Edward Weston is one of the most important and influential American photographers of the 20th Century. It is interesting that one of his most famous photographs is of something as simple as a green pepper.
Pepper, No. 30 is a simple black and white photograph that features beautiful, soft lighting. Weston placed the pepper in a tin funnel, which allowed for the natural light to create a 3-dimensional feeling.
There is some confusion about the exact settings used to create Pepper, No. 30, but in general, macro (close-up) photography allows for a very shallow depth of field and Weston wanted the entire pepper to be in focus. In order to do this, Weston had to alter his lens to allow very little light into the camera, and used an exposure of four hours to create the photograph.
Throughout history, people have talked about the human qualities of the pepper, especially how the soft curves of the pepper resemble the human figure, specifically the back. It has even been described as sensual, but Weston maintained it was nothing else but a pepper.
In my opinion, one of the most interesting aspects of the photograph is how long he spent trying to get the perfect image of a pepper.
-Jim
Weston said:
“It is a classic, completely satisfying ‒ a pepper ‒ but more than a pepper; abstract, in that it is completely outside subject matter. It has no psychological attributes, no human emotions are aroused: this new pepper takes one beyond the world we know in the conscious mind.”
Note: In 2014, a print of Pepper, No. 30 sold at an auction house for $341,000.00