Fresh Fruit Anyone?

Fresh Fruit Anyone? – Day 20 of 365

WIth a rainy start to the day yesterday, I decided to spend some time working with flash once more. This time, I grabbed whatever fruit we had in the kitchen and headed down to the depths of our dungeon/basement.

I was going for a dark, moody feel. Did I succeed? What do you think? This one was taken with my nifty-fifty lens, handheld, and one flash. Suggestions or advice is greatly appreciated.

All photos are my own. ©Pepper Tron and Heaven’s Sunshine
No usage allowed in any form without my written consent.

Pepper

23 responses to “Fresh Fruit Anyone?”

  1. Stephen G. Hipperson Avatar
    Stephen G. Hipperson

    It doesn’t say dark and moody to – though there is a feeling of ‘caged fruit’. If you are after dark and moody, you could try ditching the flash and using a tripod – with available light. You might also try moving the flash further away, and adding some fill with reflected light. Or you could try bouncing the flash off a large white sheet. You may also want to think about the composition? I wonder if a slightly assymetric positioning in the frame may be a useful tactic to create mood. I can really empathise with your approach to this little project – I have often got an idea for an image in my head, and have found the best approach to getting the image I want is through an iterative approach – with ever decreasing tweaks until the image is right – or I get something better than comes out of the process. Good luck!

    Reply
    1. Pepper Avatar
      Pepper

      Hehe, caged fruit! I hadn’t even thought of that but you have a point. 😂 Can’t tell you how much I appreciate your suggestions. After reading your comment, I think my biggest issue is the available light which is almost none in our basement with dark walls. Thinking back, the fruit was probably directly under one light on the ceiling. I did start off by placing the flash further away from the fruit and the result was much darker and grainier than the one I posted. I kept moving the flash closer and closer and that was probably one of several mistakes. Bouncing the flash off of a white sheet is an easy thing to try. I had tried bouncing light off the low ceiling and walls but that didn’t seem to help much at all. My guess is that the dark walls and ceiling don’t reflect the light enough. I completely agree with your point about positioning in the frame. My focus was so much on trying to figure out the lighting that the framing took a back seat. Using a different vessel (without handles) for the fruit might help with playing with the framing a bit more. Anyway, I find your comment extremely useful and will give your suggestions a try. Thank you so much for the help. 😊

      Reply
  2. norasphotos4u Avatar
    norasphotos4u

    Beautiful still life!

    Reply
    1. Pepper Avatar
      Pepper

      Thanks, Nora. It has been so much fun experimenting indoors on those days that I’d rather not expose my camera to rain or melting snow. 😊

      Reply
  3. Eliza Waters Avatar
    Eliza Waters

    A nice still life. I’d say you were successful!

    Reply
    1. Pepper Avatar
      Pepper

      Yippee! Still life is turning out to be more fun than I ever expected. I rather be outdoors but when it is drippy and going back and forth between snow and rain, it is a great time to try something new indoors. 😁

      Reply
  4. Pilgrimage Studio Avatar
    Pilgrimage Studio

    So welcome. Thank you for the views! 📸

    Reply
  5. Pilgrimage Studio Avatar
    Pilgrimage Studio

    I really love this photo. I’d hang it on my wall for sure. Moody Fruity Art. It’s really a Beauty.

    Reply
    1. Pepper Avatar
      Pepper

      Oh, yay! You just made my day. 😁 Thank you.

      Reply
  6. Mellow Curmudgeon Avatar
    Mellow Curmudgeon

    Yes, the image has a dark, moody feel reminiscent of 17-th century still-life paintings.

    Reply
    1. Pepper Avatar
      Pepper

      Oh, yay! That makes me happy. 😊

      Reply
  7. Hammad Rais Avatar
    Hammad Rais

    This is wonderful. The ripening of these fruits is captured nicely 🙂

    Reply
    1. Pepper Avatar
      Pepper

      Yay! So glad you enjoyed the image, Hammad. 😁

      Reply
  8. kagould17 Avatar
    kagould17

    Flash shots are so tough to control, I think it worked well for you. You may want to try different backgrounds and see what some macabre shadows will add. Have a good Friday Pepper. Allan

    Reply
    1. Pepper Avatar
      Pepper

      Thanks, Allan. I had not realized just how much of a learning curve there would be to using flash. I have been so comfortable with natural light and using a speed light is forcing me to think differently. I definitely have to try different backgrounds. Right now, all I have are the dark painted walls of my basement. I appreciate your comment. 😊

      Reply
      1. kagould17 Avatar
        kagould17

        Try a soft dark cloth with a bit of a nap in it and then experiment with draping it to create folds and shadows. You can also get a green screen cloth and try that. I am by no means an expert in this, just an experimenter like you. I used the draped cloth form portraits of my kids when they were growing up. Happy experimenting. Allan

        Reply
        1. Pepper Avatar
          Pepper

          Might even have something laying around the house that might work. 🤔 I am off to have a look. Bye!

          Reply
  9. WanderingCanadians Avatar
    WanderingCanadians

    I’d say this was the successful photo shoot. Nice shot.

    Reply
    1. Pepper Avatar
      Pepper

      Your encouraging comment is much appreciated. 😊

      Reply
  10. Filipa Moreira da Cruz Avatar
    Filipa Moreira da Cruz

    🍊🍏🥭🫒

    Reply
    1. Pepper Avatar
      Pepper

      Have a wonderful day, Filipa. 🙂

      Reply
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error: All photos are copyrighted by Irene Tron/HeavensSunshine. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use prohibited.
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