Still life photographer Shelley Nott embraces cutting edge technology, but her inspiration comes from traditional past masters
The 16th and 17th century Dutch painters were masters of still life.
Their skill and talent at manipulating paint to create astonishingly realistic images of everyday objects, such as food, is unrivalled in the modern age. Until you see the work of Shelley Nott.
Shelley is a graphic designer turned photographer who, inspired by those Dutch masters, has used her own skill and talent with modern digital technology - and modern local ingredients – to recreate a flavour of their still life paintings.
Shelley, who is based at Benhall Green, says she has always taken photographs and was an early adopter of digital photography. Working in London in the 1980s, she spotted early on the potential of then new technology to open up the art of photography and desktop publishing.
She got into it in a big way, and was hired by software specialist Adobe and Apple to teach people how to use their products.
“It was an exciting time. I learnt on the job and ended up doing design work for various companies.” As she developed her skills with a digital camera, she began exhibiting her work and then took a degree, graduating in 2011 from the University of Westminster.
“It was a phenomenal four years. My love of food photography and still life came together and it got me very excited – the symbolism of food, what it’s about and how it’s portrayed.”
Shelley creates her shots in the same way the old masters did, using natural light, manipulating it to get just the effct she’s looking for.
She now divides her time working for corporate clients, doing commissioned work and her own photographic art, which she exhibits locally.
For more information about Shelley’s photography visit www.shelleynott.co.uk
