*EDIT*

BAH! No I'm not about to say that this edit is to retract that I'll be doing this blog religiously. Nope this is a good edit. It is.... EDITORIAL!!! We've moved on to the land of editorial photography. BWAHAHA!

Now the Photographs that follow this field is actually defined as photographs that describe written word. More over like issues you see in the news paper. Photographs we see in the newspaper and on FOX NEWS, those things are all editorial. Nothing advertising is considered edit style. It has to be the issues! Like in Urban, only present more... obvious issues. Like this poorly taken picture right here!



That is the massive land mine of a night time pothole that has overtaken my driveway and parking lot. There are several of these bad boys and sadly because I have no tripod I can't just get perfectly clear night shots like I would love to have. Anyway this picture demonstrates the editorialness...nesss of potholes. This is a common issue in the news and thus means that this is yeah as I said above. Editorial. I would like to take a bow now... as editorial will require a ton of research on my part tomorrow to more properly define. I shall be using all my resources!!!

From your friendly neighborhood landmine detector,
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baggybunny

A Warm Fuzzy...

Yes it is all too nice to have that fuzzy feeling inside. That is in fact, exactly what today's subject matter told me. I had been playing around with doing normal still life instead of getting in its face and to prove I can do it! The bear family. These two bears climbed Mt. Age-Old-Rocking-Chair just for this picture of normal and everyday still life. To commemorate the this week's theme that managed to get my entire family involved, including, my mom who is still coming up with ideas and jotting them down in her notebook of things for me to photograph, I am posting two different subject matters entirely. ENJOY! Mr. and Mrs. Bear by the way had a ton of fun today. So thank you still life!!!


They were not however on the clock today like myself and are now giving me the eye in the corner of the room because instead of doing as I said and taking the time to study who was the most renown Still Lifers, I was busy doing household errands, helping me soon to be cousin with her dress shopping, and walking off some of what St. Patrick's day will be adding to me. I apologized to them already for my overly busy schedule but now I must apologize to you guys. SORRRRYY!!!! If you feel like enlightening me further PLEASE I would appreciate any more words of wisdom or info on people who are important to Still Life.

Sadly though, it is late and I will be going to my wonder bed in just a few moments, sooooooo... GOODNIGHT!
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baggybunny

Have a Palette for Life?

That's right. My little sister was painting today and boy is she cute. Sadly people are not part of still life shots, sooooo all those will be put in the family album. But her messy paint stuffs was a perfect little thing to photograph. I quite pleased with the outcome.

Now as the whole outcome was a painting project, I made an effort to Photoshop the first one to have a watercolor paint brush effect. Thought it would be appropriate. Sure I know this one wasn't exactly POW still life, it was still... well still. It gets sort of tough finding proper table space around here to get decent backed out shots, so those I do take aren't always that perfect.

Its definitely tough considering I thought this was going to be a walk in the park. But at least things are going well. I haven't done any looking about at well considered professional still lifers, but that will be tomorrow's endeavor since it will also be our last day of still life. Today was just another day among days. Also had a nice cooking party today with family and friends. English Toffee Bars. They were grand! But they did give me the idea that cooking utensils would be great for my next shot as well. Incidental, it shocks me to realize that most my favorite shots are close ups of utensils. Makeup, paint, and pens. Certainly this says a lot as to subject matter...

I think I'll have to talk to my sources about this notice...
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baggybunny

Slowly but Surely

Yes its true. I have difficulty with white. I think its a horrible and miserable color. So what do I do? I finally take a real, honest to goodness still life shot and I PhotoShop it so that the white is overtaken! Just because my apartment happens to have white walls. Oh well... at least I am slowly working my way towards a real still life photo. Not to say that those last two days weren't, they were just not as good as this one.

