The art of Still Life painting has a rich history. If you studied any art history at all (did you know I took one art history class in college?) you undoubtedly spent some time looking at still life compositions from the Dutch masters depicting fruit, or dead pheasants after the hunt, or flowers in a vase (pronounced vahzzz, of course).

I think photographers do less still life than painters or sketchers do. Although, nowadays it’s called “product photography” I guess, and it is for a much different purpose. In the age of the GoPro camera, it’s all about action and video and death-defying risk and splash. Still life doesn’t defy death… it is death.

I do like to compose little still life photographs from time to time. These aren’t the meant to inspire audible gasps from the viewer like a juicy panoramic landscape or a highly enhanced painted sky sunset…. and so they don’t. Even Wikipedia calls still life the lowest of the art genres. But, they are what they are, and they can be enjoyable to look upon all the same.

Here are some still life images I’ve composed and photographed over the years. Enjoy.