Member Monday Featuring Çiçek Kıral
It’s time for another Member Monday, buckle up!
Still life photography is one of our favorite photography genre’s because you’re able to craft the scene you envision, without some of the tricky elements of nature.
We sat down with KelbyOne member Çiçek Kıralto get a peek into her process. Take it away, Çiçek!
About the Photographer
- Hometown: I live in Eskişehir, Turkey
- Years in Photography: I am interested in photography for over twenty years but I started taking photos with a Canon DSRL in 2015.
- Years as a KO Member: I am about to finish my first year as a Pro member in the KO community.
About the Photo:
- Title: Old and New
- Location: Eskişehir, shot in my home studio
- Any additional description of the photograph: In this image, I put my subject on a background that I have created myself. I used acrylic paint on canvas cloth. In post-production, I applied some additional filters in addition to some basic edits in Lightroom and Photoshop to give the look I wanted. I love the painterly look in my images.
- Gear/Software Used: This image was taken with a Canon 6D. I took it with my Sigma Art 35 mm. I usually start editing my images in Lightroom and then I switch to Photoshop for some additional editing.
Describe your creative style in 3 words
Painterly – Artsy – Self Assertive
Tell us about a time you struggled or failed with your photography, and how you overcame it?
Well, I have a competitive nature and I like my work to be discovered and praised by others. When I first started with Still Life Photography I could not produce the work that appealed to the eye. I was desperate to produce images that would make me happy. Sometimes you may not see what does not work easily. It was not my gear or the software that I was using. I realized that it was my setups that did not work. Yet I did not give up. I literally shot hundreds of setups, changed objects, backgrounds, and lighting styles. Because I did not give up, I finally ended up with the work I am producing now. I have hundreds of still life images on my hard discs that remind me of that struggle. I had to see what did not work a lot of times.
While figuring out this I came across KelbyOne. Because I also needed great assistance in photo editing which is very essential in today’s world of photography. So I became a Pro member and started to fill in my gaps.
What sparked your love of photography?
Years ago I realized that I get very motivated in life when I see something that grabs my attention. The more this something remained unchanged in front of me, the longer my positive feelings lasted and my creative side sparked. Soon I realized that Photography was the means that kept my ignitors just as I wanted them. At that point, I started learning. I also studied Photography at a university for two years and earned myself a diploma.
What’s your favorite class on KelbyOne and why?
Well, this is now the most difficult question I answered. All the classes I watched became a favorite by the time I finished them. Yet if I had to choose I would say the classes on using layers and those about selections and color management were lifesavers for me when I first started with KO because I was so bad at image editing. I made horrible editing and destructed so many precious images.
Later on, I was also fascinated by other creative classes. I want to improve my compositing skills as well to enlarge my creativity.
Connect with Çiçek
Well, my best images are here: https://gallery.1x.com/member/flower98, and @Cicek_kiral is my Instagram page.
Thanks to Çiçek for sharing these incredible images with us—keep up the great work!
Thank you for joining us for another Member Monday! If you haven’t yet, be sure to submit your photos for a chance to receive a Member Monday feature of your own.
