Almost no photographic tradition is as old as the still life. For as long as we have been taking pictures using cameras, we have been fascinated by motionless scenes of quiet, negative space intersecting with found objects, soft furnishings, and natural subjects.
Just like in painting, many consider still life to be one of the best ways for photographers to hone and sharpen their skills. It offers near-limitless room for expression, composition, and deeper meaning, all encapsulated in a simple visual theme.
Perhaps that is why some of the greatest and most celebrated photographers of all time were also great still life photographers!
The Most Famous Still Life Photographers You Need to Know About
Today, let’s take a look at the impressive careers of some of the masters of the genre, both past and present.
Their stories, lives, and careers may surprise you with their sheer diversity. But what unites all of these photographers is their admirable mastery of the still life as a medium of expression!
1. Jonathan Knowles
As one of the creative minds behind some of the most famous still life images ever, the name Jonathan Knowles carries serious cachet. That’s despite the fact that Jonathan operates in a very narrow and unusual niche!
One of the most specialized of all still life photographers of his caliber, Jonathan works almost exclusively with liquids. Specifically, he takes still life photos of drinks and food items in motion.
Jonathan’s unique style makes use of high-speed photography techniques. He believes that the magic of compelling imagery lies in the capture of exquisite moments through a camera lens, and he tries not to be reliant on post-production. You can see this in his arguably most famous work, the ‘water bubble photo’ used as the main brand identity for telecom giant O2.
2. Henry Hargreaves
With an approach focusing on storytelling and engaging visuals, New York-based Henry Hargreaves is regarded as one of the best commercial and conceptual still life photographers of his generation.
His still life images often centre around food but present it in new ways so the viewer is challenged to reconsider their thoughts around familiar everyday items.
The result is incredibly creative photography based on simple objects and scenes from everyday life. His work also often features heavy environmental overtones, adding a societal angle to the ubiquitous subject of food. His projects, like “No Seconds,” and “Power Hungry,” give deep insights into society from a fairly simple visual.
3. Olivia Parker
Among the most adventurous photographers of our contemporary age, Olivia Parker draws a lot from fine art photography and the varied styles of great still life painters throughout art history to achieve her level of success. Using light and shadow to create abstract scenery is one of Olivia Parker’s trademarks.
Her own unique style revolves around the inherent beauty in the natural. She employs advanced techniques in blending many different kinds of subjects and even styles within the same photograph. Both classical and forward-thinking at once, Olivia’s work is in a class of its own.
In her photo series such as “Signs of Life” and “Weighing the Planets”, she manages to blend art and science perfectly. Also, there is an interesting book from her 2019 retrospective at the Peabody Essex Museum called ‘Order of Imagination’. Olivia is still working hard and you can see some of her latest work on her website.
4. Krista van der Niet
Inspired by Modern Art and pop culture as well as what she calls ‘kitsch and camp‘ in equal measure, Krista van der Niet puts her unique spin on the familiar faces of ordinary objects.
Her work is at once full of new ideas and rich in pastiches and sarcastic, satirical representations of everyday life. Krista’s talent has led her to collaborate with notable clients such as Dutch Design Week, Dutch magazines like VPRO, and publications including Le Monde (France) and Weltwoche (Germany).
Colors play an essential part in her work, and she also has a keen eye for small details, demonstrating how seemingly insignificant things can have a significant impact, presence, and meaning.
Krista uses a minimalistic approach to communicate powerful ideas easily through her work.
5. Michael G. Jackson
Mike G. Jackson specializes in experimental photography. While his approach falls outside traditional genres, his work often explores themes of abstraction, light manipulation, and conceptual art, making his style unique within the broader genres of fine art photography and abstract photography.
As far as I am concerned though, it would be remiss not to mention a photographer of his caliber.
He is an artist specializing in alternative darkroom techniques to create his works, including Luminograms—a process with a fascinating history of being used by iconic photographers such as Man Ray. However, Mike does take the technique to another level and plays around with it. It’s a bit like a photogram but using light as well as objects. Recently, he also started using colors, mixing the Luminogram and photogram processes, and more.
