Still Life Photography

Still life photography is the practice or products of depicting inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which may be either natural or man-made. Still life is the of small groups of objects, either found or put together for the purpose.

Still life photography - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Still life photography gives the photographer more leeway in the arrangement of design elements within a composition than do photographs of other types of subjects such as landscape or portraiture.

Still life photography represents one of the most demanding aspects of photography. In this area the photographer is expected to have a highly refined sense of lighting coupled with superb compositional skills because the photographer is making pictures rather than taking them. Knowing where to look for propping and surfaces is also a valuable trait.

In addition to knowing the fundamentals of photography, successful still life photographers are intimately familiar with the tools of this field: tremendous studio lighting skills, ability to use large format view cameras, a strong visual technique, and distinctive stylistic approach.

Still life is one of the hardest of photographic genres to define. Portraits, nudes, architecture, lingerie, even special effects all raise certain expectations; but still life is another matter. It ranges from advertising shots to the most personal of work; from pictures that can take days to assemble in the studio, to those that are "found" compositions and are photographed by available light in a few moments; from subjects no bigger than the palm of your hand to those which fill a room.