Still life is not easy to compose. As opposed to a landscape, for instance, still life often needs to be purposefully styled to obtain a visually pleasant arrangement. This shot's composition is absolutely spot on. The books, cutting diagonally across the shot, are at the perfect angle not to result distracting; the whiskey glass is tucked in a corner, visible enough, but not taking focus away from the pocket watch. Textures are featured beautifully in this shot. From the tabletop, to the old leather book, the whiskey glass and the silver trimming of the pocket watch: all these textures elevate the image, making it even more visually captivating. The beautiful diffused light is the cherry on the cake, illuminating the scene clearly and without creating distracting shadows or harsh highlights on glass. This is a fantastic shot that thoroughly deserves first place. Well done!
Brief
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**This contest is open to photographers ranked between 251 and 1000 in this week’s <a href="https://www.photocrowd.com/photographer-community/">Leaderboard</a>.** How have we humans measured time over the years? Clocks, watches, timepieces, and nowadays mobile phones, of course. But did you also know that obelisks were used by the Ancient Egyptians as a kind of giant shadow clock, or sundial, and what about advent candles, stone circles, and hourglasses, which all measure time in different ways.
A fantastic display of natural textures in this beautifully styled image. The deep earthy tones well complement the navy of the watch dial, creating a simple and yet effective colour scheme. The dramatically angled lighting conveys a sense of masculinity and power to the image that marries well with the subject. Two things that, in my opinion, would have further elevated this image are: straighter positioning of the watch strap, editing to remove scratches on the metal strap and case, and positioning of the watch hands so they don't overlap with any writing on the dial. Overall, this is a fantastic and eye-catching capture that thoroughly deserves second place. Well done!
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Fantastic side lighting in this image that softly lights what it must whilst, at the same time, creating extensive soft shadows that evoke a sense of mystery and intimacy. The shallow depth of field of F2.8 means the watch is wrapped in soft blur, whilst remaining pin-sharp right where it matters the most. Two things that could have elevated this shot are the watch's hands (they need to be pointing to the left side of the watch so they don't cover the brand and writing on the right), and added editing to remove the visible scratches (that are unfortunately enhanced by the choice of side lighting). All in all, still a fantastic clock shot the photographer should be proud of.
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