Still Life Images
As everyone knows that I have an affinity for pears! My logo is based on one of my first still life pictures, ‘The Pear Affair #2’. The ‘Pear Affair’ is a reflection of two of my characteristics... artistic style and creativity. The Pear Affair #2 image was nominated at the 5th Annual Black and White Spider Awards category Still Life | Professional. Since my first venture into still life photography, I have added further work focusing on pears. In 2005, my Contact Exhibition was called ‘Interpretations’. It explored the viewers’ thoughts and feelings of primarily pears, positioned in different arrangements. In 2008, I introduced my ‘Marching Pears’.
Now in 2009, I am excited to introduce two groupings of pears – ‘Jiving in the Rain’ and ‘Dessert Pears’.
The ‘Dessert Pears’ is a play on words. In fact, I created a desert scene in my studio. With the use of several bags of play sand, a cactus plant and a blue back drop, the scene was created (I had my own sand box... lol). How did I come up with this idea? It was an extension of my ‘Marching Pears’.
With the pears strategically positioned and the use of lighting, I was able to create interesting shadows and shadings. To create richness in the sky, I used a red filter when I shot the pictures.
Many of you may watch ‘Do You Think You Can Dance’. This is the basis for ‘Jiving in the Rain’ pictures. I plan to continue this series with other dance styles. To create the scene, I built a pool in the studio to catch the water and used a watering can to create the rain. I would also like to thank my studio neighbours for the use of their ‘wet vac’ for the clean-up after each shoot.
This was a very challenging set of pictures to create. In fact, I had to shoot these pictures five times over about a month. The lighting, positioning of the pears and the angle of the shot were very critical to achieve the activity in the pictures. After each shoot, I would do an 8 x 10 print and study the pictures and make alterations for the next shoot. On my fifth shoot, I decided to try something for the first time... it worked! Why don’t you visit me at one of my exhibitions and I will tell you.
Initial feedback has been very positive; people are saying the images are fun. In fact, one viewer very familiar with photographic artwork said ‘I can feel the music in the pictures.’
In 2007, Contact's theme was 'Constructed Images'. I introduced three additional still life images that focus on stiletto heels. The combination of the Peace Lily with the stiletto's created a strong suggestion of eroticism.
