Challenged to look at the work of Josef Sudek’s photography and emulate it, I chose to capture Still Life images like he did on the windowsill of his Atelier, or Studio. I’d rise early to get the moody images, especially on rainy days. The windowsill in my kitchen offered indirect, filtered light in the morning with sky peeking through the leaves of the trees. I chose to use this to create a bokeh effect for the background. I converted to black and white and applied various filters and textures to simulate wet plate collodion plates and used either a sepia tone or cool tone. This was a fun project, very much influenced by what produce was available.
Dragonfruit, Studio Style
One of my Christmas gifts was a small set of LED lights I can use for small studio lighting projects. Like this Dragonfruit. A little table top setup with a black cloth and two very bright LED lights, shining on the Dragonfruit to provide drama, detail and color.
This is also my January 1 image of A Picture a Day for a Year.
Pitaya Macros
June 2017, with tripod, natural light and a new macro lens, I explored the shape and texture of one dragonfruit, or pitaya.
See the Pitaya/Dragonfruit Macros in Flickr.
Dragonfruit: a photographic joy!
I was introduced to dragonfruit when I visited China in 2013. Occasionally, I find them at specialty grocery stores. I got two of these marvelous fruits this week. And, as my Instagram followers will tell you, I enjoy capturing images of this unusual fruit.
The dragonfruit, or pitaya, is grown on bushes in tropical areas. Florida is now providing fresh dragonfruit, as are other countries.
I’m often asked what it tastes like: think off kiwi but much milder. It is full of nutrients and is actually very low in calories. It’s just expensive. But I still love it!
I’ve updated my latest images to my Flickr account and invite you to enjoy them visually!