BACKGROUND | COMPOSITION | EDITING
The backgrounds I use are usually cardboard, walls, and sometimes pieces of large fabric, with a neutral color or a color that compliments the scene I am working on. The most important thing is to have a simple background that does not distract from the composition or the story. I started with simple arrangements, but I found myself drawn towards more complex compositions with lots of details over time.
A clear and clean composition that connects all the elements together in still life, and helps them interact, is another key component to a visually interesting photograph. I like to incorporate some well-known guidelines in my images, such as the rule of thirds, golden proportion, triangles, and leading lines. I also rely much on my intuition and whether the composition "feels" right and balanced. I believe that composition is the most important creative aspect of a photograph; it can glorify a mediocre subject or break down an exceptional subject.
Editing plays a major role in my work in the genre of still life photography. Global and local adjustments are a must to shift the camera raw file from a basic photograph towards a painterly image that illudes the viewer's brain into thinking that it is looking at a true painting.
Ihave a specific workflow when it comes to editing, where I generally play with highlights, shadows, blacks, clarity, and texture. I concentrate on the colors and how they work together as one unit creating the desired atmosphere. I tend to lean more towards the low-key dark mood in my work, as I feel it expresses my feelings better.
I try to keep my approach simple. I work in the basement of my home, where I have a couple of old tables, one of which is more than seventy years old. I look for items at home or in the garden that can be used as subjects or supporting elements. I use speed lights in large softboxes for the lighting. Nonetheless, I carefully plan and orchestrate each scene, spending many hours, sometimes up to six hours, preparing and capturing a single tableau to ensure I get the best possible composition and lighting. Culling and editing usually take even more time over the following days.
I keep revisiting the edit to make sure that every detail is rendered fairly to come up with a final image that fulfills my vision.
The way people connect to my still-life photographs differs from one individual to another. Their response seems to depend on their unique personal experiences. Some relate to a certain subject they are familiar with, while others relate to a memory triggered by the flowers or fruits in the arrangement. My ambition is for the viewers to be drawn into the visual story and be conjured back with nostalgia to the simple pleasures and quiet activities of bygone times in an attempt to take them away from the stressful reality of daily life.