What is still photography and what is still life photography? Are they the same?
In this article I will describe the differences and all you need to know about them, including techniques, equipment, lighting and selling photos.
The idea behind still photography is that you shoot images of items that are non-moving. A lot of things qualify for such a genre. Everyday household items like flower vases, pencils, coloring tools, watches, electronic items, utensils, everything qualifies as still photography subjects.
The terms still photography and still life photography are sometimes used interchangeably, which is both right and wrong at the same time. You see, still photography is any photography. The term still photography comes as a juxtaposition for video work. More precisely, when I say still photography, I mean images of non moving subjects.
Even in motion pictures and 3d animation, a still is one frame of a sequence, which alone represents a moment captured in time, unlike the changing scenery of a sequence.
What qualifies as a still life photo?
Throughout history still life has always shared this intimate relationship with artists. Everything qualifies as still life photography, from a vase of flowers to a bowl full of fruits and the modern Instagram image of a plate of food at a restaurant.
If you have ever taken art classes, you have probably been introduced to the idea of still life subjects in the form of a fruit bowl, a flower vase, or even a rock. You should be aware of the classic still-life look of still-life photography. This is the most simplistic example that I can give of what a still life photo looks like.
For those who have no prior art experience, a photograph that depicts an object at rest, in other words, not moving, is considered a …