Still life

I thought that this was an interesting image as it is a study clearly based on a classical painting style and has simple but effective use of lighting. The light on the pomegranate is beautiful, very three dimensional with nice highlights and great detail. The rest of the shot seems a little flat by comparison, but it is the composition of this image that I feel needs tweaking. Personally I find the camera height a little awkward and the base of the bowl confusing. Composition is a very personal thing but, for me, a slightly different arrangement could have made this into a stunning still life.

This is a still life that draws you in and makes you look in more detail at the collection of things that make up the picture. At first, it appears random but I suspect it is very carefully arranged. I like the colour contrasts from the warm oranges and browns of the left to the cool daylight blue of the right. The overall sharpness, the textures of the wall and of the glass and metal mix with the dramatic light to create a detailed, interesting picture. I particularly like the way the arrow shaped shadow on the left balances the strong graphic shape of the backlit arrow on the right.

This is a very carefully composed picture, it is all about form, shape and design, and I suspect that it was not that easy making this little grouping work so well. The strong geometry of the horizon line and the lines on the basketball sit really well against the soft curves of the old trainers. The flat lighting and soft colours of this picture help create the feeling that this could have been shot on transparency film in 1970-ish… very much the "Old School" of the title.

This is my choice for first place. There are a few abstract shots of curled paper amongst the entries but, for me, this one stands out. It is a simple image but one of great subtlety. The picture is beautifully composed, the shape of the paper within the whole frame is dynamic yet there is a real sense of balance. The subtle textures, soft changing colours and sweeping lines all combine to create a great still life. The precision of the main point of focus looks like a careful choice, one of the many careful choices in this image. I think that degree of choice and precision is what makes still life such an interesting subject.

This is a great picture. I like the depth and perspective, the lighting, the strong geometric shapes and the graphic quality of the textures… but is it a still life? I guess that most people would argue that this is more of an architectural shot, possibly only becoming a still life if it was closer in or more abstract? Ultimately this kind of classification of a picture is only important in terms of fulfilling a brief and being judged alongside other images in a competition… it is still a great picture.

I think this is an interesting still life image. I like the fact that it informs, it tells a story and illustrates the kit that belonged to a British soldier in the First World War. I am not usually a fan of stylised, added borders but I think it works here , along with the toned / aged black and white. There is still enough detail in all of the individual items to be interesting and the forced perspective adds a quirkiness to the image that I think works well

This was very nearly my first choice. The arrangement of the rhubarb leaves has the feel of being quite random yet the flow of the lines of the veins in the leaves, the way they radiate out from the centre indicates that it is a well thought out composition. I can imagine it was quite a challenge to get the leaves to sit like that but the shapes they create still look natural. The softness of the light, the detail, the gentle changes of colour and tone and the sweeping lines all create a striking image that works when viewed both small or large. It would probably work really well in black and white too.

This is a strong still life image. I like the idea behind this, reducing everything to a visual play on tone, pattern and design. The lines formed by the folds in the tablecloth are a nice touch and the props well chosen and all work together well. Personally I think it might be a stronger image if cropped to a more square shape and some of the detail that is lost in the bright napkin at the top is brought back.

I chose this image as one of my top choices because it is a still life that tells a story. These items do not appear to be arranged, they do not create a perfect composition, the lighting is simple, not at all dramatic yet it is a moving and poignant picture. These are the items surrounding a man at the end of his life. We know nothing of his life but there are enough visual clues here to tell us what is going on. I like the inclusion of the picture of the man as a young boy, is shows us where he was and where he is now. It is a true still life of a moment in time.

A very nice shot of a beautiful classic movie camera. I know from experience that getting a good angle on a subject like this, one that shows up all the intricacies and details in a creative way is not easy. The lighting and use of curves and contrast adjustments bring out some nice details but not too much - it still retains a photographic look. A lot of shots like this are over processed and look unreal, but I think the balance of this is good. I also like the focus drop off here . The tendency today is to either focus stack so everything is pin sharp, or have a very shallow depth of field. This looks natural.

Another image that will no doubt provoke the discussion of whether or not it qualifies to be included in a still life category. It is probably more of an interior shot, but it's difficult to say when it stops being an interior and when it becomes a still life. That aside, it's a nice image, interesting tones, sweeping shapes, good details and textures. I am not convinced that I would have left the line of the table surface exactly matching the window line; I find it a little too confusing. However, it is one of those things where you need to see the alternatives. So many times as a still life photographer I find myself fiddling for ages with angles, overlaps and meeting points only to return to pretty much the point where I started.

This is a photograph taken to intentionally copy an image by Albert Renger-Patzsch. The original is an iconic still life and although this picture was taken as part of a college project it is a little tricky to compare and judge alongside other 'original' compositions. That said, it is a well executed copy with careful focus control, a good contrast range and nice detail in the glasses and shadows. I understand that copying such a famous image is a great way to learn but my feeling is that a still life competition should have original entries.

There were many shots of flowers submitted in this competition and a lot of them were very good. Judging between them is very difficult and highly subjective. This is a great image. The lighting is beautiful, the colours strong and dramatic, and the whole image is bold and graphic. Why, then, is it not one of my top choices ? Purely, I think, because there are so many good shots like this around. We are surrounded by perfect advertising images, beautiful photographs and images that are retouched to faultless perfection . It is one of the biggest challenges facing all photographers, creating something that stands out in a world saturated by perfect images.