Sarah's 2011 Project : 101 ways to shoot an apple : Updated for Wk 8

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SarahLee

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After 18 months of shooting something to a theme each week, I've decided that I need a different challenge this year. (although I'll probably pick up the themed 52 again for 2012)

So instead of a variety of themes, this year I've chosen a single object to tie my thread together. No rules, other than each shot has to incorporate an apple in some way, shape or form.

The idea being that I challenge myself to come up with as many different styles and ways of presenting this subject as possible. Surely there must be endless ways of shooting an apple - optimistically I've set myself a target of 101 by the end of the year, but I'm going to try to do at least one a week and see how I go.

This is either genius or insanity . . . ask me which when I get to around shot 30 :lol: :lol: :lol:
 
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Do you mean

images


or

images


:D
 
I'm hoping to get some outdoor shots and some more creative ways of using an apple as the year goes on - but easing myself in gently, for the first two images, some very simple still-life shots . . .



In the first one I really wanted to emphasise the lovely crisp, bright green of Granny Smith apples and couldn't think of any better way of doing it than setting it on a soft white background.


001 by SarahLee1001, on Flickr​




And as a contrast, I've chosen a very subtly tinted B&W for the second shot. I wanted this one to be more about the shape and curves of the apple than the colour.


002 by SarahLee1001, on Flickr​
 
Brilliant idea!! This is my first time ever of doing the 52 challenge, but I was thinking of trying to follow each theme but always including my new favourite pair of shoes!!!

Two pictures down - worked so far....but who knows how long it can last!

Good luck with your apple challenge!
 
Great idea Sarh & 2 lovely shots .Love the 1st one with the contrast of pure white cloth matching the apples pure white flesh :-) Still thinking about the 2nd one,understand what you mean about a slight tint but looks a little odd to me....probably my monitor !
Look forward to seeing next weeks addition & wish I had 1/2 of your creative mind !
 
Sarah,
Remember - lemon juice is your friend, to stop the cut ones browning before you finish the shoot.

Paul
 
sarah, love

a) the idea of incorporating a single object into the theme... looking forward to this
b) image 1, beautiful shot
c) granny smiths are my favourite... :thumbs:
 
The first shot is excellent. Lots of implied triangle there.

As mentioned - Lemon juice. Also consider a mister to put water droplets on the fruit.
 
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Sarah, that's a different sort of challenge from the 52's... Interesting idea.

The first is really good, excellent framing and processing to boot.

The second is good, but the apple appears to be turning a little... so perhaps the lemon juice would help...
 
Hi Sarah

You've set yourself a mountain to climb, you brave girl. I wish you lots of luck, but knowing your tenacity and creative talent you'll get there. ;)

Week 1, Pic 1. I like the idea of the crisp green against the soft white fabric. Being hyper critical (sorry), my eye's finding it hard to settle on a point of focus. I would have loved to see one apple pin sharp to draw the eye in and lead it round the composition. The cut apple at the front looks a bit 'lost' with the fold of fabric behind it, and the left half of it could do with a bit more detail. It's really hard to control the light on this type of shot, (I've struggled and failed many times!) but a little less light coming from the right might have brought out more detail in the fruit. I like the way the stalks in the background apples are pointing in the same direction. I hope I haven't been too negative. :)

Pic 2. This, I love! You've judged the colour and shadows perfectly, and for me, the slight discolouration adds interest and form to the cut surfaces. The detail in the skin is excellent, and overall I think it's up that with your brilliant 'arty' shots from last year. :clap::clap::clap:

Jean
 
Hi Sarah,

Wow this is quite some challenge and with you all the best of luck. I will be visiting this thread regularly to see how you are progressing.

You have actually chosen a very versitile and interesting subject as there are so many ideas that immediately pop into my mind for this, so with your creative imagination I am sure you will do well.

I look forward to the images you produce and know I will learn a lot from your project.

I am already impressed with your first two images, and like each equally as they both have their own qualities. Love the first one for its crispness and makes my mouth water and I could just take a big chomp out of one of those delicious looking apples. I also like how you have kept the stalk on the left half of the cut apple.

The second image portrays a totally different feel. I like how you have controlled the light but I not sure about the shadow cast by the apples, especially with the selective colouring you have chosen (even though I like the colour), but I think it may have benefitted from there being now shadow or less of a shadow.

I hope you don't view this as a negative comment because the image is actually lovely. I am trying to learn and gauge peoples oppinions or views of different lighting, and shadow is the one thing that seems to have come to the fore in my own images, so it is something I am a bit concious about now. But I am sure it is something I will learn more about as the year goes on.

