Still Life With Spring Vegetables

This time of year is abundant in lovely vegetables, so I thought veg would be a great theme for a seasonal still life image right now. I wish I lived near a market or a farm from where I could buy fresh homegrown produce (and be sure it IS homegrown), but unfortunately I don't and am having to rely on supermarkets for all my food. The first vegetable I chose for my still life was celeriac and I chose it for its rough, rooty texture as I wanted my image to have a rustic feel to it; secondly, I went for an artichoke for its lovely petals-like look and purple colour around the stem; I wanted a fennel bulb for its whiteness that was going to give a tonal contrast to the set up; asparagus spears looked good in a jug adding a balance to the composition, and some cut up spring greens served to add some depth . To top it all off I scattered a few radishes around purely for a splash of red which I always seem to crave in photographs. And to emphasize a sense of country lifestyle and rustic look I used my vintage enamel colander, a copper jug and kitchen utensil and a wooden chopping board. I tried incorporating a kitchen  towel as well, but opted for some hessian cloth in the end.
I try to keep my postprocessing quick and simple these days. Gone is the time when I'd spend hours editing one photo. Apart from some basic tweaks I used two grungy texture layers, which I softened slightly, blurred the hessian a bit and applied a vignette.

Nikon D7100  f/8  1/80 sec  ISO-560  52mm
After the shoot I always try to use all my edible props as I hate food waste. I blanched the spring greens, put them in some food bags and popped them in the freezer. I roasted the asparagus and fennel, and asparagus was delicious, but fennel was tough. Fennel is much better fried and added to casseroles, soups and stir fries. I didn't do anything with the artichoke and simply put it on my kitchen window sill as decoration. I've used radishes in salads and sandwiches and I still have to use the celeriac; I have never had celeriac before and need to find a recipe for it. I do love the way it smells.

For my next still life I will probably use a similar seasonal theme - summer fruits. Summer berries are different shades of red, which is my favourite colour, and then there are peaches, apricots and nectarines with their beautiful golden orange tones.......Can't wait to play with them all soon!






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