Still Life

The beautiful Rembrandt-style lighting in this image was ‘light painted’ using a single light source. This was achieved by maintaining a fixed composition and photographing a sequence of images, with a continuous light beamed onto the image at various points. These images were then blended together in post. The attractive arrangement, seamless edit and beautiful, classic lighting earned this entry our top spot.

This image is super sharp thanks to a great example of focus stacking, which has enabled the water droplets in the front and back row of the marbles to be rendered beautifully crisp. The bubble effect was created by leaving the marbles in water overnight, what a genius idea. A great image!

Don’t let the light-hearted subject matter fool you, this is a masterfully executed still life. But rather than a studio setup, the impressive lighting was created using a torch, taped within a plastic pipe to concentrate the beam. This was used to ‘paint’ the scene during a long exposure. The lilac and green flowers complement each other perfectly and the muted backdrop doesn’t detract from the subject.

An image like this has to be framed from above perfectly square and this is spot on. A 55mm focal length was used to provide minimal distortion, which could otherwise ruin the perfectly circular cup and saucer. An excellently composed image!

This flat lay doubles as a fantastic lifestyle product image. The calliper, ruler and compass are used to connote the watch’s slick design, and the moon and model of the Saturn V complements the timepiece’s NASA theming. A fine finishing touch is the semicircle of light, reflecting on the watch’s dome, which creates the impression of a crescent moon.

This minimalist still life stands out for its striking blue colour palette. The blue shades bind the components together, but clever use of darker and lighter tones ensures that the subject isn’t lost. The background was originally black, with the blue texture seamlessly added in post. A fine image.

This surrealist still life bucks the trend, favouring bold colours and sharp cutouts as opposed to a classic painterly composition. The result is an eye-catching digital collage that creates a mood that’s both inviting and unsettling. A fantastic concept that’s expertly executed!

The process used to create this product-style image was genius. At first glance, it looks like a post-production cutout or even composite, but the floating effect was achieved entirely in camera. This is actually a single pair of trainers photographed on a mirror, with the reflected ceiling used as a background.

We can’t help but applaud the creativity of this spooky still life composite. The beautifully lit skull was photographed in front of a white background and the birds and textures were added in post production. A fantastic concept and a great image!

Lighting a glass object is never easy, but this image displays a really good understanding of light shaping. The light was positioned either side of the subject so that the edges of the glasses were illuminated and to prevent any reflections appearing on the front of the transparent objects. A beautiful shot.

We really like how the macaroon crumbs have been used to create foreground interest, leading the eye towards the subject. Paired with a wide aperture, this has transformed the vibrantly coloured crumbs into beautiful discs of bokeh. A fantastic photograph!

This is a stunning example of a classic still life. Shadows created by the lighting shapes the objects beautifully and the objects themselves are beautifully arranged. The half-peeled lemon is a nice finishing touch and its vibrant skin adds a pop of colour that draws the eye.

This is a great flat lay idea. The blue-hued eggs complement the blue background perfectly and the warm yolk of the single, broken egg adds a real pop of contrasting colour. This also aids the composition via the rule of odds. A great food image!