object photography – Greg Urbano

Light Paint Glass Vase: Minimalism and the Democratization of Photographic Practice

A minimalist black-and-white photograph of a glass vase showcases how simple materials can produce sophisticated visual art. Created for a structured challenge, the work emphasizes classical minimalist principles, focusing on light, form, and composition. It highlights the idea that accessible techniques can achieve impactful results through exploration and experimentation.

Black-and-white photograph of a single glass vase standing on a dark fabric surface, illuminated against a black background with subtle light-painted highlights. — A minimalist black-and-white study of a glass vase, photographed using light painting on a dark tabletop and background.

In this austere still life, the photographer demonstrates how constraint and accessibility can yield sophisticated visual results. Created for Week 46 of a structured challenge focused on black and white minimalism, the image features a green glass vase—rendered in monochrome—isolated against absolute darkness. The work’s genesis from dollar store materials and basic light painting techniques belies its formal accomplishment, positioning it as a compelling statement within Chapter 6’s exploration of ongoing practice and future directions.

The composition adheres to classical minimalist principles: a singular subject, centered and vertical, emerges from void. The vase’s elegant silhouette—narrow at neck and base, gently swelling through its body—receives careful illumination from a handheld flashlight, creating a gradient of tones that model the form with sculptural precision. The photographer’s light painting technique reveals selective control; highlights trace the vessel’s curve while allowing shadow to claim significant portions of the surface, suggesting volume through implication rather than complete revelation.

What distinguishes this work within the photographer’s broader trajectory is its embrace of democratic materials and process. By explicitly acknowledging the humble origins of both subject and lighting instrument, he advances a philosophy that technical sophistication need not depend on expensive equipment. This approach resonates with Chapter 6’s theme of exploration—suggesting that the road ahead involves continual experimentation with accessible means rather than escalating technical complexity.

The monochromatic treatment transforms what was originally a green glass vessel into a study of pure form and tonality. This chromatic reduction focuses attention on the interplay between light and surface, on the subtle texture variations across the vase’s body, and on the relationship between object and ground. The black tablecloth and background merge into a unified void, creating the impression that the vase floats in undefined space—a strategy borrowed from commercial and fine art photography traditions alike.

The image’s participation in a weekly challenge framework—Week 46 addressing black and white minimalism—situates the photographer’s practice within contemporary photography’s social and educational structures. Unlike the isolated studio practice of previous generations, his work emerges from dialogue with prompts, themes, and presumably a community of practitioners engaging similar constraints. This context enriches the reading of Chapter 6; the road ahead is both solitary and communal, shaped by individual vision and collective participation.

Post-processing in Adobe Camera Raw represents the final transformative stage, where the captured light painting receives refinement and intentional tonal mapping. The deep blacks exhibit rich density without blocking detail entirely, while the highlights maintain luminosity without burning out—evidence of considered digital darkroom practice.

Within the Top 100 Journey, this photograph stands as testament to fundamental photographic principles: light, form, composition, and tone. Its apparent simplicity masks deliberate choices regarding placement, illumination duration and direction, and subsequent processing decisions. The vase becomes more than household object; it transforms into a vehicle for exploring how light describes volume, how darkness defines presence, and how minimal means can generate maximal visual impact.

In embracing both constraint and accessibility, the photographer charts a sustainable path forward—one where ongoing exploration need not await perfect conditions or specialized equipment, but can unfold through disciplined attention to essential elements.

Light Paint Egg: Precision and Wonder in Contemporary Still Life

The photograph “Light Paint Egg” showcases a white egg balanced on crossed forks, illuminated through light painting techniques. This work exemplifies the artist’s blend of traditional and contemporary methods, capturing a balance between stasis and motion. It represents an innovative departure in still life, emphasizing creativity and technical mastery despite simple materials.

White egg balanced upright on crossed metal forks, photographed against a dark background with blue light trails created through light painting. — A white egg balanced on crossed forks, photographed using light painting techniques for the 52 Frames Week 11 “Egg” challenge.

