, experience a pleasant situation, but are also—non-consciously—exposed to threatening information or uncertainty. As examples, we mentioned the mother who photographs her 6-year-old son, the lonely hiker, and the man who is afraid of flying. Taking and using photos allows people to search for, and engage, in emotionally positive information. Successful coping through photography-related behaviors reduces complexity, uncertainty, and anxiety. Coping, or the exercise of cognitive control, does not have to be exclusively reactive, but can also be carried out proactively (Bandura, 1997 ). Coping through taking and using photos has features that can be described on a continuous scale, with reactive coping at one end and proactive coping at the other.

People use photography not only to cope with events with generally positive emotional value, but also in coping with negative events. For example, traffic accidents, high-rise fires or other disasters tend to lure in bystanders and onlookers taking smartphone photos of the scene or of the victims (Vollmuth, 2017 ; Newton, 2019 ). There is no research on the motives which drive such photography-related behaviors. They may be similar to the motives which make people watch horror or crime films (Bartsch and Mares, 2014 ). What people see confronts them with something extremely meaningful—threats that exist in the world, their own mortality and vulnerability (Arndt et al., 1997 ). Most of these bystanding photographers immediately share their products. Taking and sharing the photos, we suggest, enable people to make sense of threatening events to get along with them, but also use them to push their own importance and prestige within their networks.

Has Photography Become a Human Universal?

Several researchers discussed the creation and use of representational pictures as human universal (Deacon, 2006 ; Donald, 2006 ; Dutton, 2009 ). The creation of realistic visual pictures appeared more than 30,000-years ago and some of them have been preserved on cave walls (Guthrie, 2005 ; White et al., 2018 ). Photography, in connection with digital technology and smartphones, has made it possible for everyone to create, own, and share realistic pictures easily and effortlessly and to integrate such pictures in everyday life. Based on our analysis and statistical data (Statista, 2019 ; Carrington, 2020 ; Kemp, 2021 ), we conclude that taking, viewing, and sharing photos through the use of smartphones has become a human universal—a “new” universal, according to Brown's ( 1991 ) classification—that is based on context-sensitive predispositions, particularly connected with the radically social human nature, and differentiates itself in the societal domain (Kotrschal, 2019 ). Photography not only classifies as a human universal, but also as a unique human feature not shared with any other animal species—not only because other species lack the technical means of photography, but before all, they seem to lack the motivation and mental mechanisms behind the typical human urge to capture the world in images. We conclude that photography is closely matching the unique construction of the human mind and qualifies as a feature of human nature, i.e., the Conditio humana (Arendt, 1958 ; Kotrschal, 2019 ).

Figure 3 summarizes the conditions, components, and abilities that have made photography a human universal as proposed by the mental utilization hypothesis of photography. One element of Figure 3 relates to the specific social contexts and environmental features that generate photography-related behaviors, as suggested by the evolutionary building blocks of photography. They are (1) coexistence in large, complexly structured societies; (2) frequent encounters with strangers, the outcome of which is often difficult to predict; (3) strong mutual observation of behavior; (4) individuals' well-being and prosperity depend on judgments by strangers; (5) requirement to display one's own status symbolically in public; (6) continuous confrontation with the news of success or profit, as well as disaster, illness, or death; (7) large number of potential sexual or reproductive partners among strangers; (8) individuals have to make far-reaching decisions about their future lives; (9) requirement of communication with absent or distant people; and (10) requirement of quick communication with strangers across cultural or linguistic boundaries.

The Mental Utilization Hypothesis of Photography. The schematic illustration shows the proposed conditions, components, and abilities that made photography a human universal. An arrow means “provides the basis for” or “leads to”.

Limitations

The analysis of a particular behavior on the basis of the four levels of Tinbergen requires the integration of findings from a range of disciplines. Despite the referenced mechanisms and functions of taking photos, which represent the present state of knowledge, our conclusions remain necessarily speculative—because of the preliminary nature of all scientific results, because of the inherent pitfalls of attempting to integrate such diverse results into a comprehensive synthesis, and due to the space constraints of a journal article. In addition, there are very few empirical findings on taking photos, and they come only from the Western world. Thus, we may underestimate the cultural diversity in photography, although we are quite confident that the behavioral core is based on human nature, and therefore, should in principle, apply to all people. Within our conceptual frame we describe taking and using photos as functional outcomes of cognitive and social adaptations. It could certainly be argued that the success of photography is ultimately a byproduct of the accessibility, affordability and success of smartphones and social media, which results from marketing activities of powerful companies. But this is a different level argument not contradicting our utilization hypothesis. Our analysis of photography-related behaviors as coping strategies creates a picture of photography in which the benefits are generally greater than the cognitive and social costs, which also explains why photography became such a sweeping worldwide success once the smartphone technology became available.

The goal of producing an image that supports memory only plays a subordinate role in our description of photography-related behaviors. In this respect, our framework differs from explanations that describe the production of memory pictures as a central function of photography (Milgram, 1976 ; Kahneman, 2011 ; Frohlich et al., 2013 ; Henkel, 2014 ). These explanations are consistent with the fact that many people stated the retention of memories, when asked about the purpose of photographing (Chalfen, 1987 ; Kindberg et al., 2005 ; Broekhuijsen et al., 2017 ; Lee, 2018 ). Empirical findings, however, show that people lose many photos they have taken or never look at them again (Kirk et al., 2006 ; Whittaker et al., 2010 ). Furthermore, the experimental studies on the question of whether taking or seeing photos improves people's ability to remember past events produced a multitude of different and sometimes contradicting results (for review, see Foley, 2020 ). This was one of the incentives for us to attempt a new synthesis within an evolutionary theory frame.

Testable Predictions for Future Research

As shown in Table 2 , the mental utilization theory of photography allows generating a number of testable predictions. Ideally, these would be tackled by experimental and behavioral field studies in natural environments, in both everyday and lab situations. Rapidly developing mobile techniques (such as EEG headsets, eye-tracking devices, etc.) open up new possibilities for the investigation of the attention structures and specific cognitive mechanisms involved in taking and using photos.

A sample of testable predictions along the 4 levels of Tinbergen based on the mental utilization hypothesis of photography.

We position viewing, sharing, and using personal photos within the coherent theory of the evolution of life and human nature. On the basis of the four levels of Tinbergen ( 1963 ), we developed a theoretical framework that describes the characteristics of photos and photography-related behaviors, including potential adaptative values related to the evolutionary functional domains of coping, well-being, social connectedness, courtship, and mating. We hypothesized that people take or use photos in contexts in which a pleasant event is coupled with uncertainty or with the processing of threatening information, and that people generally use photography as a coping strategy. Based on our analysis, we propose the Mental Utilization Hypothesis that explains the success of photography by its match with core human mental mechanisms, which characterize human nature.

