Inspired by the awesome photographs published by my blogging friend
David P. Offutt (aka The Gastronomic Gardener) I thought I would try taking some shots against a black background. I went out to the Art shop and bought an A1 size sheet of stiff card in matt black. Today I used it for the first time. Please let me know what you think of the results...
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| Tomato "Maskotka" |
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| Runner Bean "Aintree" |
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| Runner Bean "Aintree" |
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| Climbing French Bean "Cobra" |
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| Carrot "Amsterdam 3 Sprint" |
This is my opinion: taking photographs against a black background is more difficult than you would think. I found that in many of my photos the card appeared grey rather than black. The camera obviously found it difficult to capture the true colour of the veg at the same time as the black of the background. When one came out right, the other was wrong! However, from an artistic point of view, I think the photos are very striking. I think I will use this technique occasionally, for dramatic effect, but I will probably stick to using my usual lighter background for the "functional" photos.
The photos are great from an artistic point of view. I used to use a similar technique when I was delivering teacher training only we scanned the fruit and vegetables rather than photographing them. The light in which you are photographing can have a dramatic effect - did you use a spotlight or flash?
ReplyDeleteHi Mark,
ReplyDeleteYour photos are always very nice, but to me, if you place anything colorful against a white background, the white makes it pop. Some of my artist friends agree with me. Some others, do use black for their paintings and I find it takes away from them. Try purchasing a white card and see the difference--could be a matter of personal preference, and I certainly don't mean to critisize.
It is interesting, some of them do look grey, not black. The green beans are particularly dramatic.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the shout-out!
Hi Mark, these photos are very nice. The black background gives the veggies a very "formal" look.
ReplyDeleteI especially like the runner bean photos , too. I think it's the texture of the beans against the smooth background.
These pictures are nice. But I prefer your lighter background ones. But then again I'm no photographer. I just point and shoot.
ReplyDeleteThe black background is not bad at all. We see more detail of the vegetable.
ReplyDeleteVery dramatic, the dark background really intensifies the pictures, without taking any attention away from the vegetables.
ReplyDeleteHi Mark,
ReplyDeleteThe photographs against the black card are certainly striking and capture the shapes of the vegetables well, especially the greens. I think this style of photography is great for raw veg, but not for cooked dishes like mine. Keep experimenting though, its good for amateur phototgraphers like myself to learn from others experiences, esp as I've not tried this method.
Hmm... I prefer your photos that show a little glimpse of something else of you... you know, maybe a peek at a wall, or a path or something... for me the black background is removing the connection between your produce and your garden.
ReplyDeleteI prefer your less styled shots!
I like! Stylish, good for showing off produce, but wouldn't want to see you go all out this way, like Ali, it is good to see a bit of real world context. Fun though!
ReplyDelete