Still life photography: 30 beautiful examples

Perfecting the art of composition and lighting to create a beautiful still life image is certainly no easy task. But get it right and still life photography can be an extremely powerful art form, and can be utilised in projects from calendar design to poster design. Here are 30 talented artists who have perfected the difficult skill of making, as well as taking, their photos...

01. Evelyn Bencicova

There's something gloriously unsettling about this shot

There's something gloriously unsettling about this shot

Born in Slovakia and currently studying photography and fine art in Vienna, Evelyn Bencicova tries to pursue a point where the commercial and artistic meet, focusing on the conceptual as well as the visual aspect of photography. This photo, one of a series called (An)Organic, grabbed us immediately with its striking and unsettling composition; check out the rest of the set.

02. Suzanne Cummings

We love the filter work in Suzanne Cummings' photography

We love the filter work in Suzanne Cummings' photography

Suzanne Cummings has had a long time to perfect her photography skills; she first became seriously interested over 50 years ago, studied with John Sexton in the 1970s, and these days works mostly in digital, with Photoshop an essential part of her workflow. We love this shot, Reach for the Light, for its restrained filter work, giving the composition a dreamy, ethereal air.

03. Marcel Christ

The anatomy of an ice lolly is laid bare in Melted

The anatomy of an ice lolly is laid bare in Melted

Marcel Christ takes a meticulous approach to still-life photography. "Nothing is accidental," he says, "I push the boundaries of the special effects and photographic techniques I'm using to create controlled coincidence." So he finds ways to give life to otherwise inanimate objects, such as in Melted. You'll never look at an ice lolly in the same way again.

04. Bas Meeuws

Bas Meeuws channels the work of the Dutch Masters in his work

Bas Meeuws channels the work of the Dutch Masters in his work

Inspired by the Golden Age of Dutch painting, Bas Meeuws tries to recreate the feel of classic still lifes in his photography. His work is painstakingly assembled from shots of individual flowers taken with the same lighting, with each detailed and multi-layered image taking between 40 and 60 hours to put together.

05. Elena K

Still life photography: Bananas

Who'd have thought a bunch of bananas could be so beautiful?

It took us a second to realise exactly what this striking, abstract black and white shot actually was. Who'd have thought a bunch of bananas could be so beautiful? The photo was taken by 19-year-old psychology student Elena K, who seems to have mastered the art of creating incredible still life photography – most of which is showcased in a breathtaking Flickr portfolio.

06. Joan Gamell

best still life photography

Gamell spots the beauty in the humble London tube

Although photography is merely a hobby for Californian Joan Gamell, his still life shots bring the simple beauty of the everyday to the forefront. This shot of the London Underground showcases the geometric inspiration we can often find all around us.

07. Besim Mazhiqi

best still life photograhy

Besim Mazhiqi masters the composition on this beautiful shot

Using a Nikon D700, Mazhiqi masters the composition within this shot. Pushing the bike to the forefront of our focus, its colours pop from the image, whilst the background is blurred to a beautiful effect.

08. Shihya Kowatari

best still life photography

Creatures and flowers are Kowatari's speciality

With a keen interest in creatures and flowers, Kowatari captures the essense of nature in a light like no other. Bringing the intricate detail of nature to the focus of the viewer, it's a reminder of the beauty that surrounds us and how often we pass it by.

09. UndaJ

best still life photography

The composition here really makes the colours pop

The colours used on this still life photo caught our attention immediately. The juxtaposing yellows with the various shades of greens and blues really make this one pop, making it look like a complete work of art.

10. Andrew Vernon

best still life photography

Andrew Vernon pulled together all of his photography skills for this beautiful piece The Wave

Fine art landscape photographer Andrew Vernon is the man behind this striking image titled The Wave. A master of composition, Vernon gives the blood red liquid in this image a life of its own as it lines and overflows the wall of the glass.

