How I got the shot: Raspberries

I often get asked to break down, HOW I got the shot, so I thought I would share a fairly common type of still life image I captured and break it down. This time, I’m talking raspberries.

Behind the scenes

For this shot, I used a small vintage silverware sugar jug filled with fresh raspberries. I popped some paper towel in the bottom so I didn’t need quite so many berries. The backdrop is a canvas painted with blackboard paint, and the surface is my vintage chippy table.

I love my Neewer LED Bank for still life. My Sony a7R III (B&H | Amazon) with a 50mm macro lens (B&H | Amazon) is set up on a 4-axis macro rail (B&H | Amazon). I used manual focus with the peak meter.

The settings

Because everyone always seems to want to know … I shot in Aperture Priority mode, using exposure compensation -2. I shot at f/2.8, ISO 100, 1/25s, and processed in Lightroom Classic.

Alternative

I also tried using a seven image, 2-stop bracket and then processed it in Aurora HDR, however, I didn’t like what it did to the jug and the reflections as much. It might be bracketed, but I’m still not convinced about using it for still life (may I need more practice?).

I guess it just goes to show, when you know something works a certain way, it’s not also worth trying something new! But you just never know until you try.