August 2021 - Still life with acorn

This time last year we were enjoying freedom from lockdown (for those of us who are clinically vulnerable, the lockdown finished at the end of July), sadly a happy experience that didn’t last … let’s hope that our current freedom lasts.

I have written about how I took up still life photography during those long days with nothing better to do than sit in my garden with a cold drink and photograph the birds; I enjoyed creating these images and realised how much more practise I was going to need before I could enter any results in a competition. I wondered if the habit would stick, or sink: and fortunately, some of the fun of it has stuck with me. Outdoor photos still give me a lot more joy, but now there is another choice for me to practise my art. In general, it is always a good idea to be challenged to try new things, many of which may turn out to be not for you. But some may be and for me, still life is one of those.

The big problem with still life – for me at any rate – is the need to create an artistic scene out of, possibly very ordinary, props from around the house or from my walks. There’s a lot to learn, and the only way to get it done is to practise a lot. 

So, this picture is made up of two bits of nature that I picked up while walking my dog, Poppy, one morning. They just seemed interesting, particularly the old dried-up leaf. Making the design, the composition, came next, and I tried several combinations of these together with other bits of nature that I had. In the end, this simple layout seemed to be best. I like the way that the skeletal framework of the leaf is covering the acorn, but, obviously, showing the acorn through it. On reflection I might have photoshopped away the bit of twig at the top of the acorn, but apart from that, it leaves me with a comfortable feeling of late summer.