When I think of flatlay and food photography, Kim Bear's Instagram account Still_and_Wild is the first one that comes to mind. She has a way of telling stories through her use of beautiful props and light. It reminds me of days when we spent more time in the kitchen, when cooking was a language of love. Kim creates beautiful scenes with soft textures and beautiful color palettes, all creating a sense of home.
Tell us about your photography journey...
My journey started like, so many, as a mom wanted to capture my kids. I wanted to remember everything they did and everywhere we went. I quickly started asking friends to photograph their kids and families. I just photographed what I knew and at that time, in my midwest town, was families. As I progressed I began photographing Women (anyone else love Sue Bryce??) I saw, after photographing so many families, that mom would shove her kids in front of her you could just tell, while she really really wanted pictures of her family, she was uncomfortable. So I loved the chance to create beautiful images of women that make her feel like her best self. My family moved and I kind of reset my photography intentions. After all, I never created a business plan….I kind of feel into photography as a business. So a move to a new market allowed me to rethink what I wanted to do with my camera. I was blessed to meet a photographer in my new area and over many coffee dates where we talked about life and photography we decided to create a photography business which focused on families and children portraiture. We had a successful business and loved what we were able to create together. We were doing a lot of sessions and teaching video through Click and after coming home one February after Click Away I was tired. I was creatively tired, emotionally tired, and physically tired. All of my outdoor inspiration was extinguished. It was the middle of a midwest winter and off season for our business. My family redid my office (because it was a mess ) and on top of organizing all of my cords they created a console table for me and bought some flowers. As I was sitting in my office, again feeling tired, I looked over and saw those flowers and how beautiful they looked. It was like a creative forest fire was started. All of a sudden I looked at objects in a whole new way. It has been a personal project that I continue to feed and love.
Tell us a bit about your style...
I don’t know if I ever set out to create a style or look. I just photographed objects that interested me. A big part of my current signature style or mood are shadows. My darker more shadowy look was due large in part to my space. My space is dark and while I don’t think I would have chosen a dark look initially, it was what I had. So I leaned into it hard. I found the more I appreciated the light I had the more I found a love for the dark side.
Early on I made a choice that if I found something interesting I would lean into it. I scoured my house for objects that loved. I have always been a collector and lover of vintage things and my home was a treasure trove of items. But as I waded into the world of flatlay I found such joy in the hunt. There is a story to all of these things and for me that makes them more valuable. Plus they add an authentic vibe that gives it substance.
Finding and using vintage objects feels authentic to me. I feel at home. I want to encourage you to turn off all of your visual influences for a time and just do what feels right to you. Don’t worry about getting it right or finding a box that you can fit in to… make your own box. I am still exploring what kind of photographer I am and still asking myself “what’s next?”
What gear do you use? What's your go to lens and why?
I shoot with a Sony mirrorless camera and Zeiss Batis lenses. This set up is so light weight and I can carry multiple lenses in my bag and hardly feel the weight. Plus their look is rich and beautiful. I have shot with Zeiss lenses for years and can’t imagine a day I don’t love them. My go to lens for flatlay is my Ziess Batis 40mm and my go to lens for still life is either my Zeiss Batis 85mm or 135mm depending on space.
I also use Westcott lighting. I have their FJ400 strobe and Solix continuous lights. I started trying to replicate natural light (which I love!) but I did find that I also loved strobe for strobe. All lighting has amazing opportunities … so no matter what you have rock it out!
Who and what inspires you?
I am inspired by quiet moments. I love everyday object and everyday moments that we can all relate to. The other day I was really inspired by dishwashing. I actually love hand washing dishes and the idea of that quiet moment of labor where you can let your mind drift out the window. I guess I love slowing down through photography. I am not in my “real” life so slow and peaceful…so it is nice to do so in image.
What tips to you have for shooting still life and flatlay?
Just start shooting and stop over thinking it. Find the simplest thing you can find that you find interesting and spend time photographing it at different angles, with different lens, in different light, and moving it. Stop trying to make is perfect and take a lot of bad photos so you can find the good ones. You don’t need to do what I do…you don’t need to do what you see anyone else doing… just start doing what feels easy for you. I honestly didn’t know that people shot still life as a genre. It just felt right to me. What feels right and easy for you might look nothing like me. Still life and flat lay is a genre like anything else…meaning there are a million ways to do it. Think about how many ways you can take a portrait. A million ways..and still counting. So my biggest advice is to stop looking at what anyone is doing and just spend time in your own head.
What still life image are you most proud of and/or love the most and why?
This is a recent series and I love that is pushed me out of my box. I love to see how many ways I can photograph one scene or with the same props. After all…. buying food for shoots can make a dent in a girl’s grocery budget. In this series I started with the overhead shot and originally that was the only shot in my head. But I also had just bought and warm orange shirt and decided to just try it in the scene. I pulled the blue hand towel (because it was already one the table from the night before …go messy office!) and then added the apron because honestly I was wearing jeans and that was going to kill the vibe. Plus… aprons hide a lot of hips! Playing up the color palette really made this shot successful.
Thank you so much for this opportunity to share my work and my journey. I often feel like I am walking around without a destination but loving the views and enjoying the trip. I hope you are enjoying your journey as well and hope this month you were inspired to try still life or flatlays. I have enjoyed seeing how everyone adds their own style and have been inspired by you.