A crash course in style and photography ......

Since I re-started this blog I’ve become more and more frustrated with the photographs I take. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, one of the things I love in a good cook book is food photos that make you instantly hungry and inspire you to want to cook… or eat!

Alas my photos don’t have that affect. So I decided to take corrective measures. Number 1 – I purchased my first DSLR Camera (the Canon D450 … it was going cheap and I thought it a good place to start for a total novice).  Number 2 – I enrolled in a Food Styling for Photography class at Ash Photography, and the pictures below are my record of the great day I had learning all about the tricks of the trade!!


Burger gets made up! (Lesson 1 - Food that has been sytled for the Camera usually cannot be eaten!)



Paella styling ... (Lesson 2 - The Paella dish looks nice and full because its been filled up with with perspex chips and covered with the Paella!)  



Studio energy …… This was my first experience in a proper photography studio, working with people really in the know. Jon, the photographer, was an authority on lighting, camera equipment, and MAC’s, while Sharon had an eye for props, settings and backgrounds. What amazed me was how she seems to see everything through the lens. While we collected props she seems to be constantly thinking of how it would look all ‘dressed up’ in front of the camera.

The aspect I found really interesting was the lighting – and how manipulating the light in different ways produces dramatic results. The camera equipment itself was also impressive - both the old and the new!



I loved the energy of being in the studio – everything was a bit hap hazard, frantic at times, with props all over the place and lighting equipment here there and every where. Even Ziggy the dog popped in a few times to lend a hand…. Yet the end result seemed effortlessly captured and perfectly put together.

 








Food as Fine Art and Food as Science were the two areas that produced the most energy and excitement, as the girls got creative and decided to represent their subject in a more artistic, creative and abstract manner...

Then there was mine …… I made a few Pear and Almond tarts to photograph (my dessert of choice… second only to chocolate mousse). We decided to create a minimal set, with neutral tones and glass wear in shot. The following show how we got to our winning end product!