Twenty Assignments to Build Your Portfolio: #2 Fresh Produce
We have two levels for all photographers.
This is part two of a 20-week workshop. The assignments will be on each Monday until the end of the year.
I hope that they will get your creative juices flowing, and inspire you to build images and your portfolio. Imagine having twenty new images for your book in January, 2026.
Week 2: Fresh Produce
Theme:
Color, freshness, and texture; learning how to make simple ingredients look extraordinary.
Objective:
Beginner photographers will isolate a single piece of produce to study light, form, and surface detail.
Advanced photographers will build an abundant still life scene that could appear in a cookbook or ad spread.
Beginner Assignment: The Hero Fruit or Vegetable
Goal: Create a striking image of a single fruit or vegetable with emphasis on freshness and texture.
Setup:
Small table near a window or one soft light source.
Diffuse the light with a sheer curtain, baking parchment, or use a softbox.
Place subject on a textured but simple surface (wood, slate, paper).
Props:
One hero item (tomato, lemon, apple, pepper). Choose the most perfect specimen.
Optional: a subtle supporting element (a knife, pinch of salt).
Lighting Tip: Side lighting at 45° works best to reveal surface detail without flattening.
Shot list:
Straight-on hero shot.
Overhead shot for texture.
Optional: cross-section cut to reveal interior.
Advanced Assignment: Abundant Harvest Still Life
Goal: Create a rich, styled scene that feels like a cookbook illustration or farm-to-table spread. Balance abundance without chaos.
Setup:
Tabletop styled with multiple produce types.
Use layering: foreground (few leaves/peels), midground (main pile of produce), background (surface/props).
Lighting with at least two sources: one soft key, one gentle fill or bounce.
Props:
Multiple fruits/vegetables in complementary colors (e.g., red tomatoes, green herbs, yellow lemons).
Supporting props: cutting board, rustic bowl, linen, chef’s knife.
Lighting Tip: Keep one strong directional light to mimic window light; add subtle fill to control shadows. Use white cards for fill.
Shot list:
Wide “harvest table” scene.
Tight crop on a hero cluster.
Detail shot highlighting textures (skin, leaves, seeds).
Post-Processing Tasks:
Beginner:
Spot-heal blemishes, dust, or dirt.
Adjust white balance for true-to-life color.
Boost vibrance gently, avoid plastic oversaturation.
Background cleanup (clone tool, heal tool).
Advanced:
Focus stacking for crisp detail across multiple depth planes.
Advanced color grading to unify tones (cool shadows, warm highlights).
Subtle dodge/burn to sculpt depth.
Clean up distracting reflections on shiny skins.
Optional: Build a composite from multiple exposures if highlights and shadows need separate control.
Pro Tips & Common Pitfalls:
Always pick produce at peak condition. Bruises, wrinkles, or dull color show up instantly. Yes, the produce people will look at you like you are strange… get over it. You need the absolute best.
Use a spritz of water for freshness, but avoid obvious droplets unless stylistically intentional.
Avoid mixing too many colors. Stick to a limited palette for harmony.
Beginners: don’t shoot against a messy kitchen background; keep it clean.
Advanced: beware of over-styling. The food should remain the star, not the napkins.
Stretch Goal:
Beginners: Try black-and-white conversion to emphasize form and texture.
Advanced: Build a diptych or triptych series (wide → medium → detail) that tells a visual story of abundance.
The new workshop starts September 3, 2025. More information here.
TRANSFORM YOUR MARKETING
And get clients on board fast.
It’s time to get serious with your business. Photography as a business is a marketing and sales game, and if no one knows you’re out there, the images you make are not important at all.
Find out how I can help, and help fast, here.
If you’re over 40 and still hungry to make, build, and create, stick around. This space is for people who aren’t done yet (and never will be). I’ve got five decades of wins, failures, comebacks, and creative battles under my belt, and I’m sharing everything that still works—and burning the rest.
No fluff.
No hustle porn.
Just real tools for building a creative life on your own damn terms.
Loving this.
Sometimes as photographers we over think and overcomplicate things, when actually an amazing photo is literally right in front of you with some careful lighting and creative thinking
.