In this meticulously crafted photograph, the artist demonstrates a masterful command of light painting technique, transforming an ordinary subject into an object of contemplation. The egg, positioned at the composition’s center, becomes a luminous focal point—its pale, almost ethereal surface contrasting dramatically against the deep black void that surrounds it. This is not merely documentation of an object, but rather an exploration of form, light, and the delicate balance between the tangible and the abstract.

The technical execution reveals a photographer working at the intersection of traditional still life aesthetics and contemporary experimental methods. Inspired by demonstrations from the lighting equipment company Adaptalux, he pursued this vision independently, relying on his own resourcefulness and understanding of photographic principles rather than specialized gear. This approach speaks to a fundamental confidence in craft—the knowledge that compelling imagery emerges not from equipment alone, but from vision and technical literacy working in concert.

The light trails that sweep through the frame possess an almost calligraphic quality, their cool blue tones suggesting both movement and stillness simultaneously. These luminous threads create a complex spatial environment, establishing depth and dimensionality around the egg while reinforcing its solidity and sculptural presence. The waves beneath appear to cradle the subject, while the diagonal streaks above suggest trajectory, momentum, perhaps even flight. There exists here a visual tension between stasis and motion, weight and weightlessness—themes that resonate throughout his broader body of work.

Positioned within Chapter 6 of his Top 100 Journey—”The Road Ahead: Recent Work & Ongoing Exploration”—this photograph exemplifies the artist’s willingness to embrace technical challenges and aesthetic risks. The chapter’s title suggests forward movement, continued evolution, and the photographer’s commitment to expanding his visual vocabulary. Indeed, this image represents a departure from more conventional approaches to still life, demonstrating how constraints—in this case, a weekly theme challenge—can catalyze creative innovation.

The composition adheres to classical principles while subverting expectations. The egg, that most ancient and universal of symbols, is elevated beyond its associations with fragility and potential. Here it becomes something simultaneously organic and otherworldly, as though suspended in a dimension where the laws of physics bend to artistic intention. The photographer’s choice to work with long exposure and moving light sources transforms the medium itself into a drawing tool, blurring the boundaries between photography, painting, and performance.

What distinguishes this work within his oeuvre is its synthesis of technical precision and poetic sensibility. The execution required careful planning—controlling exposure duration, choreographing light movement, managing ambient contamination—yet the final image transcends its methodology. It invites meditation on form, on the nature of photographic representation, and on how familiar objects can be estranged and renewed through careful observation and technical intervention.

As part of his ongoing exploration documented in the Top 100 Journey project, “Light Paint Egg” signals a photographer unafraid to experiment, to respond to creative prompts with rigor and imagination, and to push the boundaries of his practice. It stands as evidence that profound imagery can emerge from simple materials when vision, patience, and technical mastery converge.

Ancient Greek Coin, Head of Alexander II Zebina

A macro photograph of a 123 BC Greek coin by Alexander II Zebina captures its historical significance and texture. The artist avoids over-sharpening, choosing selective focus to highlight the coin’s surface. This work raises questions about ownership, memory, and our connection to time, ultimately transforming the coin into a philosophical exploration of history.

Close-up of a worn ancient Greek coin showing a raised portrait, resting on coarse black granular material. — A macro photograph of an ancient Greek coin with a portrait relief placed on a dark textured surface.

In this macro study from Chapter 6 of his Top 100 Journey, the photographer confronts an artifact that predates the medium of photography by over two millennia. The coin—a bronze piece from 123 BC bearing the portrait of Alexander II Zebina—becomes both subject and collaborator, its weathered surface telling stories that extend far beyond the frame. This single exposure, created for the 52 Frames challenge, demonstrates a mature understanding of how light and composition can resurrect history from oxidized metal.

The technical execution reveals deliberate restraint. Rather than employ focus stacking to render every millimeter sharp, he opts for a single capture that honors the coin’s irregular topography through selective focus. The shallow depth of field becomes a curatorial choice: not everything from antiquity needs to be preserved with clinical precision. Some details fade into soft ambiguity, much as memory itself blurs across centuries. The side lighting—achieved through what appears to be a carefully positioned single source—rakes across the relief, transforming corrosion patterns into a luminous bronze landscape. Highlights catch on the highest points of wear, creating a constellation of golden moments against near-black valleys of shadow.

