Our Origin Story
Long before Still Life Stories had a name, I was drawn to old, overlooked and forgotten objects - things that had already lived a life before they reached me.
For years, one of my favourite things to do was hunt through second-hand shops and Facebook Marketplace. While planning our DIY wedding, that fascination grew into a collection of vintage furniture and curiosities large enough to fill a warehouse space and a lock-up. I loved finding unusual pieces but I was just as interested in where they had come from, who had owned them and the stories they might carry.
I even imagined creating a blog to document some of those objects and the lives they'd passed through. It never happened but the idea stayed with me.
Then life changed. Covid altered our plans, I became a mum and two house moves made me reconsider my own relationship with the things I kept. Much of the collection had to go and I came to realise that valuing an object doesn't always mean keeping it forever.
Years later, that idea became much more personal.
When my daughter and I reached the end of our breastfeeding journey, it was time for the nursing chair to leave her room. It had been part of countless quiet nights, difficult moments and some of my most treasured memories of early motherhood. Letting it go felt far more emotional than I expected.
So I photographed it.
I wanted to preserve it exactly as it had been lived with - messy, worn and full of meaning.
In that photograph, several threads came together: my fascination with old objects and the lives they've witnessed, my experience as a product photographer and what I'd learned about keeping, letting go and making space for what comes next.
That photograph became the starting point for Still Life Stories - portraits of the objects that quietly witness important chapters of our lives.
Preserve the object.
Remember the story.
Carry the meaning forward.
The Concept.
Still Life Stories treats meaningful possessions with the same care traditionally given to people in portraiture.
Each object is photographed as a subject in its own right, with attention to its character, history and the details that make it personal.
The result is a considered piece of artwork that preserves not just how an object looked but what it represented.
Part photography, part storytelling, the process creates a lasting record of the things that have shaped our lives, whether they remain with us or eventually have to be let go.
Gather. Share. Connect.
Still Life Stories began with individual objects and personal memories but stories become especially powerful when they're shared.
Beyond the portraits themselves, the project extends into workshops, exhibitions and small gatherings designed to bring people together.
In these spaces, everyday objects become doorways to conversation, gentle prompts that help us share memories, reflect on change and discover the experiences we have in common.
Loneliness doesn't discriminate. It can touch every age and every stage of life, from new parenthood to grief and everything in between.
By creating warm, welcoming environments where stories can be offered or simply witnessed, our aim is to create opportunities for genuine connection, between friends and families, neighbours and strangers.
Because when we pause to look closely, the things we hold onto often have stories that connect us to one another.
Thinking about preserving a meaningful object?
Here's what to expect before you book.