Research
Ori Gersht
Ori Gersht is a Israeli photographer who is also a professor of photography at the University of Creative Arts in Rochester, England. I came across his work whilst looking through “Still Life in Photography” by Paul Martineau, and was interested by the colourful chaos of his still life photography.
The exhibition I found of interest of his, Ori Gersht: Still Life, was created to explore the relationships between photography, technology and optical perception. In this exhibition, Ori created picturesque still life images using flowers, before blowing them up and taking pictures of the moments of explosion using a high speed camera. The resulting images, published in 2007, represent the period of time in which emerging digital technology is changing photography.
Whilst the technique that Ori uses is most likely something that I will not be able to achieve at the moment, I hope to replicate the fact that these still life images hold a story behind them that reflects the real life world.
Peter Zentjens
Peter Zentjens’ still life photography specialises in a vintage, nostalgic look and feel, something which I am interested in exploring in my own work. For his images, Peter created his own technique of “painting with light”, leaving him with his own stamp on each of the photos that he takes.
Peter takes his inspiration from an experimental photographer named Emil Schildt. Emil’s work has the aesthetic of an old painting, something which Peter has replicated through his own technique over the years, despite each artist using different subjects in their photographs.
I don’t plan to replicate the style that Peter has developed over the years, however the ‘vintage’ feel is something I am interested in exploring. I plan to search antique and charity shops to find objects which I can add the vintage feel too, either respectfully or ironically.
Amateur Photographers I Found Interesting
Elena K:
Niko Vass:
https://500px.com/nikovoyage
Practice
During the workshop sessions we were given the chance to work with objects and create still life photography. The images below are those that I took during these sessions.
I chose the first and second images because I found them interesting. The first includes an abundance of random objects that together make a familiar scene. The second includes paintbrushes that are arranged in a way that leads the viewer to look in a certain place and direction.
The third picture I chose because of the depth of field. I experimented with positioning the pinecone at different distances from the camera and adjusting the focus to change the contrast between it and the background. The lighting also created a pleasing shadow on the left of the pinecone, creating what I see as a simple and calming still life photograph.
My Own Photography
Camera:
Rose:
Bear:
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