The tip about lemon juice is a good one. There are also some gadgets that one can buy to cut apples which could make interesting props too.

All the best and I look forward to watching your progress with this project, I'm sure it is going to be very inspirational.

Cheers

Dawn :)
 
michael23 said:
certainly an interesting theme and challenge you have given yourself Sarah, looking good so far. Really like your 1st image. Great colours and nicely composed.
Click to expand...

Thanks Michael. Glad that you liked it :thumbs:

laura-elliot said:
Brilliant idea!! This is my first time ever of doing the 52 challenge, but I was thinking of trying to follow each theme but always including my new favourite pair of shoes!!!

Two pictures down - worked so far....but who knows how long it can last!

Good luck with your apple challenge!
Click to expand...

Thank you Laura.
I've dropped into your thread and they are a FAB pair of shoes!

blondie606 said:
Great idea Sarh & 2 lovely shots .Love the 1st one with the contrast of pure white cloth matching the apples pure white flesh :-) Still thinking about the 2nd one,understand what you mean about a slight tint but looks a little odd to me....probably my monitor !
Look forward to seeing next weeks addition & wish I had 1/2 of your creative mind !
Click to expand...

Thanks Lynne.
I know what you mean about the second one. Full colour seemed too much like the first version and B&W didn't quite work, which is why I went for something in between . . . may not be to everyone's taste though.

robbys82 said:
like processing on the 2nd shot particularly sarah. Be keeping an eye on this one metinks :)
Click to expand...

Thank you Robby.

moore912 said:
Sarah,
Remember - lemon juice is your friend, to stop the cut ones browning before you finish the shoot.

Paul
Click to expand...

Thanks Paul. Lemons and apples are going to be regular additions to my shopping basket I think :thumbs:
 
SamuelSlade007 said:
sarah, love

a) the idea of incorporating a single object into the theme... looking forward to this
b) image 1, beautiful shot
c) granny smiths are my favourite... :thumbs:
Click to expand...

Thanks Kev.
It's an idea I've had for a while, so we'll just have to see how it plays out over the year.

Byker28i said:
The first shot is excellent. Lots of implied triangle there.

As mentioned - Lemon juice. Also consider a mister to put water droplets on the fruit.
Click to expand...

:thumbs: Mister now acquired and will be put to good use in the coming weeks I think.

jgs001 said:
Sarah, that's a different sort of challenge from the 52's... Interesting idea.

The first is really good, excellent framing and processing to boot.

The second is good, but the apple appears to be turning a little... so perhaps the lemon juice would help...
Click to expand...

Thanks John.
I fancied a change, but couldn't quite get away from some sort of personal challenge. We'll see how this works out.
 
jeangenie said:
Hi Sarah

You've set yourself a mountain to climb, you brave girl. I wish you lots of luck, but knowing your tenacity and creative talent you'll get there. ;)

Week 1, Pic 1. I like the idea of the crisp green against the soft white fabric. Being hyper critical (sorry), my eye's finding it hard to settle on a point of focus. I would have loved to see one apple pin sharp to draw the eye in and lead it round the composition. The cut apple at the front looks a bit 'lost' with the fold of fabric behind it, and the left half of it could do with a bit more detail. It's really hard to control the light on this type of shot, (I've struggled and failed many times!) but a little less light coming from the right might have brought out more detail in the fruit. I like the way the stalks in the background apples are pointing in the same direction. I hope I haven't been too negative. :)

Pic 2. This, I love! You've judged the colour and shadows perfectly, and for me, the slight discolouration adds interest and form to the cut surfaces. The detail in the skin is excellent, and overall I think it's up that with your brilliant 'arty' shots from last year. :clap::clap::clap:

Jean
Click to expand...

Thank you Jean.
:bat: And you should know by now that there's no such thing as too negative!
It's great to have a perspective from a fresh pair of eyes and it's all food for thought for the next 98 (98? :eek: <gulp> what have I got myself into?)

As always, I really appreciate your in-depth feedback and thoughts.
Really good spot with the light, there was a window just to the right of these, so mental note for next time to adjust the blinds until I get it how I want it. This was a lot harder to set up than I'd actually imagined, but plenty more time this year to re-visit and do something similar.
p.s. I hadn't even noticed the direction of the stalks . . . that was completely random rather than by design. Just the way they happened to fall :lol:

Glad that you like number 2. I was hoping to get that "arty" feel to it, so that's a tick in the box for that one.
 
