I’ve been doing a lot of tabletop shooting recently which is something that I enjoy very much. Halfway through shooting one thing I had an inexplicable need for liquorish allsorts, so I put a tactical pause on what I was doing and headed to the convenience store. They didn’t have the original ones so I got a packet of knock offs which I thought would be pretty good as a stunt double. No problem right? They’re all the same?

Ok, taste test. Hmmmm. Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be. But they looked so good. So I headed back out, further this time across town. This time I’m going for the real thing. Fool me once.

Back at the ranch now, I open the packet. And I see this.

Of course I see this one first – it’s my favourite. This is the perfect fondant to liquorish ratio, plus it’s a bit coconutty. I’ll shoot it first, and then eat it. That will give me a system. So I shoot it to see what it looks like. Really looks like. Not just recognise it enough that I feel comfortable eating it. I mean LOOK at it. It doesn’t look pristine. But the taste and the texture – the resist, the crumble, the flood of sweetness and the chew is like having a time machine. I’m a small boy again at that time when these became my favourite. It was much easier then. I knew what I was getting. No trickery. 

Except this one.

This one always tricks me. It tastes like betrayal. Each bag I think that I will resist and not eat these but I always do. And it’s always unpleasant to me but I still do it.

These

are only half as good as these

but you knew that.

These next ones I don’t mind – they’re a bit like non player characters. Reliable but not exciting. I could still eat ten in a row and feel good about number ten.

And then somehow we get to the ones left in the bottom of the bag, at least in our house. These will only get eaten at some time past midnight.

So kind of a mixed bag really, some good , a small percentage evil.

Maybe it really does take allsorts.

I wanted to write a few lines and share a couple of pictures that highlight the beautiful work of my friend and long time client Jesper Jensen. Jesper designs and makes the most exquisite jewellery in a style that is very much his own. I have shot many pieces for him – the ones below within the last couple of weeks.

Before I begin a job we’ll have a conversation about the piece and share ideas. I am very grateful for the creative latitude that that Jesper allows me in staging and shooting his work.

These glasses are a one-off design made from titanium. They are incredibly lightweight and very stylish.

This is a five light setup with the glasses suspended on fishing line which was removed in post. Interestingly the nature of the glass gives it this slight pink edge, which I really like. This final shot is a focus stack of thirteen nearly identical images.

There is something magical about this coming of age commemoration piece. When I see it I think of the winged keys in Harry Potter so I knew I wanted it to appear as though it was flying. This beautiful soft pink gives it the feminine tone that it needs.

Sometimes I get to shoot beautiful stones and gems such as this one. It’s an aquamarine from Sri Lanka and has these extremely unusual inclusions in it. Gem type beryl. A focus stack of something small and wonderful about the size of a very fat pumpkin seed.

This bold masculine square cut emerald ring gets a complimentary setting on green hide with the gold and green tones vibrating against each other.

The pendant of diamonds and platinum is beautiful but we should also give props to the handmade platinum chain. Each link hand cut and individually welded.

Shooting on black velvet and being very particular with the lighting allows it to shine. Literally.

For someone that is so visually driven Jespers workshop is a rich and detailed environment. I spotted this on a shelf and it caught my eye. I wanted to light and shoot it because of the dynamic shapes and textures and detail even though it’s an unfinished prototype ring hung over the detached bottom of a tiny sized anvil. Phew.. It interests me to look at this picture and I deliberately shot it in such a way as to raise doubts as to the size of it.

Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate your time and your business.