by Editor David H Yang 

Still life photography has been developing from the early 19th century to the present day. Over time, the camera equipment and technology used have been revolutionized, and it remains one of the most attempted types of photography. It is the art of composition: lighting, frame, colour, detail, mood, and dynamics. It is different from other photographic genres, since all of its elements are controlled by the photographers themselves.

Photographers have more time to think how to place the subject; chose proper background; design the frame and set up lighting direction and angle.

Photographers need to use their unique and interesting ideas to create beautiful still life images. 

'
Purple offering' by Christophe Verot

Creative ideas make a good photo. Finding an ideal subject and creating interesting scenes to tell a story will always attract the readers. 

There are many excellent still life photographers on 1x. They use objects that are ubiquitous in our everyday life and use their characteristics to express creative ideas. In still life photography, you always need to start off with a creative idea. From then on, you can begin implementing photographic techniques to achieve the perfect picture.

'Today I'm nervous' by Rico Cavallo

'Sanction' by Amin Roshan Afshar

'Oil Time' by Christian MARCEL

'Injustice' by Alfredo Lemos

‾‾‾‾‾‾_/‾‾° by Marco Bizziocchi

'Raute Nimmersatt' by Dorothea Garbisch

'Greed' by Nadav Jonas

'I won't let you down!' by Victoria Ivanova

 
Lighting is the soul of photography.
Compared to Landscape and other photographic genres, the lighting of still life photography is completely controlled by photographers. For photographers, lighting is comparable to an artist's paintbrush. They have control over the direction, angle, and brightness of lighting, which combine to create the perfect photo. 

'A Piece of Moon' by Christophe Verot

'Partially Lighted' by çiçek kiral

'Kala's pearl III' by Heidi Westum

'Hammer and sickle' by Tom Pavlasek

Untitled by S.Amer

'In a minute it breaks' by farid kazamil

'To illuminate life' by AYMAN KHRBAWE

 
Positioning items in a unique style is equally important. The composition of a still-life image must be comprised of items that are properly placed. Many photos look similar to others, due to unoriginal positioning of props. You can avoid stereotypical still-life pictures by planning out where to place the items in an uncommon fashion.

Unique placement of props isn't the only thing that should make your photo stand out. Choose something that will catch the readers' eye, like an unexpected focal point. While looking at items to use in still-life photography, think about their quirks. Is something different about the shape, colour, texture, or size? If only plain props are used, the picture will go unnoticed. Grabbing the audience's attention with a stunning item right off the bat is a trick for making your photo pop. The items you choose should also compliment one another. Clashing colours or textures are not recommended. Instead, find props that balance each other out. You can also manipulate reflections in photos to create a sense of originality. Unique reflections can make a dull still-life photo come alive. 

Even with all of these tips in mind, it's not easy to shoot the perfect still-life photo. It takes trial and error, practice, time, and hard work to finally create the ideal picture. A proper frame can bring a feeling of beauty.

'S.p.a.g.h.e.t.t.i' by Dimitar Lazarov – Dim

'Look at me, it's spaghetti hair!' by Wieteke de Kogel

'Dissonance' by Wieteke de Kogel

'love latte' by ronaldnovianus

'Coffee time' by Alexey Nagornov

'Small spherical' by E.Amer

'Alternative energy' by Marco Bizziocchi

'Lantern Flower (Physalis alkekengi)' by Staab Franz

 
Thanks to the worldwide photographers submitting so many excellent still life images on 1x.
I hope you will enjoy my selection for this topic! I will show you more still life images as examples of how photographers control the mood, details, colour and dynamic in my next article.

David H Yang