The proposed hypothesis provides a novel conceptual framework, potentially useful in devising future experimental studies of photography. Despite the global ubiquity of photos, there is still almost no research into the cognitive mechanisms underlying photo taking. Investigations into the courtship or mating functions of photography are still limited to the explicit use of photos in online dating, but these functions are more fundamental and embracing. Studies regarding evolutionary functions of photography are particularly desirable. Important findings could be gained through comparisons between cultures, subcultures and sociological strata, gender and age classes. Important questions in such comparisons could be whether social prestige and social, occupational, or reproductive success can be linked with photography. Is photography an addition to existing social and sexual behavior or is it part of a socio-sexual change which compensates for or replaces previous behaviors or customs? Does it have “emergent properties” not found in its constituent elements? Last but not least, our description of taking and using photos as a coping strategy provides a comprehensive theoretical basis for new experimental research into the application of photography in psychotherapeutic contexts. With photography, people developed a new means of representing experiences and ideas through pictures with special characteristics, the understanding of which requires a minimum of effort and cultural knowledge. We are creatures in an increasingly complex social world for whom and in which these pictures open up powerful possibilities for action, but also for feeling at home and safe.

Data Availability Statement

Author contributions.

All authors listed have made a substantial, direct and intellectual contribution to the work, and approved it for publication.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions. They also thank Jenna Hicken for personal assistance in translating the manuscript.

Funding. This project was supported by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF): W1262-B29.

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Still Life Photography: 23 Ideas, Tips & Examples for 2024

Get inspiration for your next Still Life Photography shoot and learn the tips, tricks & techniques used by professional photographers for amazing results.

Learn | Photography Guides | By Ana Mireles

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Have you ever tried to do still life photography? It’s a wonderful way for photographers to practice and improve their skills.

If you’re not sure what it is or how to get started, this guide can be of great help.

You’ll find some great still life photography ideas, beautiful examples of still life photos for your inspiration, and 16 pro tips for you to try on your next shoot.

Before we get started, you should also check out this list of the most famous still life photographers .

Table of Contents

What is Still Life Photography?

Still life photography refers to pictures that feature an arrangement of inanimate objects. These can be organic – like food or flowers – or human-made.

It’s important to understand that still life photography can be broken down into two major categories: ‘created still life’ and ‘found still life.’ Which one your photography falls into depends on whether you planned and organized the still life or not.

It can be further sub-categorized according to the subject that the photographer decides to shoot  (i.e., still life product photography) or technique (i.e., flat-lay still life photography).

16 Tips for Succesful Still Life Images

1. prepare your equipment.

Still Life Gear of Garcia de Marina

As Garcia de Marina said to Shotkit about his Nikon D800:  “This camera allows me to work with large prints and retain great detail in the objects photographed. I do not need a fast camera because I only take photos in the studio with still elements.”

So, for professional still life photography, what you need to prioritize is resolution and image quality. Full frame cameras  are the best choice  then, but they can be costly.

If you can’t afford one just yet for still life photography, don’t worry, you can start with whatever camera you have – or even your smartphone.

You may also find this list of the  cheapest full frame cameras  useful.

Prime lenses are the best for still life photography because they offer sharper images, less distortion, and wider apertures than zoom lenses. Since you’re working in a studio setting (most of the time) and using still objects, you don’t need the versatility of a zoom.

Having said that, ideally, you still need a  wide range of focal lengths .

A nifty-fifty is a good overall lens to start with for still life photography. It won’t cause any distortions because a standard 50mm offers a similar perspective to the human eye.

Then, a short telephoto (85mm or 100mm) with macro capabilities will widen the creative possibilities for your shooting. It will allow you to capture small subjects or experiment with selective focus.

A wide-angle lens will work well for bigger scenes or small scenes if you don’t have much room to step away from them. Something around 35mm will work well enough without causing much distortion.

As for product photography, here are the best lenses to take photos of products .

Using a tripod is key to still life photography. Having a steady point of view allows you to compose your image in the best possible way. Also, it will prevent any camera shake in case you have to work with slow shutter speeds.

Since you’re working in the studio, you don’t need to worry about weight, so get the sturdiest tripod that you can. Keep an eye on versatility, though, because you’ll need to move your angle of view.

Make sure the tripod head allows you to pan and tilt easily. For low-angle shots, you might find it comfortable to have a center column that can turn upside down.

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Finally, for flat-lay photography of clothing etc., you might need a boom arm for your tripod.

Check out our guide to the best DSLR tripods  here .

Many still life photographers prefer shooting with natural light. However, using reflectors and diffusers can be really helpful to manipulate the light.

  2. Plan your scene

Credit: Olya Kobruseva

To create good still life images, you need to thoughtfully choose the elements and arrange them with care. Still life photography is all about the details.

One of the best ways to get started is by planning your shot. Think about the shapes, colors, and characteristics that you want before you pick the right object.

Try drawing your scene to decide on still life compositions; this will help you organize and execute the idea with better results.

3. Composition

Credit: Pixabay

Composition refers to the position of the objects inside the frame. Many rules can help you with this: the golden spiral, the golden ratio , the rule of thirds, the rule of odds, etc.

All photography needs good composition, but especially still life photography. Without it, you’d just have a bunch of objects that look like a mess, or your still life photos would simply be uninteresting.

Most cameras have a grid with the rule of thirds to help you compose and frame. If you’re practising with your smartphone , you can download a camera app with different grids.

Finally, you can fix up your still life photos using the crop tool and composition overlays in Lightroom. Although, it’s always better to get it right in-camera if you can.

4. Camera settings

Credit: Nikolay Osmachko

As any professional photographer knows, it’s always best if you have control over the final result of the photograph. While the auto mode might give you a well-exposed picture, you don’t get to decide the rest.

For some images, it works better to have everything in focus; for others, it’s better to have a shallow depth of field. To control this, you need to shoot with the right exposure.

The same goes for the shutter speed. If there’s a moving element in the picture, such as water running or snowflakes falling , you have to decide if you want to freeze it or keep some motion blur.

Learning to use the semi-automatic programs such as aperture priority mode or shutter speed mode will improve your still life photos. Even better if you master the manual mode – see our beginner’s guide to camera settings here .

5. Backdrops

Credit: Venus HD Makeup & Perfume

The background is a big part of still life photography. You’re not photographing a product where you use a white backdrop to isolate and highlight the subject – here, the background is part of the scene.

To choose the right background, you need to ask yourself what kind of ambiance you want to set for your images.

For example, if you photograph a cup of coffee on wrinkled fabric, it looks like breakfast in bed – it’s cozy. If, instead, the coffee is on a wooden table, you’re already placing the viewer in the kitchen or a coffee shop – you’re up and active.

The rule doesn’t just apply to a flat backdrop. If you’re photographing a bouquet of flowers, are they outside? Do you see a garden in the back? Or is it happening indoors? What do you see behind them?

With the background, you’re establishing a scene where the story happens. It helps set the mood for your still life photography.