Now as I was photoing today, I find it is important to off center your main point just a bit because well... its just not truly artsy until you get that thing out of frame. Heh. Also you need to frame it with a pastel color. I myself am a big fan of my enigmatic boyfriend's mom's still life shots. She has a way with color that I envy. At least in a particular shot of her's that I find... maybe one of the only still life pictures that I honestly like. I mean lets be honest here. Still life is boring!!! But at least she makes it look fanciful. If you are interested in the piece I'm talking about, TADA!

http://camaem.deviantart.com/art/Balance-125863583

Yeah, I mean she's good with all that stuff. Sadly, I simply can't find the space to take a picture like that. On top of that the wall color. I could certainly use a good wall to have colored something like... GREEN! Do you have any idea how boring a picture with a huge white wall behind it looks? Do yourself a favor and go find out. Its like a winter wonderland of annoying frames before you find one that is even possible to photoshop.

Anyway. over the weekend I might try and find some time to create a nice Still life of my plants. That might be good. The trowel, pot, and some dirt... sounds like a good idea. Now if only I could find a Green gorgeous wall somewhere...

Stacking Blocks

You know it seems to me that upon looking further at these still life shots all over deviant art and on the net, that I should most certainly be taking a step back. I mean still life captures stillness, and I creep in so close because when I started doing photography I lived in its face. Macro is my safe place. Soooo today is another failure to quite capture what it is that still life is, but I do say that I still like these anyway.

Stacks seem to me a very common thing in still life. A stack of books, a stack of dishes, and even stacks of of pens and pencils. So today I tried picking out a few of my old school novels. Moby Dick is the big one. And then randomly stacking them on my side table. Upon this I discovered that books do NOT like flash. Ever try taking a picture of a book while its open? Not pretty I can assure you. You blind yourself and anyone else in the room, on top of that you can't read anything that was on the page. It reminds me of a white out in Antarctica.

By the way, while taking these photos I had to move the things off my side table and realized... I have perfect still life stuff. A random fake flower bouquet, an old looking bowl with some change in it, and little trinkets that look like leaves. So that will be my attempt throughout tomorrow. To manage to take a far away shot of these things on the table... or a table. You know I haven't quite decided where, but I'll figure it out.

Also I realized old things make for a very fine subject matter. Grainy things like wood for instance. Make a very fine texture shot. We'll see if I can't manage to stack some of the long books too for another shot in my spare time. Not for this of course unless it turns out great because we all know what a mood I get into when I photograph the same subject matter days in a row. Soooo here we go. Which reminds me, the photo below... its not some special diary of secrets, it might not look it there, but its just my plant journal, heh. I'm starting this one out to record how my sunflowers grow this year. So its not as secretive as it looks, haha.

So try it yourselves, its rather fun. Making the simple ordinary things look suspicious.

I lead a Still Life...

My goodness could I have dropped the ball any closer to the ground?

Don't answer that! I know I've been a terrible person in not sticking to the plan, but I plan and have great intentions to get the train back on the tracks. The first of those stations being Still Life! Yeah I know I lead a rather boring life myself, and how I could have fallen behind is inexcusable, so I'm not even going to waste my own time in explaining on how bothersome it is because it doesn't matter. What matters is we are back on track and no one can stop me! Even it it means in order to take my next shots I must remain perfectly still....

Now here's what to do! We are going to start of with something exciting! Gather up a whole bunch of random objects from around the house. Right now! Run, run!

Got um? Good. Put them on your coffee table, or kitchen table, or the floor. Whatever is best for you. Now before you get too comfortable with this arrangement, close your eyes and mix them up!! Make a great mess of the whole bunch and just start shooting. Still life is the capturing of usually a ton of little things. A lot of archeologists use this technique to make their exhibits look pretty, but I'm tellin' ya it works for anyone. Now that you've taken the photos of the mess... arrange those puppies however you want. And not that does not mean use puppies, because honestly those don't sit still at all!!!

We want composition now that we've gotten out our creative side and make it... make it mean something without any kind of movement at all. Use some creative lighting and make sure there isn't anything behind your photos when you are taking them because it makes it cluttered and sometimes they reflect light awkwardly, unless of course that's what you are going for. Now upload those lovely photos without a second thought and lets see our masterpieces.


Mine... still and capturing my rolling perfume bottles at the same time. Though I think I need to back out more next time. But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it, tomorrow!!!