As an honors student, I'm given the opportunity to do 'honors contracts' or projects each semester to supplement standard classwork. This semester I wanted to do a portrait series playing with the whimsy of everyday objects and exploring the magical possibilities a photo studio could offer. I had every intention of starting the project once returning to campus after Spring Break.

Needless to say, that didn't happen.

So instead, I made do in the doorway of my own apartment (with the help of my girlfriend).

Lacking any sort of formal scaffolding or tripods, I turned to command hooks and the top of my clothes drying rack to serve as a hanging place for my objects. It took some practice to balance out the set (especially with the orange slices), but after a few adjustments it would hang fairly even. The oranges took the longest to slice and prep (some were blotted try while other's were properly candied) but the peeps were the messiest (we resorted to shoving an embroidery needle through them, caking both fishing line and needle in sugar).

I had borrowed an LED panel from a friend before break, and used my own two speed lights and gels for lighting. My girlfriend styled her own outfits, makeup, and hair - I just asked for the look to be generally monochromatic.

All of the photos were shot on a Nikon d5300 on a 24-70 f/2.8. All adjustments and retouching were done in Lightroom and Photoshop.