Play with your Food!

I wrote before about finding your niche and taking advantage of opportunities that come your way, never writing anything off as “not for me.”  Versatility is SO important as a photographer, because when it comes right down to it, you may not be raking in the dough if you focus on just one type of subject.  Trying out different genres and getting comfortable with a variety of subject matter will make you much more marketable.  For example, weddings are a blast to shoot but in Chicago, wedding season does not last all year.  The months of May through November are relatively busy, but the winter months can be quite slow.  As a wedding photographer I need to fill in the slow periods with other work, and I have found success with lifestyle family photography and even some commercial product shoots.

One genre I never thought I would try out is food photography, because you have to be (or hire) a food stylist to really make the best possible food photos.  You know, the ones that make you want to pull the food right out of the billboard or magazine because they look so real and tasty?  I had classes with a super talented woman named Peka, and her Mowie Kay-esque work inspired me to play with my food!  I picked out some recipes, hit up Trader Joe’s, stopped by World Market for cheap dishes and surfaces, and got to work.

What I found about shooting food was surprising.  Of course shooting food can help a photographer become accustomed to shooting commercial work in general, but the lessons I learned could so easily be applied to many other genres.  Interested in shooting landscapes?  The elements of a meal can be looked at as a miniature landscape, and you can play with light to see how it casts shadows in crevices and highlights different colors and textures (Carl Warner takes this to another level with his foodscapes).  Practice with aerial views and you will get used to seeing how a scene changes based on perspective.  

Do you see yourself shooting weddings and events?  You will definitely need to be able to make food look good, whether it’s served in a church basement or a lavish ballroom.  You can work on expressing different moods with your lights and backdrops and take all the time you need instead of feeling rushed because of a model's schedule.  Getting used to styling a food- or drink-centric scene now will prepare you for when the pressure is on.

Food photography is such an easy way to master your equipment when you aren’t able to work with a human subject, or when the weather ruins your outdoor shooting plans.  Who knows, you may end up shooting the next cookbook of your favorite chef!

Need inspiration?  Check out the G+ Food Photography community to see how others are composing and styling their food images, and to share your own work.  There are photographers of many skill levels there so don't be afraid to join in the fun!  I'd love to know how you practice your skills when you are stuck inside or don't want to work on portraits.  Tell me in the comments below!

Works Cited:

Kay, Mowie. "Mowie Kay: Food & Lifestyle Photographer." Mowie Kay: Food Photographer London. Mowie Kay, 2014. Web. 28 Jan. 2014.

Warner, Carl. "Foodscapes." Carl Warner. Carl Warner, 2014. Web. 31 Jan. 2014.

Conceptual Photography, Part 2

Welcome back everyone! This will be my last installment of this two-part series on conceptual photography. Not last ever.  I may come back to it someday, haha, but for now, we will be moving on next week. :)

I feel a bit guilty about the photos I posted last week with the question of what word I was conveying.  The word was actually existence, and I realize that it may have not been obvious.  That is the project I have been working on for the last 4 weeks. It was exhausting, but also very rewarding. I will post some of my final images later.

How does one symbolically and conceptually represent a word such as existence? It wasn't easy...and if I had to do it again, even with a little bit of experience under my belt, it still wouldn't be easy.  I didn't choose the simplest way to go either: "... images that show how things exist, though seemingly in a state of disuse, decay, disheveled disarray, somehow forgotten in our modern times though once the center of the lives of the people who called them their own. Things which emanate a life force all their own; invisible to all but those who will pay attention.  It truly is simply a matter of will…the will to care, the will to watch and listen." (JOURNAL)  This is how I introduced my project...yeah...I'm certain they wouldn't expect much after that spew, right? HA!

I forced myself to challenge myself to become better than ever before.  I was given the tools, it was only a matter of how I chose to use them.

Color:  Color could make or break the meaning of the scene you are creating.  Earthy tones lend a calm, serenity -type feeling, whereas bold bright colors will elicit excitement, and possibly, elevated heart rates. Ever wonder why the Las Vegas sign is red? Ok, I know you probably haven't, but work with me here.  :) Advertising specialists know that the color red can elicit excitement, passion, energy, etc.  Ever wonder about those bright neon lights in casinos?   Again, work with me here. :)  They keep the body stimulated and perhaps lessen feelings of fatigue in casino-goers. For further reading, and for researching using colors in your photos, check out http://www.incredibleart.org/lessons/middle/color2.htm

Analysis:  First thing I did, was look up the definition of the word.  OK, yeah, I knew what it meant, but it actually made a difference to read the actual, Merriam-Webster definition.  It gave me something to work with. A bit of further research certainly didn't hurt, and I advise it.  Look up examples of your word, especially if it is as abstract as existence.  You probably aren't going to find inspiration from another artist, and that is OK.  Be the first!  How neat is that?  My love of Philosophy lead me to well, Philosophy, and that was the direction I took with my project.

