Tomatoes | northern California Still Life Photography

Aug 20

Written By

What better still life photography subject than the abundant tomatoes that are ripe and fresh from the garden? I thought we had too many tomatoes last year, and we did. So, we cut the number of plants in half. But, somehow, it hasn't really helped.We have six varieties this season. Eating the cherry tomatoes right off the vine keeps me satisfied while I'm picking the larger heirloom, Ace, Better Boy, and other varieties. What to do with all these tomatoes? We eat them daily, fresh and sliced. Or, we make tomato sauce and add them to different dishes. Several years ago, I made a tomato pie. It was fantastic! I may do that again.

workflow for tomatoes still life

But, today after harvesting them, I decided to photograph them very systematically. I wanted to practice my presentation for my upcoming Life Exposed still life photography workshop and retreat. Working my way through my workflow, I laid out the foundation near the window and attached my camera to the tripod arm to balance it over the flat lay area. Then I collected the props I thought I'd need, set the white balance, tethered the laptop for viewing, and began to arrange everything. A little squirt of water from the spray bottle and the scene was ready.I clicked, checked the laptop screen, and arranged. Then clicked, viewed, and rearranged until I was happy with my results. I love using the laptop as I shoot because I get a much better idea of how the images are turning out. In the end, I had fifteen still life images, ten of which were keepers.

Tomatoes - Still Life Photography

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tomatoes and basil washed and cut after harvest

So, there you have it. I did minimal rearranging, but primarily added things to the frame. The lower left image of the last set shown here is my first image taken. The top image in this post is my last image taken.

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All landscape, fine art, and still life images are available for purchase.

Please CONTACT ME at nadeen@nadeenflynn.com to purchase prints or schedule your portrait session.

Nadeen Flynn is a published, award winning northern California fine art and portrait photographer. Living in the greater Sacramento area, she specializes in fine art landscape and still life photography. Nadeen’s style is authentic, fresh and personality-driven. This retains the timeless features of photography that create family heirlooms. She offers in-person workshops, hourly lessons, and mentoring. While currently living in rural northern California with her husband and a couple thousand walnut trees, she posts regularly to Instagram.

Locations include Yuba City/Marysville, East Nicolaus, Wheatland, Lincoln, Woodland, Roseville, Rocklin, and Sacramento areas.

(530) 633-7575