6. Choose the right light

Credit: Jurie Maree

It doesn’t matter if you’re using artificial or natural light sources; finding the best quality of light and lighting setup for your still life photography scene is essential.

Lighting is important in still life photography because it helps you control the scene and create a mood. It’s different from using a hard light with strong shadows than a soft light that brightens evenly.

You can also choose between  low-key and high-key lighting . These lighting setups are very popular in still life photography.

You can use low-key lighting in still photography to have a dark and moody ambiance and high-key lighting for a clean and ethereal look.

The light’s position is also important and often has to do with the shape and material of the objects. For example, glass benefits greatly from  backlighting .

Stunning still if photography demands the right lighting setup to turn even the most inanimate subject matter into an interesting subject.

7. Angle of view

Credit: Roman Odintsov

A great way to improve your still life photography is by trying different points of view. Move around your set and capture the subject from various angles to add interest to the final shot.

When you do this, you’ll get the creative juices flowing, and everything changes in your photograph. The objects’ shape is different: think about a cake that’s a circle from the top but a rectangle from the side.

The perspective is also different because things that are closer to you will appear smaller than objects that are further away, and so on. Just by changing your position, you can get completely different pictures.

That’s why you’ll notice many photographers are always on the move, even when taking portraits or capturing simple objects. To move is to see the world in a different way.

Credit: Jess Harper

Much like product photography, still life photography is all about still objects. When you photograph only one object and leave the rest of the frame empty, it can be a powerful image.

For this to capture effective still life images, it has to be done properly – and not all objects are suited for this.

Sometimes to make a compelling image, a still life photographer will add some props that act as composition elements. Classic still life images are renowned for the placement of props – it’s one of the essential photography skills for still life compositions. Make sure everything complements the scene, though – much like a classic still life painting.

For creative photography, use props that go with your main subject because they share a theme or a color – in other words, they make sense together. If not, you can try opposing things to play with other juxtaposition examples and create contrast in your image.

See our guide to props for newborn photography .

9. Prepare your subject

Credit: Wendy van Zyl

Before you get started with a still life photography shoot, it’s important to prepare your subject. There are many examples of still life photography skills that photographers use to enhance food or products to make them camera-ready.

A simple way to enhance a still life photo is by adding drops of water to a beer bottle or a glass of iced tea. It’s the best way to bring ordinary objects like a bottle of beer to life – condensation is a natural occurrence in real life.

You can be as creative as you want to enhance your still life photographs. Just be careful not to cross an ethical line if you’re doing professional product photography or food photography.

Preparing the objects in the scene is not only about enhancing or adding a wow factor; it’s also about attention to detail. If you’re working with silverware, you might want to polish it before setting your scene – the same goes for jewelry .

Credit: Moose Photos

The use of color is a powerful tool in still life photography. It can be a source of contrast or a common theme between objects in the viewer’s eye.

You can guide the viewer’s attention through the scene by making objects pop thanks to photography techniques such as applying  complementary colors . Another approach for still life shots is to steer the viewer’s eye to focus on shape and texture by using a  monochrome color palette .

Other great still life photography ideas include using shiny things that bling against a black background, vibrant colors that pop, and warm-colored food items that tempt the eye and the tummy.

You can grab inspiration from art history and nature for some classic combinations or turn to design to see what’s currently trending.

11. Texture

Credit: Ylanite Koppens

Texture  can add visual interest to a still life photograph in your next photo shoot. Think about a tabletop scene: will the final image with a plate of steaming food look better on a white-polished table, or can it benefit from a rugged wood surface?

Using a textured background for fine art or product photography can create a contrast between the negative space and the subject. Of course, this isn’t a rule for all your images, but it works well in some situations.

Another important texture is the one that the still life subject provides. Think about an orange under the studio lights: would you rather see a flat shape or the texture of the peel?

To take creative control of the texture, you have to consider the object and the lighting. Remember that soft light coming from the front will flatten a texture. If you want to highlight it, use a harder light that comes from the side.

Even if shooting low-key images, you need complete control over the lighting to gain stunning still life photography. After all, food photography wouldn’t be the hit it is without getting the lighting right – even if using direct sunlight.

12. Storytelling

Credit: Gregorio Luiz Gomez

Any complete guide to photography tips will mandate that photography is an art form that’s all about storytelling.

Your photography portfolio should read like a picture book full of inspiration and art – no matter the unique genre you work with.

Still life photography is no different – it’s an excellent genre for telling stories through still life images featuring inanimate or natural objects.

When your image tells a story, the viewer is immediately involved in it and gets invested. Make your still life photography communicate something to the viewer to have stunning still life shots. You can get as creative as you want and find inspiration from the natural world to create still life art.

Still life photography ideas exist everywhere we look. Much like classical life paintings, turn the mundane into art with your own unique style.

Maybe you want to tell your grandfather’s story by making a still life of the family heirlooms or the story of a culture with some traditional objects.

13. Shoot more than one picture

Credit: Jill Burrow

As I mentioned before, it’s always good to plan your still life image. Imagine how you want it to look and draw a sketch that will guide the final image.

However, one of the best photography tips I can share is that once you have that shot, don’t stop there. Still life photography demands that you change the lighting setup, rearrange the objects, change your camera settings and point of view.

Still life photography is all about developing your first idea and getting to work capturing precisely what you envisioned. Then, once you’ve nailed those still life shots, change it up – you just may come up with an even better idea or still life photography composition in the process.

Another essential tip is to be prepared to shoot a number of different still life photography compositions at the same time. If you’ve gone to the trouble to set up your lighting, camera gear, and workspace, you might as well shoot a number of different still life photography compositions.

14. Represent abstract concepts

Credit: Giallo

To put together a creative still life photo, you don’t have to think about the object itself. You can try using abstract concepts and put together the objects that represent them – for example,  autumn  or love.

To get started with conceptual still life photography, you can browse some photography and art books.  Painters  have used this technique for centuries, and you can get great inspiration from them and their art.

Photography is no different, and you should take a look at a number of conceptual photography books or even an online portfolio of a conceptual photographer.

15. Keep your eyes open

Credit: Elle Hughes

Not all still life is constructed by the photographer in a studio environment with handmade objects or painted canvas.

Sometimes, it’s just a matter of keeping your eyes open for those little treasures that you can turn into the perfect image. Art is everywhere, and it calls the viewer’s attention in lots of different ways.

Many photography genres, such as street and landscape photography, are about seeing the beauty and art that already naturally exists.

‘Found’ still life is as much of an art as still life that’s created. To walk around and recognize something that would make a beautiful photo is a wonderful skill.

So get out there with your DSLR, smartphone, or mirrorless cameras, eyes wide open, and start shooting still life photography.

16. Post-processing

Credit: Toa Heftiba

Post-processing is an important part of still life photography. Often it’s just a small adjustment like tweaking the exposure or correcting the white balance on your still lifes.

