Here's my attempt at using Layer Masks in Photoshop for Digital 2

So this week we had to combine elements from different photos using layer masks in photoshop.  I have always wanted to try the levitating or floating object look in my photographs, so I decided to take a stab at it.  Earlier today I went to the store and bought some kiwis.

 I cut em up, stuck em with a skewer, and came up with this:

   Here's the two photos I made before processing them in PS:

I used natural light from inside my kitchen to light the scene.  I just set it up on counter in front of the window.  The background is a white piece of poster board.  The bottom is a glass top from a coffee table.  I put another piece of white poster board underneath it to get rid of the granite countertop.  I wanted it to produce a reflection of the kiwi to make for a somewhat interesting photo. My exposure was 2 seconds at f/11, ISO 100.  Set up was really easy and the shoot took only about 15mins.
The majority of the work came in post.  It took me hours to combine the two images and remove the skewer from the image.  Overall it was fun and I definitely want to give this technique another run in the future. Thanks!