The 8 Best Still Life Photographers in Melbourne

While produce and flowers are to be expected, did you know that Melbourne still-life photographers also celebrate the beauty of food, cosmetics, and even objects that seem like trash at first glance? Still-life photography includes so much more than you might think.

The work of these Melbourne still-life photographers is a reminder to study the world around you more deeply. Everything shines with an extraordinary character when seen for its innate splendor.

1. Hannah Caldwell

Hannah Caldwell’s background in fine art informs her approach to still-life photography. Her subjects include classic choices like floral arrangements, glassware, and common objects. But when working with local partners, Hannah creates food imagery. Culinary creations offer an endless array of texture, color, and shape elements to explore and tend to be even more engaging than ordinary still-life images.

Hannah’s still-life photography has won several awards over the years, including recognition as one of the Top 200 Advertising Photographers Worldwide by the 2021 Lurzers Archive!

2. Maegan Brown

As one of the top portrait, travel, wedding, and Melbourne still life photographers, Maegan Brown’s approach is centered around meaningful connections, and emotive images. Her still-life work explores the subtleties of hard and soft shadows, intentionally imbalanced compositions, and the beauty of organic forms.

She is also a food photographer, using still-life approaches to enhance our appreciation for sensory cues. The subtle twist of steam coming off of a food subject reminds us of the smell of a baked dessert. Crunchy textures, slick sauces, and other elements all come together in complex and engaging ways.

3. Milk & Honey Studios

Based in St. Kilda, Melbourne, Milk & Honey Studios is a still-life photography brand specialist. They have 14 years of experience providing still-life fashion, eCommerce, product, and food photography for companies all over the world.

Milk & Honey Studios is an entire team of photographers and retouchers. By working together, they offer a 24-hour turnaround time for most projects. Even with their complex still-life food photography scenes with lifestyle-oriented props and compositions that convey a narrative!

4. Lisa Cohen

Elle Decoration UK, Vogue Living, Crown Hotels, and other major brands rely on Lisa Cohen for illustrating their publications and advertisements. As a Melbourne still-life photographer, she has over 20 years of experience, starting in London and continuing on in Australia. Her photography bridges the realms of fine art, storytelling, and engagement.

As Lisa’s website explains: “Whether on location or on set, Lisa creates imagery that is as authentic as it is inspiring. Her aim is to draw in the viewer, creating a connection that invites them to be part of the story.” She does so using colors that are subdued so that light, shadow, and form carry greater weight.

5. Aron Lee

Aron Lee discovered photography in high school. While he ended up studying architecture in college, the art form continued to call to him. His images highlight his endless search for beauty in all things. He is a photographer of people and things and often people engaging with things.

Aron’s still-life photography is exemplary in how diverse his lighting approaches are. He works with deep shadows and controlled light for a chiaroscuro approach as well as diffused natural light and bold exposures, covering all of the bases. His compositions often have a playful quality to them as well. Subjects are juxtaposed in curious ways that leave you smiling and eager to see more!

6. Kristian Gehradte

Kristian Gehradte first discovered photography during a trip abroad. What seemed like a brief foray into a new art form ignited a career that’s run for over 15 years! Kristian’s genres include still life, lifestyle, portraits, and interior spaces, all of which rely on his preference for detail-oriented, refined compositions that highlight the uniqueness of each subject. That’s why he counts international name brands like Apple, BMW, and Husqvarna as satisfied clients of his!

Kristian’s still-life approach is often warm, with bold illumination and deep shadow. The approach favors strong contrast and saturated colors, giving the final image an uplifting mood. His compositions tend to be minimal in character, with distracting backgrounds and uncluttered scenes, yet he includes elements like lines, shapes, and colors that highlight the main subject in complex ways.

7. Ivan Lee

Ivan Lee is a professional photographer with over two decades of commercial imaging and retouching experience. He is a Gold and Silver winner of the Australian Professional Photography Awards and has been listed as a top Landscape and Architecture Photographer by Capture Magazine. Ivan’s still-life product photography makes him the partner of choice for brands like Gundowring Fine Foods and Domaine Bousquet Wines.

His approach highlights the luxury elements inherent to fine wine, interior decor items, and food. The glint of glass bottles and the gleaming curves of cosmetic products hint at the promise the brands are offering potential customers. Ivan then uses artistic and engaging compositions that use complementary colors and shapes. The final photograph is more of a fine art image than a mere advertisement!

8. Julie Powell

As a portrait and Melbourne still life photographer, Julie Powell’s work explores light and its applications in the genre. Light painting, dark and moody, dreamy light kissed approaches…she has mastered each one of these, demonstrating the power of subtle light and composition changes to affect our perception and mood when viewing her subjects.

She also applies these techniques to still-life food and macro photography. Here, Julie engages us by bringing us up close to each of her subjects. We can then appreciate details that would escape a casual inspection. The glossy texture of cherries and the fine scales on a butterfly’s wings both reveal a world that’s always there yet easily overlooked.

Julie also works as a photography educator! She has presented at camera clubs throughout Australia and she offers constructive criticism and technique refinement for still-life photographers of all skill levels.

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