Almost all photography, even that shot with a full-frame camera, benefits from a little editing. All pro photographers work with post-processing or editing workflow – the same applies for still lifes.

Other times it’s more complex, for example, healing specks of dust or imperfections that you didn’t see when you were shooting.

A photographer may even  remove unwanted objects  necessary for production, such as the threads that hold ‘floating’ objects.

You can also do some creative post-processing. For example, make a photo-composite, or add an effect to make your still life photo look like a fine art painting.

In sum, adding post-production to your workflow opens up a world of opportunities to improve and enrich your still life images.

8 Still Life Photography Ideas for Your Inspiration

Here are some still life photography ideas for you to practice at home:

• Food Photography  – This kind of still life photography features any food: from raw produce to fully cooked meals. To photograph it as still life, remember that you shouldn’t include a person in the picture – neither cooking nor eating the food.
• Product Photography  – This is one of the categories of commercial photography. The main characteristic is that you’re showcasing a product with the intention of selling it. To practice still life photography with products, you can make a composition with them. You can find many examples in makeup brands – think of a photo that includes a set of lipsticks of different shades, for example.
• Flower Photography  – Flowers are one of the most classic subjects in still life, and I’m not just referring to photography but paintings too. You can arrange beautiful bouquets or arrange the petals in a creative composition.
• Black and White Photography  – Switching from color to greyscale is a good exercise to improve your photography, and it can be very well suited to still life. Objects photographed in black and white get a different mood that you can use for your creative vision.
• Flat-lay Photography  – The term ‘flat-lay’ refers to the angle of view rather than the subject. To shoot a perfect flat-lay, the sensor needs to be parallel to the surface where you have the subject. This type of still life photography became very trendy on social networks such as Instagram. You can find many examples and sometimes even contests using the hashtag #flatlay.
• Tabletop Photography  – This is a category of still life photography that focuses on objects arranged on a table. It’s one of the most common styles you can find. It doesn’t matter if you’re working with fruits, books, or toys as long as they are on a tabletop.
• Concept Photography  – With this type of photography, you’re using your still life objects to represent something other than what they are. For example, in the video above, the photographer uses an alarm clock attached to a balloon to symbolize that time flies.
• Toy Photography   – Recreating scenes depicting real life can be a fun and rewarding experience, particularly since these types of humorous photos are typically so popular on social media.

There are examples of still life all around you, so grab an object and check out these still life photography ideas for your inspiration.

Still Life Photography FAQs

What are the 2 types of still life photography?

There are created still lifes, where you purposely arrange a set of objects for your photograph; and found still life, when you stumble upon a nice scene or set up to photograph.

What constitutes a still life?

A still life is an arrangement of everyday objects without a human subject. The objects can be natural such as fruits and flowers, or human-made, such as books or jewelry.

What makes still life photography successful?

A successful photograph starts with the subject; you need to pick the right ones and arrange them properly. Then, use photographic techniques to tell the story you want – consider the lighting, the composition, etc. Successful still lifes take the form of art and create a reaction in the viewer.

What is the best lens for still life photography?

A great all-around lens is a 50mm prime. However, if you can afford to have more than one, short telephoto lenses with macro capabilities make a great addition to your bag.

Why is it called still life?

Still life – both photography and painting – is so named because its subjects don’t move; they’re inanimate objects. The term derives from the Dutch word ‘stilleven’ because it was in the Netherlands, where it was first recognized as an art genre.

How do still life photographers make money?

Commercial clients often ask for still life photography to showcase their products and use them for advertising or editorial purposes. Also, still life photographers often sell their pictures on stock photography websites.

Final Words

I hope this guide explains all there is to know about still life photography. More importantly, I hope that this has inspired you and gotten you excited about creating your own art with still life photography.

Remember that many famous photographers  have used this genre  to create fine art photography.

Photographing still lifes doesn’t have to be the sole genre of fine art photographers. With a little preparation, inspiration, and a lot of practice, you can create stunning still lifes worthy of any art gallery in the country.

What have been your experiences with any of the still life photography genres we’ve covered in this guide? Do you love food photography, or is product photography more your thing? Don’t forget to share your stories, comments, and questions here to become part of the conversation.

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What is still life photography? Definition, examples and set-ups explained

Still life images are one of the oldest genres of photography. find out how you can make great images from the comfort of home.

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Tuesday January 31, 2023

By Jeff Meyer

Not everyone has the money to jet off to exciting locations to take photographs, or even the time to go exploring their local area with their camera. Thankfully, though, great images can be made in the comfort of home with no more than a few, simple everyday household items and a little imagination. Still life photography has been practiced for as long as shutters have been opening and closing. In fact, still life images were among the first photographs to be made back in the early days of photography.

It’s important to understand what still life photography is, however.

What Is still life photography?

Still life photography is a genre of photography that focuses on capturing inanimate objects. It is typically done in a studio setting and involves carefully arranging objects for the purpose of creating a visually appealing image. Still life photography is often used to create art, to sell products, to document objects for scientific research or for other commercial purposes.

What separates still life photography from general scenes with inanimate objects, such as a forest view, is that still life photographers have more time and control over the variables. The best still life photos are those that mix an interesting composition with nice lighting to emphasise the shape, form, colour, texture, light and shadow of a subject.

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What are the best still life subjects?

The best still life subjects are typically objects that have character or an interesting shape. Objects like cutlery, rusty tools, glass bottles, flowers and fruit are all time-tested and oft-photographed still life subjects.

If you’re shooting a still life for this first time, try starting with a subject that’s simple – something like fruit or coloured pencils are great for this. Then play around with light. You can use natural light from a window or even simple table lamps to create a more dramatic light effect.

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Definition of still life photography

The definition of still life photography is the art of taking pictures of inanimate objects. These objects are usually arranged in a creative way to create an aesthetically pleasing image. The objects used in still life photography can be anything from food, flowers and plants to books, bottles and other everyday objects. The aim of still life photography is to create an image that captures the beauty, simplicity and detail of these objects.

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History of still life photography

The history of still life photography dates back to the early 19th century, when photographers began experimenting with the genre. At the time, still life photography was primarily used for scientific purposes, such as documenting plants and animals for research. In the late 19th century, still life photography began to be used for commercial purposes, such as advertising products.

In modern times, still life photography remains a popular form of both product photography and creative expression.

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Types of still life photography

There are several different types of still life photography. These include product photography, food photography, flower photography, abstract photography, and table-top photography. Product photography is used to showcase products, such as electronics, jewelry, and clothing. Food photography is used to capture the beauty of food, such as cakes, pastries, and dishes. Flower photography is used to capture the beauty of flowers and plants. Abstract photography is used to capture shadows, reflections, and patterns. Table-top photography is used to capture small objects, such as jewelry, coins, and toys.

