Kelsey and I were married at the courthouse in August of 2022. We hadn’t really planned anything, just that we would get dressed up. Kelsey decided to pick up a bouquet from the flower shop to carry, and of course I had to take many photos of the beautiful pink flowers. After our wedding ceremony, Kelsey set the pedals and leaves in wax paper to dry them, and after several weeks I kept what she didn’t press in a glass frame. I took the leftover pieces of the deconstructed bouquet and made a still life set up.
I used my Pentax 67 on a tripod and natural lighting from the window and a roll of Kodak Portra 800. Some of the photos are a little bit under exposed, but I still really like how they turned out. I also developed the film in Cinestill C41, which may have been a little bit weak, so that may be the issue not necessarily from exposure.
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The vase is actually a pumpkin that we got in the dollar aisle at Target. That is one of my favorite things about still life photography, you can bring any elements together within the frame and make them appear to have value, or make them stand out as something meaningful.
I just wanted to do a quick post to share these photos with you all. Do any of you or your wives still have their wedding bouquet saved somewhere? We are happy to have this little memento from ours, especially since we didn’t get to have a full wedding celebration.
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There is nothing wrong with the exposure to my eye! Having a deep black background and strong, dark colours in the imaes is just perfect.
The story behind the images is utterly heartwarming!
Thanks so much!
Really beautiful photos! There’s something about the natural light and the colors of this film stock. Obviously you both will have the flowers and now these photos to treasure! What a great way to preserve a memory. I also really like how you put this composition together, that glass pumpkin ties everything together. I never would’ve guessed that it was a pumpkin!
Thanks Lance! 🙂
Nice- as you say, putting together still lives (lives??) is often fun combining significant stuff(the bouquet) and transformed ordinary objects (the ‘pumpkin’)
I never know how to pluralize a still life lol
It’s still lifes according to Merriam-Webster
Ahh ok. Thanks
I like these shots. What did you use for background and on the table top?
Thank you. I use one of those project boards and drape a black blanket over it
I love these! There’s a certain irony to making a still life setup out of pressed, dried flowers, but your photos convey a real sense of depth, and the colors really pop.
Thank you!