Introduction
'Still Life' is a global online photography contest organized by cizucu, open to any creator registered on cizucu. Outstanding artworks are curated from the submissions, aiming to discover new talent as a platform and to support the community as a whole.
This edition's theme was Still Life Photography.
When you point your camera at an unmoving subject, sometimes the silence reveals the passage of time and subtle presences that dwell within. Objects, even without words, communicate through their presence, texture, and the way they catch the light.
Perhaps it was a vessel or a book that accompanied someone's daily life. Or perhaps it was something marked by the passage of time in nature, like a rock, a shell, or a tree.
Still life photography is an expression that seeks to touch the stories lying beneath the surface of inanimate things.
The works submitted captured the undeniable presence each of you observed.
Now, let us introduce the submissions and the awarded works.
Submitted Works
Photo by Michael
Michael
📷 Nikon ZR
cizucu Editorial Team
The decorated shopping cart—what was it used for? An everyday object, transformed and left on a street corner in flamboyant attire, its purpose unclear. Is it waiting for someone, or has it already served its role? The ambiguity invites viewers to interpret its story.
Photo by Gino Cittadini
Gino Cittadini
📷 FUJIFILM X-E4
cizucu Editorial Team
This rusted padlock appears less as a lock and more as a witness to the passage of time and the sea breeze. The deep blue-green background provides negative space, accentuating the scratches and rust on the metal. It feels as though the lingering intentions and promises left here by someone are still palpable.
Photo by 服部まいこ
服部まいこ
cizucu Editorial Team
The painting of Mt. Fuji on the wall, the well-worn shelf, and the carefully tended flowers and vase—each element in this image quietly conveys the passage of time and the personalities of those who have passed through this space. Through the presence of these objects, we are invited to touch the memories of daily life.
Awarded Works
Photo by Yishih
Yishih
“曾承載難民跨越邊境，這艘月亮船現已歸於平靜。在 Cox's Bazar 的夕照中，它宛如一座沈思的雕塑，無聲地記錄著生存的重量與流離的記憶。”
📷 Apple iPhone 13
cizucu Editorial Team
The composition, with the large boat positioned to the left, naturally guides the gaze toward the distant beach and sea on the right. While the boat is the main subject, the photograph invites contemplation of the passage of time in the landscape behind it. The traces in the sand and the small boat in the distance evoke the layered history of this land and vessel.
Photo by kay
kay
“memory of island”
cizucu Editorial Team
The ice appears not merely as an object placed on the shore, but as a fragment of time severed from the sea itself. The interplay between the light trapped within the transparent mass and the horizon stretching behind it evokes a lingering sense of journey in the stillness. Precisely because it is destined to melt and vanish, the weight of this fleeting moment is all the more pronounced.
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed this feature.
By focusing on inanimate subjects, we are able to sense the passage of time and the quiet presence that resides within them.
We invite you to take your time and savor the stories embedded in each still life.