Still life photography set up

The set up of a still life photography session depends on the type of photography being done. Generally, the photographer will need a backdrop, lighting, and the objects to be photographed. For product photography, the photographer will need a plain white or black backdrop and studio lighting. For food photography, the photographer will need a plain white background, natural light, and props such as plates, dishes, and utensils. For flower photography, the photographer will need a light box and natural light. For abstract photography, the photographer will need a dark background and studio lighting. For table-top photography, the photographer will need a small light box and studio lighting.

Examples of still life photography

Some of the best still life photography examples can literally be anything! Still life setups are used to capture a variety of objects, such as food, flowers, plants, books, bottles, furniture, toys and everyday objects. Some classic examples of still life photography include a bowl of fruit, a freshly-brewed cup of coffee, a single rose, a bouquet of flowers, an ornately set table, even a collection of books or magazines. Still life photography can also be used to create abstract images, which make creative use of shadows, reflections and patterns.

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Still life photography: 30 beautiful examples

We've carefully selected 30 great examples of still life photography to delight and inspire you.

Perfecting the art of composition and lighting to create a beautiful still life image is certainly no easy task. But get it right and still life photography can be an extremely powerful art form, and can be utilised in projects from calendar design to poster design . Here are 30 talented artists who have perfected the difficult skill of making, as well as taking, their photos...

01. Evelyn Bencicova

Born in Slovakia and currently studying photography and fine art in Vienna, Evelyn Bencicova tries to pursue a point where the commercial and artistic meet, focusing on the conceptual as well as the visual aspect of photography. This photo, one of a series called (An)Organic, grabbed us immediately with its striking and unsettling composition; check out the rest of the set.

02. Suzanne Cummings

Suzanne Cummings has had a long time to perfect her photography skills; she first became seriously interested over 50 years ago, studied with John Sexton in the 1970s, and these days works mostly in digital, with Photoshop an essential part of her workflow. We love this shot, Reach for the Light, for its restrained filter work, giving the composition a dreamy, ethereal air.

03. Marcel Christ

Marcel Christ takes a meticulous approach to still-life photography. "Nothing is accidental," he says, "I push the boundaries of the special effects and photographic techniques I'm using to create controlled coincidence." So he finds ways to give life to otherwise inanimate objects, such as in Melted. You'll never look at an ice lolly in the same way again.

04. Bas Meeuws

Inspired by the Golden Age of Dutch painting, Bas Meeuws tries to recreate the feel of classic still lifes in his photography. His work is painstakingly assembled from shots of individual flowers taken with the same lighting, with each detailed and multi-layered image taking between 40 and 60 hours to put together.

05. Elena K

It took us a second to realise exactly what this striking, abstract black and white shot actually was. Who'd have thought a bunch of bananas could be so beautiful? The photo was taken by 19-year-old psychology student Elena K, who seems to have mastered the art of creating incredible still life photography – most of which is showcased in a breathtaking Flickr portfolio .

06. Joan Gamell

Although photography is merely a hobby for Californian Joan Gamell, his still life shots bring the simple beauty of the everyday to the forefront. This shot of the London Underground showcases the geometric inspiration we can often find all around us.

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07. Besim Mazhiqi

Using a Nikon D700, Mazhiqi masters the composition within this shot. Pushing the bike to the forefront of our focus, its colours pop from the image, whilst the background is blurred to a beautiful effect.

08. Shihya Kowatari

With a keen interest in creatures and flowers, Kowatari captures the essense of nature in a light like no other. Bringing the intricate detail of nature to the focus of the viewer, it's a reminder of the beauty that surrounds us and how often we pass it by.

The colours used on this still life photo caught our attention immediately. The juxtaposing yellows with the various shades of greens and blues really make this one pop, making it look like a complete work of art.

10. Andrew Vernon

Fine art landscape photographer Andrew Vernon is the man behind this striking image titled The Wave. A master of composition, Vernon gives the blood red liquid in this image a life of its own as it lines and overflows the wall of the glass.

11. Alma Kerpauskiene

This gorgeous mirror image was taken by photographer Alma Kerpauskiene. This lady has an awe-inspiring portfolio full of still life images but this black and white image really stands out. By carefully composing the shot and using mirroring techniques, she's transformed these flowers into a beautiful abstract image.

12. Michal Klimov

Michal Klimov captured this atmospheric shot of his vintage camera recently. The beautifully simple image showcases brilliant colour and detail and skillful exposure and composition. Klimov's portfolio is full of vintage-style still life images, but this is our favourite.

13. Mi Yong Sung

We're a little in love with this colourful composition courtesy of hobbyist photographer Mi Yong Sung. Aptly named 'Colourful', this fantastic shots is a feast for the eyes. Not a fan of digital manipulation, the artist says: "I don't fix the theme. I enjoys taking snap of a daily life and flowers."

14. Martin Zalba

We love how this 'After the walk' photo has us wondering just where these boots have been. Captured by Spanish amateur photographer Martin Zalba, he doesn't limit himself to one particular style: "I am interested in all types of photography," he says, "especially night photography, landscapes, urban photography, wildlife, portraits, still life and infrared photography."

A master of still life photography, artist A Sot has an awe-inspiring portfolio, full of beautiful images of all subjects. But our favourite has to be this fire butterfly, captured after the photographer burned half a pack of matches untill he got an interesting ignition. Just beautiful.

16. Eugenio Costantini

Rain Machine by Eugenio Costantini goes to show that an eye for detail and talent behind the lens can turn even the most ordinary of objects into something very special. A unique point-of-view taken on an umbrella transforms its working parts into this beautiful, abstract image.

17. Lafugue Logos

We love the simplicity of the composition and beautiful colours in this Sealed With A Loving Kiss image by Lafugue Logos. With a passion for still life, photographing flowers in particular, the talented artist's portfolio is full of serene, dream-like images such as this.

18. Niko Vass

Timeless by Niko Vass caught our eye when searching for brilliant examples of still life. When looking through this photographers work, it's clear that he's all about simplicity, allowing his compositions, lighting and colours do the talking. And this atmospheric shot is our favourite.

19. Brian Estelle

This room is, infact, the former cell of the famous American gangster Al Capone in the abandoned prison of Eastern State Penetentiary, Philadelphia. Titled Home Sweet Home, the atmospheric shot was captured by US-based photographer Brian Estelle, using his Canon EOS 6D.

20. Vladimir Shipulin

This gorgeous image, titled Dust, was composed and shot by photographer Vladimir Shipulin. An extremely popular artist on online photography community 500px, Shipulin has an awe-inspiring portfolio full of still life images. But this is most definitely our favourite; the lighting and antique look transforming the most ordinary everyday objects into a beautiful piece of art.

21. Linus Lohoff

German photographer Linus Lohoff was catapulted into the spotlight early last year after he posted a series of still life images on the Flickr blog. Part of a photography class project, Lohoff took everyday objects and portrayed them in different contexts against brightly coloured backgrounds. The popular series is titled “Das gebaute Bild” (The Constructed Picture).

