How I got the photo: Summer Harvest

6 hours ago 3

Julie Powell - Summer Harvest II

I started a 52-week challenge on January 1st as a way of thinking creatively and challenging myself. I set up some still-life scenes in my little home studio with the theme “What I eat.” I wanted to capture something more vintage, more old school ‘Master’s’ chiaroscuro-styled lighting. It was dark and moody, but still with beautiful color and tones. I also did a black and white version. Here’s a breakdown of how I got the photo I called “Summer Harvest.”

How I got the photo: Setting the scene

I placed a timber-look backdrop on an old table and placed a Kate Backdrop foldable backdrop behind the table. I staged my scene with a wrought iron bowl and some vintage weights, as well as some Dutch carrots, heirloom tomatoes, sugar snap peas, cucumber and figs. I sprayed these with water. I also used a vintage set of scales in the other version.

For the lighting, I used the Godox AD200Pro II (1/2 power) and Godox Strip Box. I positioned the light a little to the left and angled at 45 degrees from the subject, the bottom of the stripbox was roughly level with the top of the table. No reflector or natural light.

How I got the photo: Camera gear and settings

Camera: Sony a7R V
Lens: Tamron 28-75mm lens
Camera settings: ISO100, f/8, 1/160secs (handheld)
Godox AD200Pro II Flash (X3 trigger) and Godox Stripbox

I did two slightly different setups. I actually chose the next image as my final image; something about the scales and additional height in the composition seemed to be just right. And then I was torn between black and white and color. But I think in the end, the color version was my final choice.

So what’s your choice color or black and white for “Summer Harvest?” Please leave your thoughts in the comments.

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Posted on January 10, 2025

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Julie Powell is a passionate photographer and educator, running online classes and workshops for still life, macro, food and portraits, based in Melbourne, Australia. Julie is also an award-winning digital artist and photographer who has a deep passion for fine art and conceptual photography, having exhibited in galleries in Europe, USA and Australia. See more of her work on her Website Juliepowellphotography.com or on social media.

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