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I REALLY like the second shot. The lighting is perfect as is the processing, it just works really well.

I'm actually planning to reshoot my apple shot I did for week two at some point as it was only a frustrated holder shot really. I'm going to keep a keen eye on this thread for inspiration if you don't mind!
 
drodd said:
Hi Sarah,

Wow this is quite some challenge and with you all the best of luck. I will be visiting this thread regularly to see how you are progressing.

You have actually chosen a very versitile and interesting subject as there are so many ideas that immediately pop into my mind for this, so with your creative imagination I am sure you will do well.

I look forward to the images you produce and know I will learn a lot from your project.

I am already impressed with your first two images, and like each equally as they both have their own qualities. Love the first one for its crispness and makes my mouth water and I could just take a big chomp out of one of those delicious looking apples. I also like how you have kept the stalk on the left half of the cut apple.

The second image portrays a totally different feel. I like how you have controlled the light but I not sure about the shadow cast by the apples, especially with the selective colouring you have chosen (even though I like the colour), but I think it may have benefitted from there being now shadow or less of a shadow.

I hope you don't view this as a negative comment because the image is actually lovely. I am trying to learn and gauge peoples oppinions or views of different lighting, and shadow is the one thing that seems to have come to the fore in my own images, so it is something I am a bit concious about now. But I am sure it is something I will learn more about as the year goes on.

The tip about lemon juice is a good one. There are also some gadgets that one can buy to cut apples which could make interesting props too.

All the best and I look forward to watching your progress with this project, I'm sure it is going to be very inspirational.

Cheers

Dawn :)
Click to expand...

Hi Dawn,
I've got so many ideas for this already. Some involve taking an apple outdoors to an unusual location and others a fair bit of PP verging on graphic art.
Been a bit tight for time the last couple of weeks so I've kept it simple, but there are plenty of more creative shots to come.
I like your thought about apple cutting gadgets too :thumbs:

You're right to pick up on the shadow in the second. Although I think the issue is more that the shadow is overlapping the slight reflection on the white surface so that it all looks a little odd. I did a couple of tweaks in PP to address it the best that I could, but the ideal would have been to eliminate the shadow when I first set it up and just relied on the reflection to give it a sense of depth.

And don't worry about things being perceived as negative comments. Just say what you think - the best way to learn is to take on board other people's ideas and views. I promise not to get offended or throw my toys out of the pram ;)
I've found this part of the forum far more open and honest when it comes to critique than the other sections. Probably because everybody is in this together, no matter what their challenge is, and we're all learning by sharing ideas and thoughts.
 
Love both of your first two shots - the first one looks so crisp and vibrant and contrasts so well with the muted tones of the second shot which is probably my favourite but it is difficult to choose.
Good luck with your amazing challenge - you will certainly have to put your thinking cap on as the weeks progress :)
 
Bluesmachine said:
I REALLY like the second shot. The lighting is perfect as is the processing, it just works really well.

I'm actually planning to reshoot my apple shot I did for week two at some point as it was only a frustrated holder shot really. I'm going to keep a keen eye on this thread for inspiration if you don't mind!
Click to expand...

Thanks Niall.
I don't think I've seen your thread yet . . . there's just so many of them! But I'll track it down to see if I can get any apple inspiration from yours too.

sparrow said:
Love both of your first two shots - the first one looks so crisp and vibrant and contrasts so well with the muted tones of the second shot which is probably my favourite but it is difficult to choose.
Good luck with your amazing challenge - you will certainly have to put your thinking cap on as the weeks progress :)
Click to expand...

Thank you. Still at the fairly easy stages but I can see this getting harder and harder :lol:
 
I've been working away this week, so I haven't had much time to do anything for this.
Number 3 is a bit of a cheat - I shot it a while ago. It's been sat on my hard-drive awaiting processing and I finally got around to it today. I was hoping to achieve a sort of oil-painted type effect with it. Quite a bit of effort went into lighting this one and then a few tweaks in CS4 today to finish it off.

Number 4 is a grab shot from this morning. However, at some point a macro of an apple stalk was inevitable in here.


Week 3


003 by SarahLee1001, on Flickr
Week 4[/U][/B]


004 by SarahLee1001, on Flickr​
 
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SarahLee said:
Thank you. Still at the fairly easy stages but I can see this getting harder and harder :lol:
Click to expand...