11. Alma Kerpauskiene

still life photography

By carefully composing this shot and using mirroring techniques, Alma Kerpauskiene transforms these flowers into a beautiful abstract image

This gorgeous mirror image was taken by photographer Alma Kerpauskiene. This lady has an awe-inspiring portfolio full of still life images but this black and white image really stands out. By carefully composing the shot and using mirroring techniques, she's transformed these flowers into a beautiful abstract image.

12. Michal Klimov

still life photography

This 'Rolleiflex' image showcases brilliant exposure and composition skills

Michal Klimov captured this atmospheric shot of his vintage camera recently. The beautifully simple image showcases brilliant colour and detail and skillful exposure and composition. Klimov's portfolio is full of vintage-style still life images, but this is our favourite.

13. Mi Yong Sung

still life photography

Colourful by Mi Yong Sung is a feast for the eyes

We're a little in love with this colourful composition courtesy of hobbyist photographer Mi Yong Sung. Aptly named 'Colourful', this fantastic shots is a feast for the eyes. Not a fan of digital manipulation, the artist says: "I don't fix the theme. I enjoys taking snap of a daily life and flowers."

14. Martin Zalba

still life photography

This thought-provoking image was captured by Spanish amateur photographer Martin Zalba

We love how this 'After the walk' photo has us wondering just where these boots have been. Captured by Spanish amateur photographer Martin Zalba, he doesn't limit himself to one particular style: "I am interested in all types of photography," he says, "especially night photography, landscapes, urban photography, wildlife, portraits, still life and infrared photography."

15. A Sot

still life photography

Photographer A Sot burnt half a pack of matches in order to capture this gorgeous fire butterfly

A master of still life photography, artist A Sot has an awe-inspiring portfolio, full of beautiful images of all subjects. But our favourite has to be this fire butterfly, captured after the photographer burned half a pack of matches untill he got an interesting ignition. Just beautiful.

16. Eugenio Costantini

still life photography

Who'd have thought an umbrella could look this good?

Rain Machine by Eugenio Costantini goes to show that an eye for detail and talent behind the lens can turn even the most ordinary of objects into something very special. A unique point-of-view taken on an umbrella transforms its working parts into this beautiful, abstract image.

17. Lafugue Logos

still life photography

Lafugue Logos combines beautiful composition, lighting and colour in Sealed With A Kiss

We love the simplicity of the composition and beautiful colours in this Sealed With A Loving Kiss image by Lafugue Logos. With a passion for still life, photographing flowers in particular, the talented artist's portfolio is full of serene, dream-like images such as this.

18. Niko Vass

still life photography

Perfect lighting eccentuates the colour and composition in Timeless

Timeless by Niko Vass caught our eye when searching for brilliant examples of still life. When looking through this photographers work, it's clear that he's all about simplicity, allowing his compositions, lighting and colours do the talking. And this atmospheric shot is our favourite.

19. Brian Estelle

still life photography

Photographer Brian Estelle captured this atmospheric image at the former cell of Al Capone

This room is, infact, the former cell of the famous American gangster Al Capone in the abandoned prison of Eastern State Penetentiary, Philadelphia. Titled Home Sweet Home, the atmospheric shot was captured by US-based photographer Brian Estelle, using his Canon EOS 6D.

20. Vladimir Shipulin

still life photography

Perfect lighting and composition by Vladimir Shipulin turns ordinary objects into a stunning piece of art

This gorgeous image, titled Dust, was composed and shot by photographer Vladimir Shipulin. An extremely popular artist on online photography community 500px, Shipulin has an awe-inspiring portfolio full of still life images. But this is most definitely our favourite; the lighting and antique look transforming the most ordinary everyday objects into a beautiful piece of art.

21. Linus Lohoff

still life photography

Lohoff used carefully strung threads and his Nikon D80 to produce his brilliant Constructed Picture series

German photographer Linus Lohoff was catapulted into the spotlight early last year after he posted a series of still life images on the Flickr blog. Part of a photography class project, Lohoff took everyday objects and portrayed them in different contexts against brightly coloured backgrounds. The popular series is titled “Das gebaute Bild” (The Constructed Picture).

