There's something very calming about the process of creating a still life image. After deciding on a subject, it's all so slow and deliberate. The careful selection and precise arrangement and re-arrangement of props and lighting is something that probably hasn't changed for hundreds of years. What has changed is our ability to quickly see if our careful planning is giving us the desired results. If not, we can make a few subtle changes and go again - much quicker than scraping the oil off a canvas and starting from scratch.
The photo of the glasses is also interesting for me because it's one of the rare occasions when I've re-created an image and actually been more satisfied with the second attempt. Normally, when I try to improve on a shot by re-creating the setup or going back to the same location, I just don't seem to be able to improve on the first attempt, particularly when there's any degree of spontaneity involved in the original. The original version of the glasses was a bit dull and I thought that firing a flash through the paper background might add some pop and clarity to the glasses. It worked, and the back-lighting had the additional benefit of highlighting the texture in the paper and adding a nice graduated fade from top to bottom.
And the apple tasted nice, too.
