The 8 Best Still Life Photographers in Portland

If you’re looking to see the work of the most talented Portland still life photographers, then you’ve come to the right place! Do you enjoy fine art still life photography, where the artist presents a subject for careful contemplation? Or perhaps commercial still life photography is more to your tastes, where you can experience a brand new product through solely the visual sense? What if you could have both at the same time?

Each of these Portland still life photographers specializes in one — or both — of these styles. Which one best meets your preferred vision?

1. Leah Verwey

Originally from Pennsylvania, Leah Verwey is a Portland local now who calls major international brands customers of hers. These include Adidas and Campbell’s Foods, just to name a few.

Her work is some of the best we’ve seen in the modern still-life commercial tradition. Colors have a saturated snap that’s ideal when paired with bright exposure. The compositions are balanced between backgrounds and props that add to the mood and story yet don’t distract from the main subject matter. Shapes, colors, lines, and forms all complement each other and have an artistic weight of their own, independent of the featured product.

2. Kris LeBoeuf

As an editorial and still life photographer, Kris LeBoeuf’s work aims to convey not just the form of a product but also its brand identity and promise. What can it do for you, a potential customer?

Kris studied photography at The Hallmark Institute of Photography in New York City, under Gregory Heisler, the artist-in-residence. After graduating near the top of her class, Kris came to Portland to start her very own creative brand.

3. Libby Volgyes

Libby Volgyes is a Miami and Portland still-life photographer who runs a food-oriented studio! She counts national advertising campaigns and culinary companies as partners of hers, both of whom understand the power of still-life photography to help people engage with a brand before they ever hold an item.

Yet her still-life images also explore the innate beauty of items well before they enter the kitchen. Uncut produce and even live chickens offer a unique look at what beauty lies in front of us.

4. Raina Stinson

Raina Stinson travels regularly between Provence, France, and Portland, Oregon, making her dream of becoming a full-time photographer a reality. She leads tours, teaches classes, and creates still-life images that are classic in character.

We say classic because Raina uses lighting, subjects, and compositions that evoke the first still-life paintings. Bright yet natural and dark, chiaroscuro practices are where she begins. From there, Raina builds on our interest in food, which France is world-famous for. Cheese, bread, produce, and wine come together, alongside polished metal cutlery and fine dining ware, leaving you eager to discover what else Provence has to offer!

5. George Barberis

Clients in both New York City and Portland call on George Barberis for portrait, interior, and product still-life photography. He trained in his early career with some of the best and boldest talent that NYC had to offer. Yet his work is clearly distinctive, with compositional and color grading approaches that are all his own.

George favors subdued colors, with gray and white overtones. Diffused natural light and soft shadows complete the contemporary interior vibe; perfect for home decor, cosmetics, food, and other essential items. Each composition includes several objects yet the total feeling is one of complete harmony and calm!

6. Jim Golden

Portland still-life photographer Jim Golden is one of the few artists whose work is so good that he can specialize in the genre. He leaves portraits and other distractions aside, filling his portfolio with items of all sizes and purposes. Some of Jim’s collections include fruit, apparel, and automotive components, not to mention jewelry and glassware, which are hard to photograph given how reflective their surfaces are.

Jim is so enthusiastic about still-life photography that he also has several collections of work that aren’t tied to a commercial campaign. He has more than a few classic still-life images, where vegetables take center stage. Their shapely, organic forms are a perennial favorite for fine art lovers, yet he also explores gatherings of neatly arranged items that you’d otherwise ignore. A lot of 94 work gloves can be a lot more interesting when arranged by color and captured through Jim’s perspective!

7. Holly Andres

Holly Andres is a portrait, advertising, and Portland still life photographer whose work is best classified in her own words: “stylized, cinematic scenarios.” In these, there are strong lifestyle and emotional elements to the scene. They range from simple nostalgia about a bygone era to conceptual compositions that challenge our expectations.

Holly is a contributor to major national publications like TIME, The New York Times, and Oprah Magazine. Clients like Vanity Fair, ESPN, and the Oregon Coast Aquarium seek her out to create still-life images that reach and intrigue their target audiences.

We enjoy Holly’s more complex compositions the most. Her ability to include multiple items in a busy background and a human subject is hard to achieve without distracting and dazzling viewers. But Holly seamlessly ties it all together so you’re instantly sensing the mood and narrative her brand partners aim to convey.

8. Brian Kosoff

As a landscape and still-life photographer, Brian Kosoff’s work explores the unmoving silence of the world. His work whispers rather than shouts at you in part thanks to his preference for monochrome over color. Repeating patterns and whimsical subjects are a favorite approach. We also enjoy Brian’s choice of monochrome for subjects that are so often shown in color, like bubbles. It offers a distinct new view of the world.

Another aspect of Brian’s still life and landscape photography we enjoy is how he manages to find fascinating compositions, regardless of the scene. Places and subjects that most photographers would ignore are instead celebrated in crisp grayscale. His work reminds us to look closely when we’d otherwise ignore a given subject or scene because more often than not, there is an endless depth to explore there!

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