The substrate selection proves equally thoughtful. Black granular material, possibly sand or volcanic rock, provides textural contrast while introducing delicate bokeh spheres that float in the background like suspended time. This environmental choice feels archaeological, suggesting the coin might have just emerged from excavation rather than from a flea market display case. The photographer resists any impulse toward nostalgic sepia or artificial aging effects; instead, he allows the genuine patina—two thousand years in the making—to provide all the historical gravitas the image requires.

What distinguishes this work within Chapter 6’s framework of ongoing exploration is its meditation on ownership and stewardship. The accompanying note reveals this coin represents “the oldest man-made thing I have ever owned,” yet the photograph itself seems to question that possessive relationship. Can anyone truly own such an object, or are we merely temporary custodians in an impossibly long chain of hands? The macro perspective literalizes this contemplation, bringing the viewer so close that individual crystals of corrosion become visible, each one a marker of time the photographer will never witness.

The portrait of Alexander II Zebina—barely discernible beneath centuries of oxidation—emerges as a ghost in metal, features obscured yet undeniably present. This parallel between photographic and numismatic portraiture feels intentional. Both mediums attempt to freeze time, to preserve likeness against entropy’s relentless work. The photograph succeeds where the coin has partially failed, capturing not just the object but the precise quality of light falling upon it on a specific day in 2025, creating a new historical layer atop the ancient one.

Within the photographer’s evolving practice, this image represents a turn toward material intimacy and temporal reflection. The macro lens becomes a tool for philosophical inquiry rather than mere magnification. By isolating this small artifact against darkness and bringing such focused attention to its corrupted beauty, he creates space for viewers to contemplate their own relationship with history, permanence, and the objects that outlive their makers by millennia.

Powerade Sports Drink

The photographer’s still life study of three Powerade bottles transcends typical commercial product photography through technical mastery and thoughtful lighting. Using a classic triangular arrangement against a dark background, he elevates mundane objects into gallery-worthy art, emphasizing color and light. This work reflects his evolving confidence and duality in art and commerce.

A studio still life of three Powerade sports drink bottles arranged on a reflective surface against a dark background.

The photographer’s exploration of commercial product photography takes an unexpectedly sophisticated turn in this meticulously composed study of three Powerade bottles. Working within the constraints of a domestic setting—his living room transformed into an improvised studio—he demonstrates how technical mastery and thoughtful lighting can elevate mundane consumer objects into subjects worthy of gallery consideration.

The composition employs a classical triangular arrangement, with the three bottles positioned against a stark black background that eliminates all contextual distraction. This deliberate void forces the viewer’s attention entirely onto the subjects themselves: the vivid red and orange bottles flanking a brilliant blue variant. The color palette recalls the saturated hues of contemporary advertising photography, yet the treatment here transcends mere product documentation. Each bottle catches and refracts light differently, creating internal luminosity that transforms the beverages into glowing, jewel-like objects.

His technical approach reveals significant evolution in his still life practice. Utilizing a Sony A7ii with a kit lens, softbox, and flash, he crafts lighting that achieves both commercial polish and artistic dimensionality. The softbox provides diffused illumination that wraps around the bottles’ curved surfaces, while strategic flash placement creates the distinctive highlights and reflections visible across each container. The condensation beading on the plastic surfaces adds textural authenticity, suggesting these are not pristine studio props but objects intercepted in their natural state—cold, recently removed from refrigeration, existing in that liminal moment between commercial packaging and consumption.

The post-processing workflow—Adobe Camera Raw within Photoshop 2018, enhanced with Nik/DXO Viveza—amplifies the inherent drama of the scene. The blacks deepen to an almost velvety darkness, while the colors intensify without crossing into oversaturation. This balance proves crucial: the image maintains photographic credibility while achieving the heightened reality that characterizes effective still life work.

