Still life photography is the depiction of inanimate subject matter, most typically a small grouping of objects. Still life
photography, more so than other types of photography, such as
landscape or
portraiture, gives the photographer more leeway in the arrangement of design elements within a composition.
Still life photography is a demanding art, one in which the photographers are expected to be able to form their work with a refined sense of lighting, coupled with compositional skills. The still life photographer
makes pictures rather than
takes them. Knowing where to look for propping and surfaces also is a required skill.