One Prop Challenge / 01

One Prop Challenge is a new series that allows us to play around with ideas, learn new techniques, and challenge ourselves as creatives. By photographing only one prop in a small amount of time with minimal planning we're forced to think outside of the box.

The challenge consists of each of us choosing a prop without the other knowing what it is. Once props have been revealed, we work together to brainstorm ideas for 5-10 minutes. From there, we set up and shoot each prop in 15-25 minutes. The goal is to practice conceptualizing quickly and learn to create more ideas on the spot.

For this first challenge, we ended up combining our props together into one shot. Elle's prop was a pair of earrings and my item was a grapefruit. When we were discussing each prop individually, we realized that the grapefruit would be the perfect backdrop for the earrings. During the shoot, we played around with different variations of the same concept. The last photograph displays all the items that were used to create these images.

All of the following photographs have been edited using Pop! Color presets made by photographer Diane Villadsen. You can purchase those presets here.