Still Life Photography With Things You Can’t Live Without

A common discipline with photographers and painters, still life is the arrangement and assembly of inanimate objects that is completely in contrast with landscape photography in terms of composition. It is up to you which background to choose, the quality of light to use, and how to balance the composition with your arrangement of elements in the image. Still life photography also applies to wedding photography wherein we photograph each items of the bride and groom’s personal items, and all that jazz.

PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS: When framing a shot for still life photography, pay as much attention to the background as you do your subject. A complimentary background can enhance an ordinary subject. A poor choice of background will make an interesting subject fall flat. When composing your image, get the message across that you want others to see. Each element in your composition will vie for visual attention when arranging things in your viewfinder. Avoid over-cluttered composition because it lacks emphasis and a clear message.

For our latest post today, let’s grab some inspirations about the things we cannot live without and how we’ll gonna apply it to Still Life Photography creatively while at the same time inspire us to be appreciative of the things we have.. right now.

I came up with this roundup of few famous and not-so-famous people wherein they show off their stuff which they cannot leave the house without, or simple can’t live without at all. Actually, there’s this exceptional website called The Burning House wherein they ask people to submit a photograph of the things they will carry in case they got their house burning with fire. When confronted with this kind of situation, what you would take reflects your interests, background and priorities.

30 INTERESTING PEOPLE WITH THEIR REVEALING STUFF

01. Vogue Social Editor / Chloe Malle

Watermelon Repetto ballet slippers
African print bikini by Roberta Freymann
Sigerson Morrison navy sandals
Comme des Garçons wallet

02. Blogger + Writer + Clergy / Emily Loerke

Childhood woobie (for cape wearing and fort building)
Favorite coffee mug
Passports
My mom’s 1962 Gibson guitar
Favorite thrifted belt
Birth certificates & marriage license
1941 Royal Quite Deluxe Portable Typewriter (a gift from dear friends)
MacBook & iPhone
Wallet, Checkbook, Keys
Antique bone fork (a gift from my dad)
My grandmother’s oak recipe box & recipe book
Leather journal (My husband and I have been writing letters to each other in it for the past 5 yrs)
My mom’s 1960’s blue bandana
Favorite thrifted salt & pepper shakers that remind me of my twin sister
Vintage Fire King dish (a gift from my mom)
Antique E.T.N. Swift box (filled with cash we’ve been saving for our 25th wedding anniversary)
Canon 40D (used to take this photo)

03. Architecture Student / Pier Paolo Passsarelli

first pair of converse i bought
moleskine and pencil for sketches architectural
dictionary ,becouse i don t know well the english
toothpaste and toothbrush (and condom)
flip flops
t-skirt and underwear
book : “l’eleganza del riccio”
cd limited edition “confession on a danceflor”
book “sex” (madonna)
sunglasses H&M
band night (becouse i can ‘t stand the light at night)
digital camera
straightner and comb
leather bracelet
iPhone 4

04. Student / Natália Leal

My vinyl records.
Glasses
My favorite shirt
My red All Star’s
My favorite high heels
My Green Day dvd
My McFLY dvd
My Beatles dvd
My box of letters (the All Star box)
My old Konica C35 camera
The letter that i received from my best friends on my 15th birthday
My swiss army knife
My favorite bag

05. Creative Digital Director / Tim Robison

My grandfathers camera.
My favorite shoes. So comfortable.
Some of my favorite bowls.
My Moleskine notebook. Full of many sketches, ideas, and dates.
My favorite shirt.
A piece of driftwood I found and love.
My laptop. My iMac would be too hard to carry.
Two full hard drives with years worth of work and photos.
My most used kitchen pans. Al Clad Ltd2 fry pan. Le Creuset dutch oven
My keys. They open and start a lot of things
My pencil bag. Full of my best pens and pencils.
My Iphone.

06. Designer / Prabal Gurung

iPod
To-do book
Eddie Bargo bangle
Sketches
Sunglasses
Blackberry

07. Owner of Kenmare and Don Hills New York / Nur Khan

Black Python skin Jacket with purple lining
Custom Ovation accoustic guitar gift from Axl Rose of Guns & Roses
Photo from artist/photographer Sante D’Orazio

08. Art Director / Rachel Liang

Jane Austin book. All of her novels in one. I have to take it. I’m a massive fan.
My favourite leather jacket.
Piggy bank; it has been with me more than 15 years. Not much in it, but I will need it.
Three of my most important notebooks. There are lots of thoughts, ideas and
drawings inside.
My pen, can’t live without it.
I’ll certainly grab my bag, which has my Diesel wallet (has been with me at least 10 years), a pair of Ray-Ban shades and a Keep Cup in it.
My felt shoes. I wear them everyday when I’m home.
My Jeep Rubicon. Keep the dream alive.
Mac Book Pro & hard drive, contain years of memories and loads of hard works.
iPhone, to dail 000.
My favourite scarf and leather shoes.

