Still life: Three Pears

Last month, for one of my projects in my studio photography class, we had to shoot a still life. The goal of the project was to create a scene that did not look as if it was shot in a studio. Therefore, we could not use any of the backgrounds or accessories that are available on location at the studio. We had to create our own backdrop.

I had to plan everything in one weekend, because we needed to approve our subject. So there I am on a Sunday afternoon, going around all the stores in Moncton trying to find something to photograph. Finally, I see these books at a store and remembered a shot I had seen online. It had a wooden box with a few pears on it. So I decided this was going to be my subject. I get 2 books, head over to the grocery store and buy 3 pears. Oh – and a curtain to act as the table cloth!

Once that was all done, I had to think about the background. I head over to the local Home Depot, grab a sheet of wood and a can of textured spray paint. I think it did the job!

On the day of the shoot, I arranged everything on the table, place my lights and take the shot. Guess how long it took to take just one picture? 10 minutes? 30 minutes? 1 hour? How about 3 hours! That’s one hour to set up the studio (rent the equipment, set up the lights, take light readings, etc.), about an hour and a half of shooting (making sure the light is perfect, using reflectors, gobos, etc.) and finally the last half hour to clean everything up. That’s not to mention the shopping time, editing and returning all the items back at the store! 😛

Here is the final image, as submitted to my teacher. I think it turned out pretty good. And so did he, since I did 96%! Not to brag or anything….