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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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07. Besim Mazhiqi
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
"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
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
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
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
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
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.