09. Photographer + Fingerprint Expert / Kim Høltermand

‘Sigur Rós: Takk’ (CD)
Holga 120 CFN Colorflash Camera
Glasses from ie-glasses
Antlers
‘Sigur Rós: Heima’ (DVD)
Jet Set watch: San Remo
Action Journal from Behance
‘The Stanley Kubrick Archives’ book
Dot Grid Book from Behance
Artline Drawing System pens
‘Architects I met and I liked’ notebook
Dot Grid Cahier from Behance
Canon EOS 7D
Cretacolor 430 12 leadholder
Grafo 5340 leadholder
‘Olafur Eliasson: Space is Process’ (DVD)
Action Runner from Behance
‘Blade Runner Trilogy: 25th Anniversary’ (3CD)
iPhone in Exovault metal phone case
Light green Volkswagen Caravette from Lesney

10. Model / Ruby Aldridge

Denim shorts
Rag & Bone sunglasses

11. CT App Specialist + Photographer / Christian Baron

my favorite vinyl (kraftwerk/kruder & dorfmeister/stone roses/dj shadow/pixies/smiths/blumfeld)
purse with all the life in form of plasticcards
sinn watch
phone
harddisk with most of my photography-stuff
my leica m7 with 35mm summicron
the one and only dollar left from my first trip to the us twenty years ago
favorite belt
ramone jeans (not shown, since wearing right now)
imited edition old tom style gin from river mosel (fantastic stuff)
my ben sherman budapesters and of course my vans
a collection of my favorite prints, vandykes and emulsion-lifts
my hasselblad with 80 and 180mm sonnar primes
two folders with my most important negatives

12. Casting Director + Blogger / Natalie Joos

Laptop
Casting binder
Camera
Lip balm
Sunglasses
Gloves
Credit cards
Baby blue Céline cashmere
Snacks: apples

13. Photographer + Social Worker / Jason Broaddus

My Grandfather’s best spatula ever
Android phone
1TB external hard drive filled with years of photos, documents and research
iPod- can’t take public transit without it
Bose headphones
Passport
Painting from our friend, Tim Rees’, 1st gallery opening, where I took my (now) fiance on our 2nd date- the painting holds a bit of an inside joke
My glasses- I’d be blind without them
Lens-cloth for my glasses
Grandpa’s handkerchief- there’s nothing like a good one
Camera, f2.8 24-70mm and f2.8 70-200mm lenses
My family history book (mother’s side)
My favorite watch
Grandfather’s wedding ring
My lucky wool hat
Wallet
Paisley sheet given to me by my fiance to protect my fair skin from sunburn on last year’s hiking trip

14. Photographer + Designer / Rohan Anderson

Nixon Chrono Dive Watch
Japanese bone handle knife (had it for 22 years)
Led Lenser torch
iPhone
Nikon 50mm f/1.4
500gig Time Machine Back Up
Macbook
My glasses. Can’t see without em so may as well gram em! (yes they have real lenses in them)
One of my Nikons
CZ 22 Magnum. It’s my favourite hunting tool
Barbor International.
G-Star Raw circa 2004? Love these guys. I haven’t bought G-Star since. I’m happy just to keep these as the best pair of jeans I’ve ever owned

15. Designer / Aurélien

One of my beloved black t-shirts
My leather gloves made in the french-factory my grand-ma used to work in.
A scarf which belongs to someone I care about
A box of my three favorite pens, to draw
All my Moleskine sketchbooks
A pair of “Shwood” sunglasses, made in Oregon and bought in Portland, where I used to live
My hard-drive, containing all my design-files & photos
A miniature of a red Ford Mustang, souvenir from good moments spent with a friend of mine
A finger-skateboard
A shirt gifted by the same person I care about
My “Mondaine” swiss watch and my favorite belt
An iPod for the musics, and an iPhone to call my family and friends
A photo-album containing photos of my family, a gift from my beloved brother
My camera (not pictured)
My wallet and my bag to contain all this stuff
And a pair of shoes (not just one, cause I would have thrown the 100 others by the window before!)