22. Henry Hargreaves

Talented photographer Henry Hargreaves is well known for his weird and wonderful compositions. Specialising in still life photography, Hargreaves continually raises the bar with his work and this Smoke and Lilies series is no exception. The idea is simply what the title suggests; gorgeous, paint-dripping lilies surrounded by smoke on a black background. Beautiful.

23. Jonathan Knowles

Based in London, Jonathan Knowles specialises in beautifully composed still life photography. His unique photographic style has secured him multiple awards and the opportunity to work with advertising agencies worldwide. This gorgeous 'Lashes - Feathers' image is just one example of stunning still life photography from his awe-inspiring portfolio.

24. Magda Indigo

Magda Indigo has been a professional photographer for over 25 years. In that time, she's worked with clients including Harper Collins, Microsoft , Samsung, Hallmark, and American Express. She's also a Getty Images artist. Indigo is recognised mainly for her extraordinary flower, people, and food photography, with these beautiful Enoki mushrooms being a perfect example of the latter.

25. Peter Zentjens

"My most favoured way of visual expression is still life photography," says photographer Peter Zentjens. And this passion shines through his brilliant work, much of which has a vintage look and feel to it, as seen in this beautiful image titled Forgotten. Zentjens has spent many years developing his particular style and photography techniques in order to convey the correct mood.

26. Veniamin Skorodumov

Russian artist Veniamin Skorodumov began his photography career in 2005, during which he has built up a portfolio full of landscape, macro, portreit, nude, and still life images. The talents of Skorodumov caught our eye when we came across his brilliant Black and White Geometry series, which is stunning in its simplicity.

27. Anatoly Che

Photography Anatoly Che is a still life master - his online portfolio literally rammed full of stunning, creative images created from the most ordinary of objects. The talents of this skillful artist shine through his photography, which consistently features precise composition and refined lighting.

28. Jenny Van Sommers

Jenny Van Sommers is an award winning still life photographer. Living and working in London, her unique style has landed her editorial clients include Another Magazine, Vogue, and Ten. She has also worked with Apple , Audi, Hermes, and Nike. Sommers awe-inspiring portfolio, is full of surreal and quirky images such as this headphone and balloon one.

29. Robert Sulkin

Photographer Robert Sulkin has created countless beautiful and intriguing still life images. "Still life most reflects my interest in Modernism and were constructed to be about perception and illusion," Sulkin says. It was a difficult choice, but our favourite of his still life work is this interesting iron piece.

30. Tatiana Skorokhod

Tatiana Skorokhod creates the kind of still life photography that initially looks like a beautiful painting. Carefully placed objects make this piece a work of art – from the pops of orange across the table to the darker tones in the background, it's a marvel.

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Kerrie Hughes is a frequent contributor to Creative Bloq, and was once its editor. One of the original CB crew, Kerrie joined the team back in 2013 after moving from her role as staff writer on 3D World. Since then she's written regularly for other creative publications such as ImagineFX, Computer Arts and Digital Camera World. After a stint working for the police, Kerrie is back reviewing creative tech for creative professionals. 

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40 Facts About Elektrostal

Written by Lanette Mayes

Modified & Updated: 01 Jun 2024

Reviewed by Jessica Corbett

Elektrostal is a vibrant city located in the Moscow Oblast region of Russia. With a rich history, stunning architecture, and a thriving community, Elektrostal is a city that has much to offer. Whether you are a history buff, nature enthusiast, or simply curious about different cultures, Elektrostal is sure to captivate you.

This article will provide you with 40 fascinating facts about Elektrostal, giving you a better understanding of why this city is worth exploring. From its origins as an industrial hub to its modern-day charm, we will delve into the various aspects that make Elektrostal a unique and must-visit destination.

So, join us as we uncover the hidden treasures of Elektrostal and discover what makes this city a true gem in the heart of Russia.

Key Takeaways:

• Elektrostal, known as the “Motor City of Russia,” is a vibrant and growing city with a rich industrial history, offering diverse cultural experiences and a strong commitment to environmental sustainability.
• With its convenient location near Moscow, Elektrostal provides a picturesque landscape, vibrant nightlife, and a range of recreational activities, making it an ideal destination for residents and visitors alike.

Known as the “Motor City of Russia.”

Elektrostal, a city located in the Moscow Oblast region of Russia, earned the nickname “Motor City” due to its significant involvement in the automotive industry.

Home to the Elektrostal Metallurgical Plant.

Elektrostal is renowned for its metallurgical plant, which has been producing high-quality steel and alloys since its establishment in 1916.

Boasts a rich industrial heritage.

Elektrostal has a long history of industrial development, contributing to the growth and progress of the region.

Founded in 1916.

The city of Elektrostal was founded in 1916 as a result of the construction of the Elektrostal Metallurgical Plant.

Located approximately 50 kilometers east of Moscow.

Elektrostal is situated in close proximity to the Russian capital, making it easily accessible for both residents and visitors.

Known for its vibrant cultural scene.

Elektrostal is home to several cultural institutions, including museums, theaters, and art galleries that showcase the city’s rich artistic heritage.

A popular destination for nature lovers.

Surrounded by picturesque landscapes and forests, Elektrostal offers ample opportunities for outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, and birdwatching.

Hosts the annual Elektrostal City Day celebrations.

Every year, Elektrostal organizes festive events and activities to celebrate its founding, bringing together residents and visitors in a spirit of unity and joy.

Has a population of approximately 160,000 people.

Elektrostal is home to a diverse and vibrant community of around 160,000 residents, contributing to its dynamic atmosphere.

Boasts excellent education facilities.

The city is known for its well-established educational institutions, providing quality education to students of all ages.

A center for scientific research and innovation.

Elektrostal serves as an important hub for scientific research, particularly in the fields of metallurgy , materials science, and engineering.

Surrounded by picturesque lakes.

The city is blessed with numerous beautiful lakes , offering scenic views and recreational opportunities for locals and visitors alike.

Well-connected transportation system.

Elektrostal benefits from an efficient transportation network, including highways, railways, and public transportation options, ensuring convenient travel within and beyond the city.

Famous for its traditional Russian cuisine.

Food enthusiasts can indulge in authentic Russian dishes at numerous restaurants and cafes scattered throughout Elektrostal.

Home to notable architectural landmarks.

Elektrostal boasts impressive architecture, including the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord and the Elektrostal Palace of Culture.

Offers a wide range of recreational facilities.

Residents and visitors can enjoy various recreational activities, such as sports complexes, swimming pools, and fitness centers, enhancing the overall quality of life.

Provides a high standard of healthcare.

Elektrostal is equipped with modern medical facilities, ensuring residents have access to quality healthcare services.

Home to the Elektrostal History Museum.

The Elektrostal History Museum showcases the city’s fascinating past through exhibitions and displays.

A hub for sports enthusiasts.

Elektrostal is passionate about sports, with numerous stadiums, arenas, and sports clubs offering opportunities for athletes and spectators.

