Dilemma

Contribution for The 50 Images-Project: Still Life 30/50

I watched the resent Youtube video by Jamie Windsor, where he ponders the dilemma of nostalgia. We are so profoundly affected by it that we have difficult times to come up with anything really new, and especially come up with something groundbreaking.

When it comes to something like still life photography, one immediately starts to think what all makes this form of art entirely polluted by nostalgia: use of earthly tones, soft light, orthodox arrangements, golden rules, and use of classic still life subjects like fruits, flowers and tableware.

Searching with keyword phrase "modern still life" one may find something like still life images by Stephanie Godot, which indeed seems to break the ground, at least a little. Although, also Godot seem to use some nostalgic styles that seem to refer to old advertising images. Even the choice of color palette can be such a choice. But that is unavoidable if one wishes to also sell.

Maybe the whole concept of still life is nothing but trying to feel nostalgic. So, is there a way out of nostalgia? What would be something new, if not completely, then at least profoundly? And how far one can go without afraid of making the image too difficult to become recognized as a still life?

Although, I also do admit one should master the classic styles first before trying to create new. That is what I try to achieve: to master the old, to come up with something new.

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Edited with Snapseed, Glitch Lab and PicMonkey. It turned out quite a challenge alone, to get what I wanted with a poor mobile phone camera. The goal was to make colors bright and pop out. I even had to change the background and take the shot again.