Laurie says:

I ran across these photos on the BBC very unexpectedly. They are from the International Garden Photographer of the Year 2020: Still Life competition. They run four stand-alone competitions that give photographers the chance to explore specific themes and skills. And there was some stunning work in the still life competition. I’ve looked at a lot of still life work, mostly paintings from the Dutch Golden Age, and I loved these. Some of them have overtones of the Dutch images and some are very different. I’m definitely going to have to look into this further.

The photo above is by Dandelions IV, by Victor Kanunnikov, from St Petersburg, Russia. I captured this still life of dandelions in a vase against a black background using two flashes, to create a subtle yet dramatic lighting effect.
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Rose hips and Persimmons, by Inna Karpova, from London, UK I created this original, painterly still life by combining gathered rose hips and ripe persimmon fruits to create this artistic autumnal photograph.

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Row of Onions, by Rory Mcdonald, from RHS Tatton Park Flower Show, Cheshire, UK I spotted this row of prize-winning onions at RHS Tatton Park Flower show – it made for the perfect still life study.

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Still Life with Blue Vase, by Victor Kanunnikov, from St Petersburg, Russia
I created this high key still life by photographing the subject against a white background using two flashes. I was attracted by the contrast created between the blue vase and the ripe, red berries.

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