Strawberries & Licorice Still Life.....

This image is one that I conjured up for a demonstration of table top or still life photography at the Windsor Camera Club, which I am a member of. This type of photography is something that I have played around with for the last year or so, and I will be the first to admit that I still have a lot to learn. It differs from other types of photography in that the image does not exist....you have to imagine it first, and then set about to make it happen. Since there are no actual "rules" that I am aware of, then you are free to just let your imagination fly, and do all sorts of crazy things. In this one, I used licorice candy sticks with wire down the hollow centers and impaling the strawberries to make "flowers" that are on the left rising out of a little round vase that I found at a local thrift store. The red on black gives it a bit of punch, and I was just trying to convey, that in still life, anything goes. Then when I got home and downloaded the files, I applied my "Grunge" filter to the black background, and added a Poster Edges filter from Photoshop 5.  You can make up the image as you go along, and let it "happen", or you can get that all done in your head before you start with the setup. This one was a little bit of both. Hope some of you enjoy it a little. Cheers!

Baby's Breath Still Life.....

One of the things I have been trying to do lately is to simplify things in my life, and that includes my photographic images. When I stop by the flower counter at the grocery store, I usually pick up several types of flowers, and put them together to form a self made bouquet for the living room or elsewhere about the house. This time, I thought, why not just pick one simple floral item, and go with that instead. This is the result, a fairly simple arrangement. It had been placed in a tall square porcelain vase, but when I decided to use it for a still life, the wire framed watering can was chosen, with the glass center still in its wrapper. I like the texture it gives the image. Somehow the spout seemed to stick out at an odd angle, and bothered me, so I just dropped a piece of silky material in behind it, and it seemed to make it a bit more pleasing to my eye.  Next, I added one of my self constructed background layers, and this is the result. It was shot in colour, but when I converted it to Black & White, it just seemed to make a lot more sense. Hope someone else enjoys it a bit also. Cheers.....

Camera: SONY a900
Lens: Minolta 28 ~ 105 zoom (f11for 1/4 sec.)
Lighting: Aperture Storm King LED's

P.S. This image was just awarded 1st Place Ribbon for Monochrome Prints in Windsor Camera Clubs 2020 Salon event.