Celebrates diverse cultural festivals.

Throughout the year, Elektrostal hosts a variety of cultural festivals, celebrating different ethnicities, traditions, and art forms.

Electric power played a significant role in its early development.

Elektrostal owes its name and initial growth to the establishment of electric power stations and the utilization of electricity in the industrial sector.

Boasts a thriving economy.

The city’s strong industrial base, coupled with its strategic location near Moscow, has contributed to Elektrostal’s prosperous economic status.

Houses the Elektrostal Drama Theater.

The Elektrostal Drama Theater is a cultural centerpiece, attracting theater enthusiasts from far and wide.

Popular destination for winter sports.

Elektrostal’s proximity to ski resorts and winter sport facilities makes it a favorite destination for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter activities.

Promotes environmental sustainability.

Elektrostal prioritizes environmental protection and sustainability, implementing initiatives to reduce pollution and preserve natural resources.

Home to renowned educational institutions.

Elektrostal is known for its prestigious schools and universities, offering a wide range of academic programs to students.

Committed to cultural preservation.

The city values its cultural heritage and takes active steps to preserve and promote traditional customs, crafts, and arts.

Hosts an annual International Film Festival.

The Elektrostal International Film Festival attracts filmmakers and cinema enthusiasts from around the world, showcasing a diverse range of films.

Encourages entrepreneurship and innovation.

Elektrostal supports aspiring entrepreneurs and fosters a culture of innovation, providing opportunities for startups and business development .

Offers a range of housing options.

Elektrostal provides diverse housing options, including apartments, houses, and residential complexes, catering to different lifestyles and budgets.

Home to notable sports teams.

Elektrostal is proud of its sports legacy , with several successful sports teams competing at regional and national levels.

Boasts a vibrant nightlife scene.

Residents and visitors can enjoy a lively nightlife in Elektrostal, with numerous bars, clubs, and entertainment venues.

Promotes cultural exchange and international relations.

Elektrostal actively engages in international partnerships, cultural exchanges, and diplomatic collaborations to foster global connections.

Surrounded by beautiful nature reserves.

Nearby nature reserves, such as the Barybino Forest and Luchinskoye Lake, offer opportunities for nature enthusiasts to explore and appreciate the region’s biodiversity.

Commemorates historical events.

The city pays tribute to significant historical events through memorials, monuments, and exhibitions, ensuring the preservation of collective memory.

Promotes sports and youth development.

Elektrostal invests in sports infrastructure and programs to encourage youth participation, health, and physical fitness.

Hosts annual cultural and artistic festivals.

Throughout the year, Elektrostal celebrates its cultural diversity through festivals dedicated to music, dance, art, and theater.

Provides a picturesque landscape for photography enthusiasts.

The city’s scenic beauty, architectural landmarks, and natural surroundings make it a paradise for photographers.

Connects to Moscow via a direct train line.

The convenient train connection between Elektrostal and Moscow makes commuting between the two cities effortless.

A city with a bright future.

Elektrostal continues to grow and develop, aiming to become a model city in terms of infrastructure, sustainability, and quality of life for its residents.

In conclusion, Elektrostal is a fascinating city with a rich history and a vibrant present. From its origins as a center of steel production to its modern-day status as a hub for education and industry, Elektrostal has plenty to offer both residents and visitors. With its beautiful parks, cultural attractions, and proximity to Moscow, there is no shortage of things to see and do in this dynamic city. Whether you’re interested in exploring its historical landmarks, enjoying outdoor activities, or immersing yourself in the local culture, Elektrostal has something for everyone. So, next time you find yourself in the Moscow region, don’t miss the opportunity to discover the hidden gems of Elektrostal.

Q: What is the population of Elektrostal?

A: As of the latest data, the population of Elektrostal is approximately XXXX.

Q: How far is Elektrostal from Moscow?

A: Elektrostal is located approximately XX kilometers away from Moscow.

Q: Are there any famous landmarks in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal is home to several notable landmarks, including XXXX and XXXX.

Q: What industries are prominent in Elektrostal?

A: Elektrostal is known for its steel production industry and is also a center for engineering and manufacturing.

Q: Are there any universities or educational institutions in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal is home to XXXX University and several other educational institutions.

Q: What are some popular outdoor activities in Elektrostal?

A: Elektrostal offers several outdoor activities, such as hiking, cycling, and picnicking in its beautiful parks.

Q: Is Elektrostal well-connected in terms of transportation?

A: Yes, Elektrostal has good transportation links, including trains and buses, making it easily accessible from nearby cities.

Q: Are there any annual events or festivals in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal hosts various events and festivals throughout the year, including XXXX and XXXX.

Elektrostal's fascinating history, vibrant culture, and promising future make it a city worth exploring. For more captivating facts about cities around the world, discover the unique characteristics that define each city . Uncover the hidden gems of Moscow Oblast through our in-depth look at Kolomna. Lastly, dive into the rich industrial heritage of Teesside, a thriving industrial center with its own story to tell.

The Unique Burial of a Child of Early Scythian Time at the Cemetery of Saryg-Bulun (Tuva)

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Pages:  379-406

In 1988, the Tuvan Archaeological Expedition (led by M. E. Kilunovskaya and V. A. Semenov) discovered a unique burial of the early Iron Age at Saryg-Bulun in Central Tuva. There are two burial mounds of the Aldy-Bel culture dated by 7th century BC. Within the barrows, which adjoined one another, forming a figure-of-eight, there were discovered 7 burials, from which a representative collection of artifacts was recovered. Burial 5 was the most unique, it was found in a coffin made of a larch trunk, with a tightly closed lid. Due to the preservative properties of larch and lack of air access, the coffin contained a well-preserved mummy of a child with an accompanying set of grave goods. The interred individual retained the skin on his face and had a leather headdress painted with red pigment and a coat, sewn from jerboa fur. The coat was belted with a leather belt with bronze ornaments and buckles. Besides that, a leather quiver with arrows with the shafts decorated with painted ornaments, fully preserved battle pick and a bow were buried in the coffin. Unexpectedly, the full-genomic analysis, showed that the individual was female. This fact opens a new aspect in the study of the social history of the Scythian society and perhaps brings us back to the myth of the Amazons, discussed by Herodotus. Of course, this discovery is unique in its preservation for the Scythian culture of Tuva and requires careful study and conservation.

