Plum Tomato

When I first starting talking about shooting a ripe plum tomato with a pellet gun at close range, my wife had visions of tomato sauce splattered on every wall.

The tomato proved to be beefier and more resiliant than expected, however, with very little in the way of an explosion of color that I was seeking. As you can see in this photo, the pellet has passed through the tomato, leaving very little in the way of a visible path of destruction.

To get the solid black background, I’m using a glossy black ceramic tile, with a black fabric behind the tomato, draped over a foam board. As in previous sessions, I’m using a Vivitar 283 flash on its shortest duration (1/30,000 second) triggered by a sound detector in order to capture the moment of impact.

I digress, however – back to the tomatoes. Not satisfied by my results, I decided to try again, placing the pellet gun just inches away from the tomato.

Plum Tomato Shot at Close Range

As you can see in this picture, there is a more dramatic impact captured, although much of this is just the CO2 released by the pellet gun. You can also see that this tomato has survived multiple puncture wounds and is on its last legs.

I’m still searching for subjects that will make a good photograph. I had high hopes for the red tomato, reflected off the glossy black tile, but the impact was not as strong as I’d like. If you have any candidates you’d like to see explored, let me know.