Within the broader context of Chapter 5’s exploration from classic to experimental tabletop photography, this image occupies an interesting middle ground. It adheres to established commercial photography conventions—the product-forward composition, the dramatic lighting, the emphasis on color and form—yet subverts them through its gallery presentation context. Removed from their intended commercial environment and reframed as objects of aesthetic contemplation, these sports drinks become something more: symbols of contemporary consumer culture, studies in color theory and light behavior, or perhaps meditations on how photography itself mediates our relationship with everyday objects.

The work also demonstrates his growing confidence in minimal staging. Rather than elaborate props or complex narratives, he allows the bottles themselves to carry the visual weight of the image. The slight rotation of each container, the variation in liquid levels, the casual yet deliberate spacing—these subtle decisions reveal an artist increasingly comfortable trusting in restraint.

This photograph ultimately succeeds because it occupies dual territories: it could function effectively as commercial product photography while simultaneously inviting the slower, more contemplative viewing that gallery work demands. This duality, this ability to straddle commercial and fine art sensibilities, marks a significant development in his still life practice and suggests promising directions for future experimentation.

Deadpool Lucha Libre: Chromatic Drama in Miniature

The photograph of a Marvel Lucha Libre Funko Pop Deadpool figure exemplifies a blend of commercial and fine art photography. Utilizing dramatic lighting and technical precision, it transforms a mass-produced collectible into a subject of contemplation. The piece reflects the cultural hybridity of its character, bridging traditional still life with contemporary themes.

Studio photograph of a Marvel Lucha Libre Deadpool Funko Pop figure standing on a reflective black surface against a dark background. — A studio still life of a Marvel Lucha Libre Funko Pop Deadpool figure posed on black acrylic.

Within Chapter 5’s exploration of tabletop still life—from classical arrangements to experimental departures—this photograph of the Marvel Lucha Libre Funko Pop! figure demonstrates the photographer’s command of dramatic lighting and his willingness to elevate commercial objects into subjects worthy of sustained contemplation. The piece functions as both technical exercise and cultural commentary, bridging the gap between traditional product photography and fine art still life.

The composition centers on El Chimichanga De La Muerte, the Deadpool variant rendered in the distinctive aesthetic of Mexican lucha libre wrestling. Against an uncompromising black void, the figure emerges through carefully controlled illumination that recalls the chiaroscuro techniques of Dutch Golden Age painting. The photographer has employed a Godox AD100 with gridded softbox to create a focused pool of light that caresses the figure’s surfaces while allowing the background to recede entirely. This technical choice—stark, theatrical, unforgiving—transforms what might have been simple documentation into something approaching portraiture.

The red and gold color palette dominates with painterly intensity. The matte finish of the vinyl catches light selectively, creating subtle gradations across the mask’s sculptural forms. Each stitch line in the figure’s costume becomes a shadow-casting element, adding textural complexity to what is, in reality, molded plastic. The photographer’s choice of the Tamron 35mm f/2.8 lens on his Sony A7II suggests a deliberate approach to depth and perspective—close enough to capture minute details, yet distant enough to maintain the figure’s proportional integrity and comic heroism.

What elevates this work within the chapter’s trajectory is its dialogue between high and low culture. Funko Pop! figures exist as mass-produced collectibles, yet the photographer treats this specimen with the reverence typically reserved for precious antiquities or fine crafts. The shirtless, muscular torso—absurdly rendered in the Funko aesthetic with its characteristic oversized head and simplified body—becomes an exercise in form and volume under his lighting scheme. The reflection on the glossy black surface beneath adds a layer of sophistication, grounding the floating figure in space while doubling its visual presence.

The image represents a contemporary evolution in still life photography where the distinction between commercial and fine art intentionally blurs. By applying gallery-level lighting techniques to a pop culture artifact, the photographer participates in a broader artistic conversation about value, nostalgia, and the objects we choose to collect and immortalize. The lucha libre variant itself carries layers of cultural hybridity—an American comic character filtered through Mexican wrestling tradition, then reimagined as a Japanese-influenced vinyl toy.

