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Still Life with Ordinary Tools
Still Life with Ordinary Tools
kanaj


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Outside the Box Still Life II (Standard Editing)
Collection: Portfolio
Camera: Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
Date: Dec 24, 2025
Aperture: 1.8
ISO: 50
Shutter: 1/1289
Date Uploaded: Dec 25, 2025

Man, this is a really big swing. People are either going to love or hate this, I imagine. I feel like I'm probably breaking some written and unwritten rules but something about this ordinary scene at my father-in-law's tool shed in late afternoon direct sunlight just spoke to me this way for this challenge. I hope the invitation to think outside the box includes the invitation to lean a little metatextual with the subject and to stretch (or outright break) some of the conventions of classical still life.

Statistics
Place: 5 out of 26
Avg (all users): 6.4118
Avg (participants): 6.3889
Avg (non-participants): 6.4375
Views since voting: 270
Views during voting: 63
Votes: 34
Comments: 9
Favorites: 1 (view)


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AuthorThread
01/05/2026 12:51:34 PM
Originally posted by posthumous:

the shadow of the phone suggests it's another tool.


That's exactly what I was going for -- I'm tickled that it came through. I would have been content to leave myself out of the shadow, but I felt like I needed enough of my torso to convey that the what you're seeing is a hand holding a phone and not some other random tool. So this is something of a commentary on way digital "ordinary tools" have in many ways supplanted but not completely replaced reliable, analog ones like these. :-)

Then again, maybe the biggest "tool" in this image IS me? :-P
01/05/2026 12:39:17 PM
i gave you a 10. the shadow of the phone suggests it's another tool.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/05/2026 12:24:43 PM
Congrats on top 5! Very cool shot!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/05/2026 12:04:40 PM
Congrats on top 5! These would be useful for my side hustle.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/05/2026 07:18:22 AM
Well done!

You've experimented with different types of edits since you've returned, hats off to you.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
01/04/2026 05:47:23 PM
The subject matter works well, as does the shadow for interest. Not quite sure about the 'light leak' post application to the top edge.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/04/2026 03:57:34 PM
Awesome. One of my top picks
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/04/2026 05:52:46 AM
This is funky! Not a big fan of the person in the image though, not sure they add anything to this.


I love the vintage edit though.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/03/2026 01:17:51 PM
Gotta love it. And I will admit that I'm not big on the use of frames (inside the photo), but I must keep an open mind just in case something like this comes along. I hope you print it. A definite keeper.
  Photographer found comment helpful.