Mike’s ATO>MIC series and early works, like ‘The Self Representation of Life,’ contain still-life elements that showcase his unique vision. If you’re looking for an artist who pushes the boundaries of photography, Mike G. Jackson is an outstanding example!
6. Mat Collishaw
Mat Collishaw’s work is highly experimental and goes far beyond the confines of traditional photography. A celebrated master of contemporary art direction in different styles, Mat Collishaw is not your average still life photographer.
With an eye for unusual compositions that are guaranteed to draw attention, his still life photographs and still life paintings often incorporate complex multimedia techniques to turn everyday objects into stunning one-of-a-kind exhibits.
A common theme throughout Mat’s work is the intersection between man, inanimate objects, and nature. Many of his works, from audiovisual experiments to sculpture, painting, and, of course, photography, feature flowers as symbolic elements.
7. Marcel Christ
Working in both photography and film and excelling in both, Marcel Christ is one of those rare photographers who has managed to balance artistic recognition with wide success as a commercial photographer.
Marcel has refined and perfected his own house style over the years. Its trademark features are colorful, contrasty backgrounds, creative use of liquids, and high-speed photography.
You may recognize this approach from famous commercial campaigns he has worked on for clients ranging from Chanel to Bvlgari and Hennessy.
8. Edward Weston
A true giant not just among the best still life photographers but a true photography icon in every measure, Edward Weston hardly needs any introduction. One of the most prominent artistic photographers to emerge out of the early 20th-century American scene, Weston’s work showed immense control over his camera and his subjects, which were as varied as his ever-changing interests.
From portraiture to architecture, there are few genres or subjects that Edward Weston refused to touch.
However, one constant current throughout his work was his fascination with everyday objects. Specifically, Edward Weston sought to render ‘plain’ and common subjects in a unique style that was both hyper-realist, focused and composed down to perfection, whilst at the same time taking great inspiration from modern art and abstract ideas.
To this day, many photographers working in just about every genre cite Weston as an inspiration.
That includes the author of today’s piece, yours truly!
9. William Henry Fox Talbot
An early innovator and inventor during the pioneer days of photography, William Henry Fox Talbot was also one of the first photographers of still life scenes.
If you are among those who got their feet wet in photography’s film era, or one of the younger artists who has picked up the analog techniques of yore for their own reasons, you very likely have heard the name William Henry Fox Talbot before.
While also a highly talented photographer, Talbot was one of the true pioneers of the art and a real polymath. His scientific talent led him to actually discover several chemical processes used to develop photographs in those early days.
Though disputed, some claim that Talbot was the first to successfully produce a print from a negative. In any case, he was among the first few to dabble in this medium at a time when it was still an esoteric, highly experimental practice.
As an artist, Talbot was active in still life photography under natural light. That’s no wonder, as most mid-19th-century photography stuck fairly close to the conventions of classical painting and drawing.
Still, Talbot’s renditions of both natural objects and architectural themes show a keen eye for composition and a creative mind that wasn’t afraid of bursting through the boundaries of what was then considered possible in visual arts.
10. Mitch Feinberg
A master of luxury still life photography, Mitch Feinberg has worked with many of the world’s top brands in a variety of fields.
Still life photography inherently touches on how we relate to the objects that surround us in our lives. These can be personal possessions, sentimental items, but also objects such as the food we eat and the clothes we wear.
It is natural then, that some still life photographers specialize in the rendition of particularly luxurious, ornate subjects, often handcrafted for world-renowned luxury brands.
Within this tight, competitive field of luxury still life photography, Mitch Feinberg stands out as one of the greats. Active in just about every field within luxury still life photography, his images showcase an eclectic style featuring vibrant colors and extravagant composition.
Of course, that’s a perfect match for some of the world’s most exclusive labels.
11. Tatyana Skorokhod
A Ukrainian Still life photographer with a penchant for still life images in the classical style, Tatyana Shorokhod uses her photography to compose beautiful images of flowers arranged on table settings, often only by stray ambient light.
Tatyana Shorokhod’s classically-inspired still life photography evokes paintings of years gone by using the techniques and sensibilities of today.