Keywords: Tuva, Early Iron Age, early Scythian period, Aldy-Bel culture, barrow, burial in the coffin, mummy, full genome sequencing, aDNA

Information about authors: Marina Kilunovskaya (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Dvortsovaya Emb., 18, Saint Petersburg, 191186, Russian Federation E-mail: [email protected] Vladimir Semenov (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Dvortsovaya Emb., 18, Saint Petersburg, 191186, Russian Federation E-mail: [email protected] Varvara Busova  (Moscow, Russian Federation).  (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation). Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences.  Dvortsovaya Emb., 18, Saint Petersburg, 191186, Russian Federation E-mail:  [email protected] Kharis Mustafin  (Moscow, Russian Federation). Candidate of Technical Sciences. Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.  Institutsky Lane, 9, Dolgoprudny, 141701, Moscow Oblast, Russian Federation E-mail:  [email protected] Irina Alborova  (Moscow, Russian Federation). Candidate of Biological Sciences. Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.  Institutsky Lane, 9, Dolgoprudny, 141701, Moscow Oblast, Russian Federation E-mail:  [email protected] Alina Matzvai  (Moscow, Russian Federation). Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.  Institutsky Lane, 9, Dolgoprudny, 141701, Moscow Oblast, Russian Federation E-mail:  [email protected]

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Hands up if you’re ready to be dazzled! From a ceremony structure designed to float on water to a jaw-dropping reception room with flowers blooming from every service, we’re swooning over every bit of this wedding. If you can believe it, that’s just the beginning. Julia Kaptelova artfully shot every detail, like the ballet performance guests were treated to and snow falling from the ceiling for the first dance! Prepare to be amazed and take a visit to the full gallery .

From About You Decor … Our design is a symbol of dawn and a distant endless horizon. Ahead is a long, happy life without any borders. An international couple, Pavel and Cherry, met in London and have been walking together for many years.

From the Bride, Cherry… My husband and I we decided to have our summer wedding in Moscow because the city is where his roots are. As we knew we were going to have the other wedding ceremony in China, we wanted our Moscow one to be very personal and intimate. We’ve known each other since we were fourteen, together with many of our friends whom we’ve also known for a decade.

I didn’t want to walk down the aisle twice so the plausibility of my request quickly came into discussion. The open pontoon stage was constructed in order to facilitate the bridal entrance on water, although there were concerns about safety as the last thing we wanted was probably a drowned bride before she could get on stage, picture that! I have to say on that day it wasn’t easy to get on the pontoon stage from the boat, in my long gown and high heels. Luckily my bridesmaids still noticed even though they stood the furthest from me on the stage, and helped me out without prior rehearsal. My girls could just tell whenever I needed a hand or maybe they were just so used to my clumsiness. Who knows 😂

We all love our photographer Julia! She’s so talented and her style is so unique. Our beloved host Alex is exceptional who made everyone laugh and cry. It was truly a blessing to have so many kind and beautiful souls on our big day. Thank you all!

[iframe https://player.vimeo.com/video/384992271 600 338]

Photography: Julia Kaptelova Photography | Wedding Planner: Caramel | Cake: Any Cake | Invitations: Inviteria | Rings: Harry Winston | Band: Menhouzen | Grooms attire: Ermenegildo Zegna | Wedding Venue: Elizaveta Panichkina | Bridesmaids’ dresses: Marchesa | Bridesmaids’ dresses: Alice McCall | Bride’s gown : Jaton Couture | Bride’s shoes: Manolo Blahnik | Decor : About you decor | Earrings: Damiani | Muah: Khvanaco Studio | Video: Artem Korchagin

More Princess-Worthy Ballgowns

I’m still not convinced this Moscow wedding, captured to perfection by  Sonya Khegay , isn’t actually an inspiration session—it’s just  that breathtaking. From the beautiful Bride’s gorgeous lace wedding dress and flawless hair and makeup to the pretty pastel color palette and stunning ceremony and reception spaces, this wedding is almost too good to be true. Do yourself a favor and see it all in The Vault now!

From Sonya Khegay … It was the last day of April and still very cold in the morning. The weather forecast wasn’t pleasing and no one expected that the sun would come out, but miracles happen and light rain gave way to the warm rays.

I love how all the details went together, you could feel the harmony in everything throughout the entire wedding day from the morning until the fireworks.

A gentle look of the bride, elegant but so airy and unique decor, the fresh and light atmosphere of early spring and, of course, true happiness in the eyes. My heart becomes so warm from these memories, it is always a pleasure to see the birth of a new family of two loving hearts.

Photography: Sonya Khegay | Event Design: Latte Decor | Event Planning: Ajur Wedding | Floral Design: Blush Petals | Wedding Dress: La Sposa | Stationery: Special Invite | Bride's Shoes: Gianvito Rossi | Hair + Makeup: Natalie Yastrebova | Venue: Rodniki Hotel

• by Elizabeth Greene

You really can’t go wrong with simple: a beautiful Bride , perfectly pretty petals , loved ones all around. But add in an amazing firework show  to cap off the night and simple just became downright extraordinary. Captured by Lena Elisseva , with assistance by  Katya Butenko , this rustic Russian celebration is simply fantastic. See it all in the Vault right here !

From Lena Eliseeva Photo …  This cozy and warm summer wedding of gorgeous Natalia and Anton was in the middle of June. The young couple decided to organize their wedding themselves, and the day was very personal and touching. I am absolutely in love with rustic outdoor weddings, and this one is my favourite because of the free and easy atmosphere.

All the decor excluding the bride’s bouquet was made by a team of ten friends of the bride and groom. And it was charming – a light and beautiful arch, eco-style polygraphy and succulents, candy-bar with caramel apples and berries – sweet joys of summer.

At the end of ceremony the guests tossed up white handkerchiefs embroidered by Natalia’s own hands.

The most touching moment was the happy eyes of the groom’s grandmother, the most estimable person on the wedding. And the fireworks were a bright end to that beautiful day.

Photography: LENA ELISEEVA PHOTO | Floral Design: Katerina Kazakova | Hair And Makeup: Svetlana Fischeva | Photography - Assistance: Katya Butenko

These photos from Lena Kozhina are so stunningly beautiful – as in you can’t help but stop and stare – it’s hard to believe it’s real life. But these pics are proof of this gorgeous Bride and her handsome Groom’s celebration at Moscow’s Fox Lodge , surrounded by vibrant colors and breathtaking blooms . Oh, and the idea of prepping for your Big Day outside in the sun ? Brilliant. See more bright ideas right here !

From Lena Kozhina … When we met with the couple for the first time, we immediately paid attention to Dima’s behavior towards Julia. There was a feeling of tenderness and awe, and we immediately wanted to recreate this atmosphere of love, care and warmth on their Big Day.

Later, when we had chosen a green meadow and an uncovered pavilion overlooking a lake as the project site, it only highlighted a light summer mood with colorful florals and a great number of natural woods. The name of the site is Fox Lodge and peach-orange color, as one of the Bride’s favorites, set the tone for the whole design – from the invitations, in which we used images of fox cubs to elements of serving guest tables and other decorative elements with the corresponding bright accents.

Photography: Lena Kozhina | Event Planning: Ajur Wedding | Wedding Dress: Rosa Clara | Shoes: Marc Jacobs | Catering: Fox Lodge | Makeup Artist: Elena Otrembskaya | Wedding Venue: Fox Lodge | Cake and Desserts: Yumbaker | Decor: Latte Decor

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