Colourful fruits of labour

For my younger sister’s wedding day we thought it would be a nice touch to have a fruit table for the guests. We asked the catering company if they would be able to provide one for us but at a price of £400 (for fruit!) we said thanks, but no thanks! So, me and my older sister decided to have a go ourselves and as me and my sisters are quite a creative anyway

The day before the wedding day, my sister and I went to the local grocers and fruit stalls in our area and brought a whole range of fruits to give us different shapes, colours and sizes for our table.

As my sister’s wedding was an evening affair, my older sister and I got together in the morning of the wedding day and started prepping the fruit. We washed and cut up the fruit to make it easy and ready to eat

fruit

We then started placing the prepared fruit neatly in flat plastic trays that would help make the fruit not only look good but also make it easy to transport to the wedding venue.

We added small bunches of grapes and slices of oranges to the cut pieces of watermelon and melon, to add colour and also help fill the gaps.

My sister also had a good idea to make small cups of fuit that people can just take away. We used the leftover bits of watermelon, melons and grapes and added strawberries on top. She did this in a rainbow colour order which I thought looked great.

We had asked the venue to provide us with a couple of extra tables with tablecloths for us to use for our fruit. I got to the venue early and set this up before the guests arrived.

At previous parties and events my sisters have always set up a pretty sweet table for guests to enjoy. They decided they would like to do one for the wedding too to sit alongside the fruit table. In the weeks running up to the wedding we all kept an eye out for any sweets that fit our colour theme; red, gold and white (to match the bride). We then put them in colour blocks in various clear pots we had to make it all look neat when put together. I think the birdcages with the roses threaded through them are an especially nice touch and help bring the whole table together.

I think we did a good job (even if I do say so myself) and I think the bride was happy and the guests enjoyed it too, as most of it was eaten. We learnt that we can use our creative ideas to put together something that is well presented and enjoyed by all, at the fraction of the cost. I’d love to hear what you think of our efforts and if you have any other good ideas.

Still life roses


I thought I’d try and take different kind of picture with these roses instead of my usual macro shots. Seeing these sitting in a pretty vase made me think back to the still life paintings in my art books from the Renaissance period, which were wonderfully done, with lots of colours, details and depth. I know that this photo is quite simplistic in comparison to those grand paintings and I’ve used a camera (because my paintbrush skills are no where near as good as I wish they were) but the composition gives it the same feel and I think lets you see the colours and details by standing back to admire the whole scene instead of up close and just seeing parts.

What do you think of my attempt? Do you think my photo could resemble a simplistic version of a still life painting or am I just being overly hopeful?

Brown lines

Image

brown table garden
I got this composition almost by accident; I was out in my garden with my camera and as I went to pick it up off the garden table I noticed that it was pointed in the direction of the fence which had vertical lines like those of the table.
I really like this image because the lines of the table draw your eye up towards the fence which continues the verticle line. The light falling on the table brings a contrast in colour to that of the fence which helps to convey greater depth. I think the top of the chair also helps to break up the image. I think this is an nice example of how simple lines, colours and light can be used to create a a refreshing composition even with ordinary, day to day objects. I’d love to hear what your thoughts are, what you’d change if anything and if you can give me any tips