Welcome to the Still Life Photography Selection pool. This pool is actively curated by the current admins. The short story What we want to see - Arranged objects with emphasis on composition and lighting. What we don't want to see - Found still life, portraits, pets, landscape, flower macros, abstracts, macros, any sort of movement or motion, etc. We will routinely remove, without explanation, pictures which do not fit the description [please see below for more details], irrespective of their quality. We will also remove those that do fit the description, but do not fit in the concept of quality we have for this pool. Please do not take offence if your photo is removed from the pool - it is not a judgement of photographic skills, but rather that the admins of this group have their own tastes and ideas which they wish to see reflected in this pool. If a series of highly similar images are submitted, only the best will be kept in the pool. Please note that resubmission of deleted photos without raising a query with the admins will result in your removal from the group. Please also note our posting limits - 1 picture a day, and no pictures which are in more than 10 groups including this one. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Detailed description Still life painting is a long-established art form which is also an ideal subject for imaginative photography. Its emphasis is on the arrangement of objects in a composition and on the light falling on or from them. This is an example of a classic still life picture And this is an example of a modern still life picture What fits in this group A photograph of one or more objects in a composition, where the photographer has clearly given some thought to the arrangement of objects and to their lighting, focus and background. Both the pictures above are examples of this. The objects in the composition might be anything from the most rare and unusual – such as a jewel or an antique book - to the most everyday – such as a paper clip or a milk bottle. But they must be ‘still life’ objects, in other words, not moving or growing on the spot where the picture is taken. And they must be objects which can be moved and rearranged, not part of the landscape or the fixtures of a building. Lighting can be either natural or artificial. We’re including in our definition of ‘what fits’ pictures which include body parts such as hands and feet, so long as they are not in motion, and so long as they are clearly part of the composition. We’re excluding from our definition ‘found’ still life objects such as stones on a beach or leaves on the forest floor. Where the picture is just of a single object, it fits in here so long as clear thought has gone into the placement of the object in relation to light sources. In other words, if the object is reflected, casts shadows or refracts light in a way that gives the appearance of it being more than "just" a single object lying or found there. Here's an example What does not fit in this group The simplest answer to this question is to look at our occasional deletions threads, which contain a wide range of examples from the truly borderline to the truly bizarre. But to spell it out, please do not post any of the following Pure landscapes, where mountains, trees, oceans, buildings or city scenes are the main or significant subject of the picture. Pictures where the object(s) in the composition are attached to a building, or to any other structure, or to the ground. Pure abstracts, where no object or objects can be discerned in the picture. People portraits. Pictures which show movement or action, whether of people or of inanimate objects. Food shots which are just random food pictures of servings heaped on a plate, or unarranged ingredients and dishes on a kitchen counter or table. ‘Found’ still life scenes either indoors or outdoors, where none of the elements appear to have been arranged by the photographer. Macro photography, where a single object in close-up is the main or significant subject of the picture. Heavily post-processed painting-like images. Photos with added text of any kind. Text which is an integral part of an object in the photo, such as print in a book, is fine, but added slogans, messages, quotes, poems or very obtrusive signatures are not. Photoshop creations and mosaics. Pool cleaning In order to keep the pool focused and inspire a high quality of contributions we will regularly remove pictures which fall within the description of ‘what does not fit’. As a rule, if you have also posted your image to a ‘people portraits’, ‘landscape’, 'nature', 'macro', 'hardcore street photography' or ‘no set up’ pool, it will not fit in here and will be removed. When we have the time, we will post thumbnails with an explanation to a current ‘deleted images’ thread. The admins would like to see this group become a showcase for interesting, well-made still life pictures, not a dumping ground for each and every attempt at that genre. As well as promptly removing images which do not fit the group description, we will also remove those which we think are mediocre examples of still life photography. We will keep one running thread open for discussing image removal - please do not start a new thread as this will be locked and deleted. Posting limits In an effort to maintain diversity and quality in the pool, highly similar images [e.g. same setting, slightly different angle] submitted in succession, and/or mosaics of previously submitted images, will not be allowed to remain in the pool. Please also note that photos submitted to more than 10 groups will also be deleted. If you feel we have made a wrong call about your image, please post to the image removal queries thread – we’re always happy to discuss and review these guidelines. But please note that if you repost an image which has been removed without posting to this thread or referring to the admins we will remove you from the group completely and without notice to you.