cbtsam Loc: Monkton, MD

Maybe six months ago, my wife picked up some apples she was sure I'd like, so it was my job to eat them. I didn't do a very good job (largely because I didn't actually like them that much) and now there are a bunch of them all dried out in the fridge, with a few of her lemons as well. (Old people - what're ya gonna do?)

Somebody I follow on flickr posted a very nice classic still life so, instead of just dumping them in the compost, it occurred to me to attempt what must be my first still life. (It is certainly the first one I can recall.) So I got the stick table out of the basement, a carpet from the closet, and, as things evolved, some ancient flowers and nuts from the stinkio. As the title says, not too much life here.

There is some digital manipulation here, but not much: the table proved too short, so I stretched the left end out of the frame with copy-and-paste layers, which I think are visible in this post, and I used some generative fill where the two curtains came together behind the table, hopefully making it look sort of seamless.

I can't say I'm immune to compliments, but that's not my reason for posting here. Rather, I'm seeking some help, some feedback regarding what I'm doing wrong, how I might correct it, and maybe even what I might be doing right.

(Download)

R.G. Loc: Scotland

As far as the presentation is concerned I don't see anything wrong. You obviously intentionally kept it simple, which is a creative choice. However, are death and decay the best choice of subjects? OK, it's different, but it's not 100% original. I was going to suggest brightening it slightly, but perhaps dark suits the content.

Fstop12 Loc: Kentucky

It has an old world feel to it. The download looks great.

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

Nice shot, but interesting subjects . . . .

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

I am often drawn to the unique beauty of dying or dead flowers. I haven't seen as many photos of past-prime fruit, but looking closely at their textures here, I find a similar photogenic beauty.

The color palette, textures and tones of the props, and the lighting are perfect for these subjects IMO. I particularly like the feeling of the fruit having tumbled out of the bag onto the cloth.

I might try changing the look of the smallest elements on the left; they feel a little too deliberately placed. Perhaps they're not needed at all, in fact.

Thanks so much for this topic, Sam, including the chuckle-inducing opening paragraph

dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida

You have captured the realism of what a classic painter sees by the time they have finished a slow-drying oil painting. I like the image a great deal.

I too commit the dry in the frig sin.

I agree with Linda about the clutter on the left... one or two as if by chance, but too many take away from the photo's theme, random chance of decay.

Suggest bringing the bottom up to the bark on the rough sawed wood, we do not need to peek at what is below.

veralisa296 Loc: New Jersey

I think it's a great turnaround for the classic still life! Lots of credit for the concept, and the clutter it caused cleaning up. You did do the clean-up...didn't you?

kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

Some viewers may not like it. I find it to be a fine image.

cbtsam Loc: Monkton, MD

Thanks, R.G., for your thoughtful response. I've tried to keep it dark-ish to imitate how I've seen classic still life paintings, with a little glow in the fruits. I've been caught up in what I like to call wabi-sabi - see the wabi-sabi album on my flickr page - thus the decay; I don't say "death," because they look a lot like the little guy I see in the mirror each morning.

cbtsam Loc: Monkton, MD

Thanks so much for your very kind assessment; that old world thing is what I'm shooting for.

cbtsam Loc: Monkton, MD

Thanks for looking and commenting.

cbtsam Loc: Monkton, MD

Thank you, Linda from Yakima, Maine. (You know, Google maps can't seem to find that location. ) I appreciate your review of the things I've done pretty well with, and I'm glad you saw the bag spilling. You may recall an image of leaves I posted awhile back, where I got comments about the leaves not being arranged with sufficient randomness. I worked with that image through several iterations, finally concluding that purposefully arranged randomness is a target I'm not well-equipped to hit. (I'll post my solution to that problem sooner or later.) If I remove all the nuts, leaves, and fallen blossoms, I might lose some of my sense of chaos, and I think I might have to crop in a bit from the left, and there'd still be a little too much empty table top for my taste. Still, I'll fool with that arrangement one more time and see if I can get that well-ordered disorder. Maybe I'll try scooping up all the nuts and shells and just spilling them out with my eyes closed.

cbtsam Loc: Monkton, MD

Thanks for your very kind assessment of my attempt to look like a classic painter, which was precisely my goal. And I'm happy to know I'm not alone in fridge abandonment. I'll give a shot at cropping up, but I'm unsure about the plank sitting on the edge of the frame; maybe it will fuffice to just make the stuff underneath a touch darker.

cbtsam Loc: Monkton, MD

Glad you like the concept; an especially encouraging compliment, coming from an art teacher. As for the clean-up ... ahh ... uhm ... well ... not yet. After all, pursuant to the input of my colleagues, I will have to re-shoot.

cbtsam Loc: Monkton, MD

Thank you kp; much appreciated.