Her work takes significant inspiration from the nature morte traditions of both Latin and Eastern European countries. She uses meticulous attention to framing and composition to bring her images to life.
Another true master of contemporary still life photography with a touch of Old World artistry!
12. Yukiko Masuda
Just as in the other great visual arts, still life photography is also a rather traditional genre that holds the old ways of working and ancient aesthetic principles in high regard.
With this in mind, Yukiko Masuda‘s rise to success only appears more impressive. A flower curator and self-taught photographer, Yukiko’s work is unique in that she produces almost all of her still life photography using her iPhone. She also self-publishes practically all her images on her public Instagram profile.
Without any pretenses of employing high-precision, professional-grade equipment, she nonetheless manages to create truly stunning still life work. More evidence that gear isn’t everything!
13. Evelyn Bencicova
A trailblazer of another kind, Natalia Evelyn Bencicova is an artist producing experimental still life images, often incorporating mixed media and alternative techniques.
Firmly grounded in contemporary and post-modern art, she is not afraid of setting a different mood and tone than what we usually expect from still life and miniature scenes.
In fact, much of her experimental work is hard to characterize strictly as still life photography at all!
14. Hardi Saputra
With a strong overtone of surrealism and a touch of whimsy, Hardi Saputra is a master of stunning miniature still life photography. His colorful miniature scenes have become emblematic of a commercially successful style that many others continue to imitate.
Hardi Saputra’s work features an immediately recognizable style based on the use of homemade miniatures and whimsical scenes straight out of childhood dreams.
Perhaps the most impressive thing about Hardi’s vast, dreamlike scenes is that they are almost all executed with very simple means. He has used almost entirely basic household objects and everyday items as props.
In fact, the majority of his inspiring images are staged inside the confines of a small, DIY box ‘studio’ handcrafted by the photographer himself. Towards the beginning of his career, he even used his phone for a camera, too. Once more, Hardi helps to demonstrate that equipment definitely isn’t a deal-breaker when working with genuine creative drive!
15. Margriet Smulders
Dutch-born Margriet Smulders is an artist fully committed to the ideals of classical masters. In particular, the lush dioramas and still life scenes evoke the colors and shading of Dutch Golden Age painters.
In her own bio on her website, she invites her audience to ‘choose for Eros as the life force that overcomes all degradation and despair’. If that doesn’t make her steadfast artistic vision crystal clear, little else will!
With a background in portraiture, Margriet pivoted to still life photography gradually, inspired by her own country’s artistic heritage. Today, she remains one of the most creatively talented still life photographers around, having lost none of her distinctive edges.
Still Life Photography in 2025 And Beyond
Today, still life photography is arguably bigger than ever. There are more active still life photographers than at any other time in history. The sheer gamut of styles and aesthetic principles on display could make your head spin!
As many of the great, talented photographers we showcased today reveal through their work, the still life remains a highly relevant and impressive medium through which to express yourself.
Whether that’s within the scope of traditional artistic techniques, as an addition to your commercial portfolio, or something entirely different, it’s all up to you! Nearly every style of still life maintains some kind of a loyal audience. That makes it a genre rich in creative freedom for those starting out.
With such an impressive field of artists filling out the modern space coupled with the tools and resources available, the future does look bright for those who are interested in photographing still life.
Take Away
Despite their reputation for simplicity and old-fashioned rigidity in aesthetics, still life photographs actually offer a huge wealth of possibilities to the budding artist and even the commercial photographer. With only a few simple props and even without professional gear or lighting equipment, you can create stunning vistas, tell incredible stories, and amaze through lovingly hand-crafted compositions that are powerful and last in the imagination.
Whether you are an accomplished still life photographer yourself already or are merely feeling curious about exploring this niche a little, exploring the work of others is always a great start to get those fires of creativity started. As you have seen, plenty of the photographers on today’s list even defy categorization – or if they do feature as still life photographers, they may be active in various other genres and sub-genres at the same time!
Shoehorning your work into a particular box, then, is far from what still life photography is really about. Rather, boundless possibility and creativity are the name of the game in this exciting medium.
Remember to have fun experimenting with these concepts, and till next time!
