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.