16. Wedding Photographer / Leila Peterson

SX-70 Polaroid Camera passed down from my parents
Rolleiflex + Minolta X-700 camera (First camera I owned)
Dad’s vintage Ray Bans I somehow adopted
Favorite mini globe
Old box I found at a flea market, filled with rings and necklaces and a pin from Grandmother
Chambray shirt I wear with everything
Wallet I bought at a museum in LA, 5 years ago
DIY model airplane that reminds me of a happy time
Moleskin with daily writings + letters from husband, when he was a boyfriend.
Reading glasses- Prism London
A few stacks of Polaroids
Favorite shoes
Lip gloss and compact
Heart locket and name plate necklace
Photobooth photos

17. Executive Director at M.A.C. / Laura Bellafronto

M.A.C. makeup like Pro Long Lash, Lady Danger red lipstick, and Mineralize Medium Plus
Leopard-print cashmere and Chan Luu silk scarf

18. Architecture Student / Adrien K

Backpack by una Velocidad
Jordan V
Vintage book: Jules vernes “cinq semaines en ballon”
Opinel Knife
Tokyo flash Watch
Markers with special ink
Dran “100 jours”
Moleskine notebook
My Meyer glasses
Aristo Technical pen
Indian ink pen
Hanafuda game by nintendo
box of Sakuma’s drops candies

19. Artist / Laura Pritchett

The unglamorous but practical galoshes that I wear most often
A painting I am (almost) satisfied with
An irreplaceable blouse which has no tag and I have no idea who made it, but love
The wooden clothes hanger from my grandfather’s closet
The perfectly weathered belt I am rarely without
Candid shot of grandfather and his car
The last remnant of family plaid my grandmother brought back from Ireland
Keys from my childhood scavenging
1957 edition of the Fanny Farmer Cookbook with my grandmother’s and mother’s recipe alterations handwritten in the margins
The bit I trained two horses with
Klein bag with my well broken in sable brushes
The hatchet my great grandfather used to build his house
The Ball jar that I keep all of my flash drives in
Family Bible
Moleskine journal I kept while traveling in Uganda
First fabric sample produced by Tukula.org with my design for Ugandan tailors
iPhone

20. Designer + Brand Director / Ryan Hahn

Vintage top from my childhood
Ray Ban glasses, blind without them
Antlers
Photo I took of my friend Michelle (all photos would be grabbed)
Asian ashtray with change
keys
Cigar keepsake box
Fish bone that my grandmother used as a crucifix
Banana sculpture by my friend Ismael
Ceramic dog (representing my dog who hates to be photographed)
Horn
Commemorative stamps from the collapse of the Berlin Wall
Large bone
Vintage Brownie Starflex camera
Wood sphere

21. Manager, Annie Leibovitz Studio + Designer / Karen Mulligan

Hermès cuffs and watch
Pret-a-Surf rashguard and shorts
Pret-a-Surf inspiration book
Pret-a-Surf wax
My copy of Nancy Drew’s Guide to Life
Sky-high Prada espadrilles
Smith’s Rosebud salve lip balm
Balenciaga bag

22. Photographer / Mikael Kennedy

Large Olive Green Filson Duffel
6 boxes of my Polaroids (I only could fit 6 out of the 18 that are full, priorities include, edit for next show & Passport to Trespass book edits)
Workbook from ‘The Odysseus’ photo series
St. Christopher Necklace given to me by an old friend when he was done traveling and had settled down
Grandfathers Timex (still broken)
Small tin of dirt from the Santuario De Chimayo in Chimayo, NM
Black Polaroid SX70 Special Edition
Custom Polaroid case from Strawfoot Handmade
Two bricks of the last Polaroid 779 batches ever made (Expiration Date 09)
Wallet
Keys to my Chevy
Harddrive with latest backup from computer
iPhone
First edition of Johnny Dark’s ‘People I may know’ published by Little Bear Press

23. CEO + Co-Founder, Moda Operandi / Aslaug Magnsdottir

Bright pink Matthew Williamson cape
High heel Christian Louboutin gladiator sandals
Black crocodile clutch Celestina
House of Waris plumage brass and black diamond pavé bracelet and ring
Gold and diamond Baron ring
iPad

24. Fashion / Foster Huntington

My Grandfather’s Explorer Scout Shirt
Naked and Famous Jeans
Zeiss 35mm f/2
Nike SFB boots
Ralph Lauren Alligator Belt
Leatherman Wave Black
One basalt rock from the Columbia River Gorge
One shell from Nicaragua
Three shells and one stone from the Maine coast
45 RPM Orange Bandanna
Vintage Woolrich Horse skin hunting gloves
LaCie Rugged External Hard Drive (all of my photos and image research)
Rolex Submariner Date with Zulu Ballistic Nylon Band
Oakley Razor Blades
Ernest Thompson Seaton, “Two Little Savages” (well worth a read)
iPhone 4

