A Simple Still Life

I've set up a small photo studio in my basement.  This week I added a brown background that I will use for low key portraiture.  I decided to test it out using some interesting pears that I found in the supermarket.

If I've been successful, the three pears in my image will look like they were randomly placed on a table.  I wanted lighting that looked natural - like the light from a north window.

It's easy to place the pears in a random arrangement.  It is much more difficult to pose them.  They kept falling over and rolling around.  I wanted their red blush to be visible.  I wanted their "pear shape" to be apparent from camera position.  I wanted the stems to show but I didn't want them pointing to the edge of the fame.  I also wanted each pear to be different in pose and in height.

I needed to light the pears so that they had highlights that weren't to specular and shadows that weren't' too dark.  I positioned a 48" Octabox  very close to the fruit and as far to the front it could go before blocking the camera.

I took a few test shots and decided that I also needed a background light.  I used a battery powered speedlight with an umbrella.  I posited it so that it didn't spill any light onto my subject.    I  could have used a third light or reflector to put a little more light onto the pear on the left.  I didn't because I needed the shadow to know it's uneven surface.  

I used Lightroom to complete the process.  I cropped the image a bit.  I added a little negative clarity to make the pears look softer.  I  added a vignette to make the edges slightly darker.