Introduction to the Peach Picnic Shoot
After doing several photo shoots at some farms, I had this idea of combining my love for fresh produce with happy people. I want to show some new work with models of a younger generation enjoying moments on a farm. Also, I wanted to stretch my skills and do this shoot in an outdoor environment where there are more challenges than a studio setting. Vibrant, sun-filled images were created on a cloudy, overcast day and with my own styling. In about 3 hours of shooting, we created images in about 2 different “scenes” resulting in 10 final selections (not including some extra fun images we did at the end!)
Creative Direction: Of all fruits, why peaches?
If fruit could have personality, then peaches would be bubbly and full of personality. Peaches are juicy and vibrant with hues of red and orange. Because peaches are so seasonal, many fresh food lovers get excited about all that this fruit brings: homemade desserts, get-togethers like picnics at parks or farms.
I wanted to capture those memorable feelings with a bright, energetic palette and a little flavor drama—grilled peaches topped with yogurt and mint.
I also love the idea of making simple, whole foods part of a shared experience. Brands like the Painterland Sisters do this beautifully, using lifestyle imagery to connect yogurt with their farming family life.
For this project, I planned the scene, color palette, props, and styling around one cohesive story: farm to picnic.
Location Considerations
I chose to do the shoot at an orchard just minutes from my studio, which made shoot prep, hair, and makeup easy! Although the story was about picking peaches and having a picnic, I intentionally chose an orchard that does not do PYO peaches. That gave us privacy and full use of the area we were shooting in.
A few weeks before the shoot, I visited in the late afternoon—the same time we planned to shoot. The farmer walked the rows with me and pointed out which peach trees would still be full of fruit. I wanted those pops of color in the background, so choosing the rows that would not be harvested yet was important.
I also looked for a spot where the sunlight would fall from the side or behind the picnic blanket. With a 3 p.m. start, I expected the sun to be fairly harsh, so I wanted some natural shade to soften things.
The day of the shoot turned out to be very overcast—which was better, but I ended up creating my own sunshine with artificial lights.
Arranging Talent
My friends Melinda and Kelly each have teenage daughters interested in acting and theater. I’d photographed Sophia and Abbey before and thought they’d make perfect “sisters” for this shoot—even though they’d never met! Their red hair was also a fun match for the warm hues of the peaches.
I wanted their hair and makeup to feel vibrant but natural. Hair and makeup artist Jade Silvestri helped develop hairstyles for each girl and created a fresh, natural look that felt right for a day at the farm.
For wardrobe, I worked with Sophia and Abbey weeks ahead of time, reviewing what they already owned and filling in the gaps with a few pieces I purchased. Since we were creating just one look for a three-hour shoot, I handled the wardrobe styling myself.
For larger commercial shoots, I’d normally recommend budgeting for a wardrobe or photo stylist. They can take care of the details—working with talent, sourcing clothing, and making sure every color and style supports the creative direction.
Prop Styling is Essential in a Production
I don’t like to “wing it” on shoot day. Whenever possible, I create a mock setup or vision board weeks in advance—especially for outdoor shoots where daylight and setup time are limited.
I created a mock setup in my basement a couple of weeks ahead of time. I started with the key elements—a Jono Pandolfi plate with peaches, a picnic basket, and a picnic blanket—then experimented with bowls, cups, cutting boards, and fabrics from around my house.
Having the freedom to play with everything ahead of time helped me figure out what worked, what didn’t, and exactly what I wanted to bring to the orchard.
Here are a few iPhone snapshots from my basement setup!
I also found the right type of mint plants from neighbor (apple mint) since the variety of mint that I grow myself has has a different leaf shape (which doesn’t make for pretty garnish). I love how apple mint looks for photos.
Food Styling
Food Styling
I’m a huge believer in hiring a food stylist whenever food is involved! If I would have had a food stylist for this shoot, there would have been more time to experiment and create more variations of food shots. But for this small personal project, I was happy to tackle both the styling and photography myself. Two very different skill sets = one tired photographer!
Picking the Peaches
I used a mix of local grocery-store peaches and peaches straight from the farm. For styling, I chose slightly underripe, grocery store peaches so they’d stay looking fresh throughout the shoot.
Fun fact about peaches: there’s a separate display at Stop & Shop called “local” peaches. These still had their fuzzy skin, and looked different from the normal display of peaches. Many commercially processed peaches have that fuzz gently removed. And yes, they were actually peaches—not nectarines!
The peaches in the bowl were even more local: I found them on the ground at the farm. They were headed for the compost anyway, so I gave them a little photo career instead.
Fake Grill, Real Peaches
I tested both types of peaches ahead of time to see how they’d hold up. I cut them, trimmed the edges, and gave them a quick club-soda soak to help prevent browning.
For the grill marks, I skipped the grill and used an electric charcoal starter from Lowe’s. It creates those nice, intentional marks without cooking the peaches. I did the final batch while the girls were getting hair and makeup.
Am I a food stylist? Nope. Did I have fun figuring it out? Absolutely!
A Few Styling Tricks
I added xanthan gum to the yogurt to help it hold its shape, and hand-picked the pecans and granola for the bowl.
Doing as much prep as possible ahead of time meant less fussing on location—and more time for the fun part: making pictures!
Challenges of Outdoor Shoots
When we arrived, I had the girls hang out in the car while we picked the exact spot for the picnic blanket—mostly to escape the wind, bugs, and whatever else the orchard had in store for us!
I had a general area in mind, but a few peach tree branches had recently broken under the weight of the fruit, so we shifted to a different row.
And then there was the weather. The forecast called for a very slight chance of rain, so I kept one eye on the radar and one eye on the sky. The rain looked like it might just skim past us, but it definitely made me move a little faster than usual!
Luckily, my gamble paid off. The rain passed just north of us, and we ended up with the cloudy light I was hoping for.
The bugs were another story. Thankfully, we only had a couple of curious bees visit the set. I’m used to farm life, but keeping bugs away from sweet food—and models—is still a mystery I haven’t solved!
Fortunately, we knocked out the picnic blanket shots in about an hour. Fast, focused, and no rain, yay.
Lighting Choice
Dark clouds were looming overhead, and the light was very diffused…but also very flat. Because I wanted these images to look like a sunny, summer day, I used a couple strobes with gels on them. I wanted hard, constrasty light, with hard shadows, so I used a bare bulb strobe to the side to illuminate the items on the top-down blanket images.
For the images with focus on the “sisters” I added some strobes to light up the background and hair light, creating a sunny glow. I love using artificial light to mimick sunlight.
The peach picking photos required the models to walk. It’s important for lighting to be consistent as the models are moving from one spot to another. Sometimes I switch to TTL mode for my lights. Or, sometimes I will keep on Manual power and have an assistant carry the light and walk with the models.
Fun After the Shoot
The fun thing about a portfolio shoot is that after getting all the important shots, then if there’s time, you can play around with other image ideas just for fun. I did some images with my favorite soda (Fat Stone Farm). The models also wanted to eat the honeycomb, and also pose among the peach trees. Here are some of my favorites!