... other thoughts - apple trees, plus leaves, buds, flowers and (dare I suggest) ... insects landing/taking off from appletrees, foods containing apples (my mouth's watering at the thought of a yummy tarte tatin :lol:)

I'm really looking forward to some of your graphic interpretations, though. :thumbs::)

Jean
 
great idea for a theme .. best of luck, hope you make it to 101 !

My favourites so far are 1 and 4 as they are really crisp just like the apples.

I've just made an apple crumble wonder if that would count lol
 
Hi Sarah

your apple stalk shot looks brilliant to me .You've got a little light just showing the hairs & the texture of the skin ,awesome:thumbs:


as per jeangenie -
you've also got loads of different types of apples to use as well for your project.
Love seeing your photo's ,you have such great imagination:thumbs:
 
SarahLee said:
Thanks Niall.
I don't think I've seen your thread yet . . . there's just so many of them! But I'll track it down to see if I can get any apple inspiration from yours too.



Thank you. Still at the fairly easy stages but I can see this getting harder and harder :lol:
Click to expand...

Ha, mine was awful. Seriously, it was just a shot I took for the idea of the theme, rather than an actual decent attempt. My other two photos are better, but not apple related :D
 
Hiya Sarah,

Wow, you are on a roll with this :)

I absolutely :love: the 'Up Close' shot, such detail and the image draws me in to the core. :clap:

I'm not as taken with the 'Apple and Pomegrante', but the more I look at it the more it grows on me. My eyes seem to be dancing around looking for the focal point, perhaps because of the low angle and DOF. But I like the idea of the combination.

I notice you have used a slightly different framing for these two. Are you going to use a similar framing throughout, as I really like the way you have framed weeks 3 & 4.

Cheers

Dawn :)
 
Just spotted this thread. Some wonderfull images there. So simple yet effective.
Great idea for a project (especially as I love apples:))

As a newby I feel trepidation at offering crit, but here goes...

#1 the white background works very well. Beautifully lit. You've caught the colour of Granny Smiths perfectly. To me the focus looks slightly soft.

#2 Brilliant! I feel I could just reach into the picture and pick them up. The slight discolouration is great. Lovely lighting, focus and detail. The reflections are not distracting to me.

#3 My favourite so far. The colours are wonderful. At first glance for a split second I though the pomegranite was lots of little jewels. Great use of DOF. Not sure about the canvas effect.

#4 Probably my least favourite. I can see it's expertly executed with very good focus, lighting and detail. But, for me lacks the interest of the previous three.

It would be great if you have time to share some of the technical details on how you achieved these pics.
 
This is a great idea - my favourite is picture 3 so far. Keep up the great work, i'll be watching this thread with interest :thumbs:
 
Can only echo what others have said Sarah, it's a great challenge to work with. At least you won't go hungry after the shoot :lol:.

Di
 
Hi Sarah,
This is a great challenge for you to execute and for the rest of us to closely watch. All 4 of your images are really good but my favourites are 2 and 4. I will be keeping a close eye on this thread in the future
Good luck with the rest of your project
Ceri
 
3 is excellent, very nicely processed too. The effort put into taking the shot is clear too, very nicely done.

4 I like it, not sure on the colour in the rear corners... but I'm not sure that it really matters too much..

So are we gonna see more bees in flight with the kit lens then ? ;)
 
Wow, it's hard enough with different subjects but 101 ways to shot apples....you're brave!

#1, great colour in the apples. Nice depth and composition.

#2, I like the texture on the table surface. Like the positioning of the stalk. It looks a bit flat to me, unless intended.

#3, nice textured effect. Placement of the pomegranate is great. My first reaction was I'd like to see it without the right hand side apple.

#4, great detail. But I'd like to see a tad of the right hand side.

Good luck to you and I hope you eat oll the props after you're finished...;)
 
Sarah,

So far they have been excellent images. A great idea for a theme to shoot one object in different ways. I am sure it will keep you very busy and hope you fulfill this project. I will certainly keep checking back to see it's progression.

Good Luck.

Now I wonder how many ways I can shoot my 'Boss'? ...... and I don't mean with a camera :nono:
 
Hi Sarah,
Both 3 and 4 are brilliant shots - I think if I had to choose it would have to be number 3 - the canvas effect compliments the shot superbly.
 
Hi Sarah,
On the face of it your personal challenge seems a daunting one. However, so far, so good. I love all the Apple shots but if I had to pick a fave it would Week 4 - Up Close. Its a brill image.

Thanx for organising the 52 Challenge. It's great for newbies like me. It is appreciated
 
What a challenge :cool: i love the apple in "up close" really good image :thumbs: how much is this gonna cost you in apples per month :D
 
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