Commercial Work - Shooting Vegtables

[Donald]

Carried out the first of a series of a shoots for a local young family who operate an organic vegetable produce farm. They sell products online and asked if I'd do the images for them.

This is going to be a long-term commission (I hope) with me shooting throughout the year as different jobs and tasks are undertaken. The idea is to build a portfolio of images of 'life on an organic vegetable farm', images from which can be used in different ways and at different times.

In the first instance what they wanted was 6 images for each of the 6 different online boxes they offer, ranging from 'Small Vegetable' to 'Large Vegetable', to 'Fruit & Veg'.

It will be up to their web designer to use them precisely as they want them. What I've provided is 6 images (at this stage) all in the same style and all at 5:4 ratio.

The shoot was done in one of their sheds using my Lencarta Safari 2 mobile lights, each with a softbox attached. One was close in on the left at 45 degrees and the other in the same place on the right. I had my Canon Speedlite ready to use on the backdrop, but didn't need it.

This example from the set is the 'Large Vegetable' box.

Your observations and comments will be welcome.

[Wavelength]

Excellent presentation; no distractions from surroundings; an attractive image from a customer's point of view

[skitterbug]

Obviously I'm not at the top of the heap for professional critiquing, but two things that bother me about this pic is the little green spot on the burlap above the cauliflower and that my eyes keep being drawn back to the cauliflower itself. It seems overly bright to me on my computer screen. So maybe it is "me". I also would like to see the florets more defined in that cauliflower. Or maybe the surface of it is that smooth and blended?

But over all if I was shopping for organic veggies being sold via a web page, I'd definitely consider the product!

[Dave Humphries]

My initial reaction when I viewed it casually was that it was more than adequate for the task and the the produce certainly looks nice enough to eat (probably better than most organic I see on the supermarket shelf, which usually has some signs of attack by predators, perhaps to prove a point).

However, Sandy makes some valid points; I'd definitely remove that leaf over the back RHS, but surely cloning is banned for 'organic' pictures

Keep an eye on the background, for me, the bits at 'top rear' on left and right edges of frame are just beginning to be 'too bright'.

The fairly even lighting has lost you the appearance of 'texture' in some veg, possibly recoverable by targeted local contrast enhancement, but be careful the saturation doesn't go OTT in those areas, because it's just about perfect as it stands.

Never-the-less, a very good 'first go' at this.

HTH, Dave

[JohnRostron]

two things that bother me about this pic is the little green spot on the burlap above the cauliflower and that my eyes keep being drawn back to the cauliflower itself. It seems overly bright to me on my computer screen. So maybe it is "me". I also would like to see the florets more defined in that cauliflower. Or maybe the surface of it is that smooth and blended?

But over all if I was shopping for organic veggies being sold via a web page, I'd definitely consider the product!

The green spot doesn't bother me , but I do agree about the cauliflower curds. I might also order a box if I lived several hundred miles further north. Your picture should certainly sell the goods.

John

[Shadowman]

Nicely captured.

[Manfred M]

+1 to Sandy and Dave's comments.

Commercial photography is not art. It's primary purpose is to provide the client with what he or she will best serve their needs.

As you are trying to market organic produce, you need to appeal to the audience that buys in that market niche and the message is clearly to distinguish the "superiority" of the product to the more commonly available commercial products. Here you have arranged nice looking, but by no means "perfect" looking product in the image. The burlap backdrop adds that organic and gritty edge to the image, which further emphasizes the "natural" look.

If I had to find fault, it would be with the lighting. I find the shot to be just a touch too "hot and sterile". Those are attributes I would not tend to associate with organically grown foods. I wonder if toning back the lights a bit just to get away from that look might not be more "on message"?

[Donald]

Huge thanks to all of you who have so far commented. I assure you that your ideas and thoughts are being taken on board.

[Donald]

If I had to find fault, it would be with the lighting. I find the shot to be just a touch too "hot and sterile". Those are attributes I would not tend to associate with organically grown foods. I wonder if toning back the lights a bit just to get away from that look might not be more "on message"?

Manfred - How would you go about 'toning back'? In your experience is there one way of doping it better than another? Would you have just dropped the power a little? Having made the shot, could you drop back the exposure in pp to 'imitate' the same effect?

