modern still life – Greg Urbano

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.

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.

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.