25. Designer + Artist / Bryan Bowie

Leatherman PST – Their first model, and my first Leatherman, handed down.
Dad’s Bolle’s – From early 80s.
Grandfather’s WWII Leather Photo Pouch.
Final Prototype Of First/Flagship Tipton & Co. Wallet .
Parker 51 Fountain Pen.
Moleskine & Dog Tag & Foot print from my best, and one of my oldest friends, Buster (a plotthound). We had to put him down last year.
One of my Grandfather’s smaller ink pieces.
Small Portfolio – Stuffed with my own work and select negatives.
Small Wooden Box – Things that have poured out of my head from the last 2-3 years, cards from parents, and misc. things like that.
The Thing – natural sculpture, driftwood.
Hard Drive – 3TB in Rosewill enclosure.
The Yearling – First edition from my Grandmother.
Grandfather’s issued Navy Watch Cap & Blanket.
Camera Bag
Contents: Nikon F3HP (hard to replace in good shape, otherwise I wouldn’t care).
Leica M3 (I could let this go honestly, but it’s always in the bag so I included it).
Weston Master 5 meter. If you find one, buy one. Never had a better meter.
Leica M6 + 40 Cron – I’ve had a camera in my hand since I was a teenager, and the lens was a gift.

26. Photographer / Claiborne Swanson Frank

Summer hat
Rag & Bone linen boots
Sunglasses
Boat shoes
Plaid linen Isabel Marant top
Native American cuff

27. Graphic Designer / Emilio Lenzi

Headphones and iPod Touch
Moleskine, my interactive agenda (and pen)
Thriller LP
Mac Book Pro
Superga shoes
Origenes Tobacco
Casio
Lomo Fish Eye
Persol eyeglasses
Ray Ban Clubmaster sunglasses
My bible, Paul Arden – Whatever You Think, Think The Opposite
Clipper lighter, that looks like me
Gucci by Gucci
My favorite denim shirt
A painting by Sten & Lex

28. Co-Owner, SATURDAYS Surf New York / Morgan Collett

Converse shoes

29. Stock, Vintage Menswear Store / Melissa Howard

1930’s Spalding Shawl Collar Sweater
1920’s JC Penny Leather Jacket
1940’s Chippewa Engineer Boots
1940’s LL Bean Duffle Bag
1950’s Rolex Oyster Army Watch
Credit Card Case
Faded Blue Bandanas
Early Carhartt Bandanas
Early Leather Jacket & Overall Salesman Samples
Early Beaver State Pendleton Blanket
Early Carved African American Mechanical Toy
1906 Hickory Cane with Carved Handle

30. Architect / Merie W Matta

selected sketchbooks from architecture school + WD hard drive containing every drawing I’ve ever made
B+L red cat-eyes
ever-present turquoise rings
assorted personal ephemera, mostly photographic history
minolta SLR, formerly my mother’s
gifted leather klein tools toolbag
dogeared selection of favorite books
trusted phone and well-worn wallet
italian knit fisherman’s sweater from salvation army
two most loved pairs of shoes: beat up brogues + all-star hi tops
architectural model from my senior thesis, made of paper and gold leaf
feline companion

Final Thoughts and Inspiration

Here’s a portion of the quote about things we cannot live without by Stylish Technology Entrepreneur and World Traveler Colin Wright via the TheNextWeb.com interview.

Figure out who you are, what you stand for and why. Build your life around that, and make sure that every aspect of your life shouts your message loud and clear. The gear you carry, the clothes you wear, the style of your hair, this is all part of that total picture.

Be practical (whatever that means for you, your life and your profession) and own it.

Don’t follow trends, unless you want to look like everyone else who follows trends. Uniqueness doesn’t have a season or go out of style.

The clothes don’t make the man, the man makes the life that’s emphasized by the clothes. A style without purpose is like a person without content: interesting for a few minutes, but incredibly dull once you make it past “hello.”

– Colin Wright

Last but not the least, don’t be content with simply imitating other people’s captured photos. Use a different lens or angle of view.. more artistically different from your last shot. For more still life images in the fashion world, drop by TheCoveteur.com to view their amazing photography. If you’re curious about our lead image showing Colin Wright and want to find out more, do check out his blog ExileLifestyle.com wherein I am an avid reader myself.

Tagged as: Photo Inspiration, photography, photography tips, still life photography

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: WPD TEAM
Aurora Gatbonton and the rest of the WPD Blog Team wants you to get hitched with creativity, style, and technology.