[Black Pearl]

I think I get what Manfred means or they may just be my own leanings. Te shot is sharp, well lit and very presentable (leaf and bright colli noted) but I feel it should have a little more earthiness to it. Somehow not so clinical looking, less in the way of highlights, slightly heavier shadows, bit of a vignette, warmer, the backdrop more rugged. Make it look like its just come out of a small holding and still has an association with the earth and not so commercial.

Not sure if I'm explaining myself well but I hope you get my drift...

[bje07]

Nice job Donald.
Mike taught me to reduce glare by using a polarizing filter.
A vignette would improve as well as reduce the light on the BG.

[Donald]

Not sure if I'm explaining myself well but I hope you get my drift...

I get the drift!

[ST1]

Hi Donald, just a couple of thoughts from my quick look at the image. I see a distinct difference between the Horizontal and Vertical surfaces of the hessian which I suspect is from your choice of lighting. The same lighting is visible as highlights on the shiny surfaces most noticeably on both the tomatoes and red onion. In your description you say this is an example of the "large vegetable" box.
From a marketing perspective would it have been possible to include the actual large box with the produce arranged around/on it. My take on that assumes that the box would include some company branding. The quality of the produce shown looks to be excellent. I wish the enterprise well.


Sent from somewhere in Gods County using Tapatalk

[Manfred M]

Donald - I think there are areas of the image that are too hot. The cauliflower and the onion skins. I also find the background a bit hot; you can see where the hot spots of your lights hit there.

I think some of it can be done in post; clamping the highlights, adding a gradient to darken up the background and back row of vegetables, a bit of dodging to reduce the intensity of the highlights as well as trying to darken up and bring a bit more texture into the cauliflower details. Perhaps dialing back the saturation a bit as well.

[IzzieK]

I would like to add my opinion as well...I agree with Robin about giving it some earthiness but I do not know how to do that in post processing. My thought goes along the line of making it fresher like as if the vegetables has just recently been picked. Perhaps a spray of water, not too much, just enough to look recently picked? Manfred's edit is just warmer than your processing but I still prefer a bit of mist to them. Also that whatever it is behind the onion? What is that? If it is another red onion, it already looks old. Just my thoughts. 'Hope I did not offend.

[JohnRostron]

I like Manfred's edit. The Cauliflower curds are now nice and clear.

Also that whatever it is behind the onion? What is that? If it is another red onion, it already looks old. Just my thoughts. 'Hope I did not offend.

Looks like a red cabbage to me.

John

[Donald]

Re-processed.

[Black Pearl]

This might be a little over the top but it demonstrates the sort of thing I was imagining. Now it might not be what your client wants but I hope it shows the organic feel I was describing and you may be able to run with it in your own way...

[Mike Buckley]

Agreed with all of the above.

Did you design the composition? I ask because it works really well for me. The various colors, textures and shapes are nicely positioned as is the basket placed on a diagonal. The overall triangular shape of the perimeter of the group of veggies is also very attractive.

Both of my ideas about the lighting have to do with the fact that you lit the scene so evenly from top to bottom and side to side. Notice in Manfred's treatment that it's easy to determine the distinction between the background and the tabletop even though you used one piece of material for those two parts of the image. His treatment gives more of a three-dimensional look that seems to be more consistent with the overall look you are probably hoping to achieve. It would have been better to have lit the tabletop and background less evenly, but not having done that making it happen during post-processing makes a big improvement. Though I really like images that display little or no distinction between the tabletop and the background, that's when the presentation is clearly intended to be more in an artistic style, as opposed to this image that is clearly intended to be more in a documentary style.

I've looked at the image several times and though the shape of the vegetables isn't completely disguised, it's also not very well defined. You lit the subjects so evenly that the shape isn't instantly revealed at a glance; instead, the image relies a little too much to my taste on the viewer's knowledge of the shape of each vegetable. To reveal more shape in the vegetables, consider next time lighting the scene less evenly by using any of the following methods or combination of methods: Position one light source closer and/or at a different angle to the scene than the other one. Reduce the brightness of one light source so the output of the two light sources is not the same. Use just one soft box. Use one direct light source on one side and a reflector on the other side.

[Donald]

Did you design the composition? I ask because it works really well for me.

It was a joint activity - between me and the customer.