Contemporary still life with reference to the traditional

Contemporary still life with reference to the traditional- Web

The traditional the classic traits of still life photography behind the genre that is still life,

compositional elements the shift to the use of objects not the natural, as objects became

more and more into the average home, mass production and the industrial revolution

contribute along to this movement in photography coming around. However when you

think of classic still life photography and art one is drawn to the artists bowl of fruit , vase of

flowers etc however these compositions are merely the starting blocks of this genre.

Originally still life was used as a means of study, studying the form a texture. However

photographers began to take these basic forms and see more, meanings, stories,

narratives that come with these still objects... Possibly to create more significance to their

work, add another level to it give their piece a deeper and more thoughtful approach,

stretching the context or a still object to enhance an image, for own personal gain or

financial gain at time i don't know, but its the taking an so called still object and opening it

up, pushing and stretching your perception of that object to mean more and impact more.

As with the work of Edward Weston his still life shots question and intrigue the viewer,

taking for instance a pepper and turning it into a piece of art, shooting at unique angles to

distort and alter the perception the pepper would give off if seen in a supermarket for

instance. Also the use of light Weston uses is perfect for this changing or perception effect

the use of shadows and highlights to alter the shape and form of the pepper to give it a

whole other look and feel to the still item. His work shot in the early 1900’s taking objects

vegetables ready available due to the impact of the colonies bring over exotic food,

available more easily at this time, in comparison to when photography came around when

there was the notion of colonizing documenting and recording the natural elements

obtained. To this time where people/ photographers were looking deeper into items looking

beyond the still item, which i feel signifies the shift and change of the people at the time

with WW1 and WW2 on the horizon, people were worried looking deeper into things,

holding more to their objects as they became hard to get hold of due to the state of the

times and rationing etc...

 http://www.edward-weston.com/edward_weston_natural_11.htm

Pepper 1929

 Edward Weston's work wasn't the only still life photography at the time there were many

others delving into this style, which I feel has contributed to the style of still life

photographers today, for example the work of Adam Bloomberg and Oliver Chanarin in the

series ‘American Landscapes’ which in short is the photographing of photography studios,

looking at the items and shapes that make up these studios to create good studio shots,

looking beyond the area which is used to make images, to using the surrounding shapes

contours of the area to create interesting and effective images. 

                                         http://www.choppedliver.info/american-landscapes/

                       Guitar World, Jack Nicholson (c-type, 10x8", 2009)

                                            












































  Cosmo Girl, Lexus, Viagra, Vogue (c-type, 10x8", 2009)

AB an OC taking this well used area and looking beyond the items and objects and turing them into

images them selves, like in the way weston would take a pepper, light it differently to give it

an whole other look. Im not saying that peppers and studios relate to each other but its the

concept of taking an item or an area and turning into something new, changing the

meaning of an item or an area thats still and often overlooked as something with possible

compositional elements to make an effective and interesting image. Not only Weston’s

work would have influenced AB an OC but work like Margaret Watkins the shower hose

with the use of minimal colours, whites and grays using a still and overlooked object to

make an image with good composition and effect. Also Edward Westons architectural

shots influence the American landscapes with the use of white and grey tones, shape and

form of structures to create interesting images.

                                                                         


































church door Hornltos 1940

The work of Adam Bloomberg and Oliver Chanarin is influenced by many photographers

other than Edward Weston but the point I'm making that these photographers of the

traditional using a pepper and rather than shooting it in the classic fine art bowl of fruit

style, which I feel weston would of looked at and then altered to photograph his pepper in

a more interesting way, in comparison to the contemporary when Adam Bloomberg and

Oliver Chanarin take the studio turn it round so that is the actual subject taking the Weston

sort of approach, taking a subject and altering its look its feel and perception to a whole

other level. With the weston work focusing on the alternate shape and form of an object

which was a big thing at the time, to Adam Bloomberg and Oliver Chanarin taking space

and overlooked items to photograph them concentrating on the theme of space and

unused items, showing our sense and concept of space, plus our enhance rate of items.

objects personal items which we discard and sometimes don't even look at as much, in

comparison to the time of Edward Weston where items objects etc where held in more

higher priority to the people with the lessened amount of objects at the time possibly to

now where we take them for granted more and discard more and more and own more and

more.