There is a lot of debate over what constitutes a "still
life," and I hold with the traditional definition which specifies
that still-life compositions must contain for the most part inanimate
objects such as fruits or vegetables, flowers, other foodstuffs such
as bread, shells, vases, pottery, jewelry and so forth, and must
exclude animate beings (people, dogs, cats, birds, etc.).
Still lifes afford the artist/photographer a superb medium in which to
practice composition. There should be a visual flow connecting the
elements, the eye travelling from one to another with relatively equal
attention given to each piece. Almost without exception, the
composition should be balanced but not symmetrical, and the lighting
should appear as natural as possible. Distractions should be kept to a
minimum. Although many still lifes are colorful, they can also be
executed quite effectively in monochrome. In fact, I prefer this
high-contrast image to the original color shot.