The technical execution is nearly flawless. Exposure is carefully balanced to preserve detail in both the deepest reds and the highlighted edges of the mask. The black background shows no distracting gradients or light spill, evidence of precise modifier control and post-processing restraint. This discipline allows the figure to exist in a realm of pure focus, removed from context yet somehow more present because of that isolation.

Within the broader context of Chapter 5’s examination of still life evolution, this photograph demonstrates how experimental approaches need not abandon classical principles. The work honors centuries of still life tradition while embracing decidedly modern subject matter, creating a bridge between photographic eras.

Big Daddy: Layered Depth in Contemporary Tabletop Composition

A focus-stacked image of a Funko Pop BioShock Big Daddy figure highlights the photographer’s skill in elevating a mass-market collectible to art. By mastering focus stacking and lighting techniques, he achieves hyperreal detail and visual analysis, suggesting aesthetic value exists beyond an object’s origins. This work bridges traditional and modern photography, emphasizing form and texture.

Studio photograph of a Funko Pop Big Daddy figure from BioShock, lit against a black background. — A focus-stacked studio image of a Funko Pop Games BioShock Big Daddy figure on black acrylic against a black backdrop.

In this striking tabletop study, the photographer transforms a mass-market collectible into a subject worthy of contemplated observation. The Funko Pop! Games Bioshock 65 figure—depicting the iconic Big Daddy character—emerges from absolute darkness with a presence that transcends its commercial origins. This work exemplifies the photographer’s evolving command of still life technique, demonstrating how contemporary imaging technology can elevate genre photography into something more architecturally precise and visually arresting.

The technical execution reveals a sophisticated understanding of focus stacking methodology. By compositing multiple exposures captured at incrementally adjusted focal planes, he has achieved a depth of field impossible through traditional single-exposure photography. Every riveted seam of the copper-toned diving helmet, each glowing porthole window, and the textured surfaces of the green atmospheric diving suit maintain perfect clarity throughout the frame. This exhaustive sharpness creates an almost hyperreal quality, allowing viewers to examine the figure with a scrutiny typically reserved for museum artifacts rather than vinyl toys.

His lighting strategy demonstrates restraint and intentionality. The stripbox and softbox configuration creates dimensional modeling that accentuates the sculptural qualities of the form. The warm metallic tones of the helmet and boots catch highlights that suggest weight and substance, while the darker green suit recedes appropriately into shadow. The signature yellow portholes glow with an internal luminosity, creating focal points that guide the eye through the composition. Against the black acrylic surface and backdrop, the figure exists in a void that emphasizes form over context—a classic gallery presentation strategy that isolates the subject for pure visual analysis.

Within the framework of Chapter 5’s exploration of tabletop photography from classic to experimental, this image occupies an interesting transitional space. The setup itself—studio lighting, controlled environment, careful composition—adheres to traditional still life conventions established over centuries of studio practice. Yet the technical execution, particularly the focus stacking process completed in Affinity Photo, represents distinctly contemporary capabilities. The photographer bridges historical methodology with digital innovation, creating work that honors tradition while exploiting modern tools.

The choice of subject matter also merits consideration. By photographing a figure from video game culture with the same technical rigor one might apply to antique objects or fine art pieces, he democratizes the still life genre. This approach suggests that aesthetic value exists independent of an object’s pedigree or market position. The Big Daddy, rendered with such meticulous attention, becomes a study in form, light, and texture—qualities inherent to all successful still life work regardless of subject provenance.

The reflection visible on the glossy black surface beneath the figure adds a subtle but important element of depth. This mirroring effect grounds the subject in space while maintaining the minimalist aesthetic. The overall composition reads as both technically accomplished and conceptually considered—a balance not always achieved in enthusiast tabletop work.

As part of his Top 100 Journey, this photograph represents his technical proficiency in a controlled environment, showcasing abilities that extend beyond spontaneous capture into the realm of constructed, considered image-making where patience and precision yield images of remarkable clarity and presence.