Tools of the Trade

The April assignment in my still-life photo project for this year featured “Tools of the Trade”. The idea was to use tools related to a hobby or craft and portray them in a still life arrangement.

My immediate inspiration became my bullet journalling supplies – those colourful washi tapes, decorative pictures and vibrant brushes that make planning feel like an art form.

But as I was looking at them arranged on my desk, they didn’t feel quite as impressive and story-telling as I expected – they didn’t capture the essence of what “tools of the trade” meant to me. So I decided to switch gears and asked my husband where he keeps those old rusty tools that I knew were tucked away somewhere.

These weathered objects tell a different story entirely. Perhaps they don’t look conventionally attractive, perhaps they’re worn out and misshapen but they carry the weight of their history – having been produced with purpose, used with intention, and eventually perhaps somewhat forgotten as newer tools took their place.

Finding the right background for the portraits became crucial to emphasizing the tools’ weathered charisma. I experimented with different surfaces before settling on a combination of three textures that achieved the intended look. The subdued pattern providing a prominent yet gentle foundation, the reddish highlights echoing the rust tones, and the deeper shadows creating depth – all meant to highlight the presented objects.

When experimenting, you always learn something new, don’t you?

The assignment for May featured “Windows and Reflections,” and that’s a story I’ll share with you next time…