Blackberries Moment

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Saturday past, it was. We hit the Marion Farmers Market after hitting the gym. Among the things we bought were Blackberries.

I immediately wanted to photograph them because they looked so good (side note: they were good). Unfortunately, other stuff took precedence and today the same berries were at the very edge of being too ripe. Determined, I was, to immortalize them on this blog (and the SmugMug Gallery linked above).

Let me tell you something . . . I ain’t no photography expert. Sure, sure, people (a few, not all) like my photos. And, sure, sure, I occasionally get lucky. But make no mistake; I ain’t no photography expert.

It turns out the shot I wanted was no longer possible; I wanted a shot of a single blackberry covered in sugar. On the first day, that would have been a great shot. Today, the berries were too ripe to roll in sugar.

So, I decided on a still life shoot. Or a food shoot. Take your pick as to what it’s called.

I used a tripod, remote trigger, composed the scene, used natural light from a West-facing window . . . I was focused on doing proper photography stuff. Or, you know, at least going through the motions.

It turns out it’s difficult shooting nearly black subjects and show details, especially when having chosen a white bowl as background. The dynamic range proved a difficulty beyond my meager abilities (and limited time).

After getting the above shots, I gave the sugar a try.

It turns out the above shot is likely the best exposed photos of the bunch. When I looked at it in the camera, I thought it was too bright.

Here’s the next shot at the exposure that looked good on the camera’s preview screen.

Some my argue my assessment, but the first shot is closer to what I envisioned before I started shooting.

“Why don’t you go back and reshoot?” a few will ask.

Well, that would be difficult as I’d have to wait until the berries travel my alimentary system . . . and, honestly, I don’t think they would look as good on the second pass.

I tried a few shots with whipped cream; actual cream that was whipped. Unfortunately, it had been whipped much earlier and was losing its “whippiness”.

Unfortunately, the sugar contributed to further break down the cream, so attractive it ain’t.

I used the on-camera flash for these photos. Something I probably should have done earlier.

Shortly after shooting these photos, I ate the subject. Yes, cream, sugar, and berries. It’s not that the berries were tart; it’s that I like sugar.

Having eaten that batch, I realized the rest needed eating . . .

Good, they were.

Here’s the thing . . . the above shots also look good in B&G&W (Black&Gray&White).

My favorite three B&G&W versions are these:

Here’s the gallery of all the B&G&W shots (the color gallery is below it):

 

Here’s the gallery of the color versions:

 

Ain’t it neat? I only had ten photos but posted 20.

That’s it. This post has ended . . . except for the stuff below.

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