Just for the pear of it

Last week I found myself waiting in the studio for a friend to arrive and decided instead of playing tetris on my mobile, checking facebook or twitter I would photograph some still life of whatever I had in my bag. On this particular day said random object was in fact a pear. Yip, my forgotten afternoon snack was still residing in my bag. I also found my ipod which after some six years of brilliant music playing has sadly stopped working.

Some prestik, water, earphones and a glass jug later and I was happily entertaining myself with some still life.

  

  

 

 

 

The still of life

Last term my photojourn 4 class was working mostly in the studio in order to learn how to work in a completely controlled environment. Our studio work was divided into two section. They were studio portraits and studio still life. Now portraits were no problem and loads of fun as you could interact with your subject, put them at ease and try and get different shots. Still life on the other hand was well .... very still! What can I say? I was not inspired at all. I mean yes there is the challenge of dramatic lightning or finding the perfect lightning to suit the object being used but I found that I really missed having an actual subject in the studio.
But as we all know you live, you fail, you learn and you do better the next time. So I put my differences with still life aside and threw myself into the project.

I will let you all be the judge of whether they are any good. I was not unhappy with them in the end and found that in a way I did enjoy photographing a subject that listened completely me :)

A small wooden mannequin possessively holds his Hunter's Extra Dry in studio, Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 29 March 2011. (Tarryn Liddell)

Lucky beans from a Erythrina tree and coffee beans lie in a pile on a wooden table in studio, Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 23 March 2011. (Tarryn Liddell). 

Condensation drips down an ice cold Hunter’s Extra Dry in studio, Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 28 March 2011. Hunter's Gold was launched in 1988 as one of the first alternatives to beer within the South African liquor market. Ten years later Hunter's Dry was launched (Tarryn Liddell).

A small wooden mannequin poses with his paintbrush in studio, Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 28 March 2011. (Tarryn Liddell)

A quick succession of bubbles flow in studio, Grahamstown. Eastern Cape, South Africa, 1 March 2011 (Tarryn Liddell).

The Casablanca lily (more properly known as Lily ‘Casa Blanca’) is an oriental lily and is one of the most popular in this class. Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 24 February 2011.  It is generally accepted that the meaning of this lily is celebration.

A high key studio photo of a Barberton Daisy (Gerbera jamesonii), Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 24 February 2011. (Tarryn Liddell)