22. Henry Hargreaves

still life photography

Henry Hargreaves specialises in still life photography, which shines through in this beautiful Smoke and Lilies series

Talented photographer Henry Hargreaves is well known for his weird and wonderful compositions. Specialising in still life photography, Hargreaves continually raises the bar with his work and this Smoke and Lilies series is no exception. The idea is simply what the title suggests; gorgeous, paint-dripping lilies surrounded by smoke on a black background. Beautiful.

23. Jonathan Knowles

still life photography

Careful composition and expert lighting in this beautiful 'Lashes - Feathers' image by award-winning photographer Jonathan Knowles

Based in London, Jonathan Knowles specialises in beautifully composed still life photography. His unique photographic style has secured him multiple awards and the opportunity to work with advertising agencies worldwide. This gorgeous 'Lashes - Feathers' image is just one example of stunning still life photography from his awe-inspiring portfolio.

24. Magda Indigo

still life photography

Magda Indigo's portfolio is full of beautiful still life photography, including this stunning image of some Enoki mushrooms

Magda Indigo has been a professional photographer for over 25 years. In that time, she's worked with clients including Harper Collins, Microsoft, Samsung, Hallmark, and American Express. She's also a Getty Images artist. Indigo is recognised mainly for her extraordinary flower, people, and food photography, with these beautiful Enoki mushrooms being a perfect example of the latter.

25. Peter Zentjens

still life photography

Photographer Peter Zentjens has spent years developing his techniques in order to create beautiful vintage-style images such as this one, titled Forgotten

"My most favoured way of visual expression is still life photography," says photographer Peter Zentjens. And this passion shines through his brilliant work, much of which has a vintage look and feel to it, as seen in this beautiful image titled Forgotten. Zentjens has spent many years developing his particular style and photography techniques in order to convey the correct mood.

26. Veniamin Skorodumov

still life photography

Veniamin Skorodumov has created five series of images titled Black and White Geometry

Russian artist Veniamin Skorodumov began his photography career in 2005, during which he has built up a portfolio full of landscape, macro, portreit, nude, and still life images. The talents of Skorodumov caught our eye when we came across his brilliant Black and White Geometry series, which is stunning in its simplicity.

27. Anatoly Che

still life photography

This is just one amazing example of photographer Anatoly Che's stunning still life work

Photography Anatoly Che is a still life master - his online portfolio literally rammed full of stunning, creative images created from the most ordinary of objects. The talents of this skillful artist shine through his photography, which consistently features precise composition and refined lighting.

28. Jenny Van Sommers

still life photography

The simple yet effective photography style of Jenny Van Sommers has secured her work with some of the world's biggest brands

Jenny Van Sommers is an award winning still life photographer. Living and working in London, her unique style has landed her editorial clients include Another Magazine, Vogue, and Ten. She has also worked with Apple, Audi, Hermes, and Nike. Sommers awe-inspiring portfolio, is full of surreal and quirky images such as this headphone and balloon one.

29. Robert Sulkin

still life photography

Photographer Robert Sulkin has taken many abstract still life images, reflecting his interest in Modernism

Photographer Robert Sulkin has created countless beautiful and intriguing still life images. "Still life most reflects my interest in Modernism and were constructed to be about perception and illusion," Sulkin says. It was a difficult choice, but our favourite of his still life work is this interesting iron piece.

30. Tatiana Skorokhod

best still life photography

Skorokhod creates works of art with her still life photography

Tatiana Skorokhod creates the kind of still life photography that initially looks like a beautiful painting. Carefully placed objects make this piece a work of art – from the pops of orange across the table to the darker tones in the background, it's a marvel.

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Kerrie Hughes
Freelance writer

Kerrie Hughes is a frequent contributor to Creative Bloq, and was once its editor. One of the original CB crew, Kerrie joined the team back in 2013 after moving from her role as staff writer on 3D World. Since then she's written regularly for other creative publications such as ImagineFX, Computer Arts and Digital Camera World. After a stint working for the police, Kerrie is back reviewing creative tech for creative professionals.