Sonia Rentsch : Dictionary of a Still Life Stylist - Define

Oh me, oh my! Sonia Rentsch has knocked my socks off every day this week and today she has done it again! Sonia adds another beautiful word to the 'Dictionary of a Still Life Stylist' and has me wondering, what do my hands say about me...? -Jenny x

de·fine v

1. to give the precise meaning of a word or expression 2. to state or describe something clearly 3. to identify somebody or something by a distinctive characteristic quality or feature 4. to show something clearly, especially in shape or outline (usually passive) 5. to mark a boundary, edge, or limit

Image styled by Sonia Rentsch, photograph by Willem-Dirk du Toit

What defines you? Your personality or character?

Obviously, beyond the boundaries of this image, there were two people in a room staring at these objects through a camera lens, trying to shape an anecdote, to direct your eye towards specific objects, to convey a personality without a human voice.

While it may seem from the outside that my job is merely to move items around and have them sit pleasantly in a space, it’s not the full story. Unlike an image of people, whose innate "personality" expresses something inherently distinct, successful Still Life imagery tries to bring inanimate objects to life. Like ventriloquists, the photographer and I work together to shape a dynamic narrative using the tools of placement, light and shadow.

One more day to go. Will you pick me up a coffee?

- Sonia x