Photo365 - 350 - pomegranate

16/12/2011 - 17:57

The pomegranate brings back childhood memories of the unusual fruit I'd have between bonfire night and Christmas. We used to have a fruit and veg van come round our estate and I'd always go with mum to help carry back the goods.

Pomegranates were the fruit I looked forward to (along with fizzy pop and a curly wurly). It was fun to eat with a pin and very juicy. I didn't know at the time (or care), but they also have plenty of nutritional value.

Pomegranates are rich in vitamin C and B5. They have high fibre content, if you eat the seed and not just the surrounding flesh. They have also been found to reduce heart disease, and some class them as one of the "super fruits" In the last few years pomegranate juice has increased shelf space in supermarkets.

So that's some facts...now my photo. As I ripped into one today I decided to halt consumption and photography it.

I no longer bother with the pin, I just pull back a segment and lever off a clump of seeds with a finger. For photography purpose I used a knife to remove as much of the pulp as I could to reveal the rich red seeds, with as many visible as possible.

I then placed the prepared pomegranate on a white transparent surface and shone light through from the back. Lighting the front with a ring light. The shots were clean and technically ideal for stock, but artistically poor so I decided to introduce a pot pourri background. And here's the result.