Late last year, I went up to a State Farmers Market. There we were so many stands and vendors that I just took my time and explored the place. Since I was still fairly new to my Sony A7r, I decided to experiment with some of the settings. There was a live pop color preset that when you look through the lens, all of the colors around you were full of life and saturation. As I was strolling around, I actually was looking through the camera most of the time. Then I came across what looked like small, brightly colored pumpkins. They immediately caught my eye and stood out from the rest of the other produce around me. By asking a few questions, I learned that they were in fact not pumpkins, but a unique fruit called carnival squash. They are characterized by their array of autumn hues, striped colored patterns, and their pumpkin-like appearance.

In post processing, I recreated the moment I had when I first looked at the carnival squash by vignetting the majority of distracting elements. This way the focus is on the carnival squash so it looks like it is emerging from the rest of the fruits and vegetables. I also gave the fruit a “golden magic” appearance that would give the fruit presence and attract all the attention of the viewer.