Abstraction:  Move in, soften the focus of your lens, use a macro lens/tube outside of its intended uses (REALLY fun).  This is something I didn't utilize in this project.  I have utilized it in the past, however, and absolutely loved the results. You can really sharpen your creativity by even just "playing around" with the different effects you can produce.  I highly suggest that everyone try their hand at creating some fun abstract images.

Symbolism:  Find objects and items that represent, in an indirect or even direct way, the message or word you are conveying.  In the beginning, I found myself in quite a few cemeteries.  Death is a part of existence, and the grave images ended up summing up my project-story.  It is interesting that I shot the end of my project, in the beginning, but that is the way these things go sometimes.

Attitude:  OK, this one is something I didn't learn in class, but I feel personally that it is just as important as the others.  I sometimes take myself way to seriously...I will get stuck and then I make it worse by...well, totally freaking out about it.  Full-blown anxiety, at times.  Not only is this not healthy, but it also creates a block.  At least in me.  We have all heard of "writer's block".  What I am speaking of is the same thing, but for a photographer, or other visual artist.  Don't beat yourself up, breath, and if needed, take a step back.  Just walk away for a couple of hours. If it is close to the time your assignment is due, email your instructor.  You would be surprised how understanding they are about these things... :)

These are my absolute favorite images from my project.  They weren't in B&W when I turned them in, but you will see one of them is now...me and my love of B&W....

The quote above was from my journal entry in class, in W3.
I wanted to make sure I referenced
where the quote came from. :)

I am not going to leave you with a question this week, just a request.  Give me your thoughts on this topic.  Share with me your ideas on what I shared, what I perhaps didn't share that I should have, and if you want, I even encourage your feedback about my images.  I take criticism very well, FYI.

Until next time, have a great week!

Wide Angle Wednesday- ABC Scavenger Hunt Series

Good Day Fellow Shutterbugs!

As the sun rises in the mid West, and the outside temperatures continue to be frigid, I’m amazed at the news coming in from our Southern neighbors. I lived in various climates as far North in the frozen tundra of Alaska, Southern humid Georgia, central sunny California, dry heat of central Arizona, and on the beach of the Outer Banks of North Carolina. All locations had that unusual weather patterns from time to time. It’s hard to believe that my friends down South are seeing snow this morning. It’s awesome to see the images flowing in through social networks and news outlets. As the children play in the rare snow, many are stranded on interstates and accidents are in the triple digits. For those reading and in these locations, I hope you can stay safe and warm.

Speaking of the cold, I revisited the frozen bubble test this week in my hunt to shoot the ABC scavenger hunt photo series. I ran into some trouble with the wind blowing but overall I got some shots. I had hopes in using a black board but the bubbles refused to freeze on the board. My only conclusion is that black attracts heat and the board surface in the sun was to warm even though the temperature was below zero. I did however get the bubbles to freeze but only on the bubble wand. I tried to place the wand or frozen bubble on the board but the delicate bubble would shatter or implode.

Here is the closest result of the two days trying to achieve a frozen bubble shoot, and I promise to keep revisiting the subject until I master the art. With the temperatures being so cold across the Nation, have you tried the art of the frozen bubble?

The ABC scavenger hunt photo series is going well. Trying to figure out what to shoot for the letters Q, V, and Z. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated! Once I have the series complete, I will share the full album. Here are a trio of shots from the series. 

Letter G for Geocaching- Don't have a clue to what Geocaching is, no worries I have a photo series and I'll share that very soon.

Letter S for Snow

Letter P for Patriotism

Thanks for taking the time to visit the Student Ambassador blog and I look forward to comments and suggestions below. Don't forget I'm looking for image ideas for the letter's Q, V, and Z in the ABC Scavenger Hunt series. 

Blog Image Credit; CS of Coyote Moon Photography

Seriously, what is that?!

Greetings fellow shooters, Tuesday Ambassador here again wondering what in the world I should write about this week. The first thing that comes to mind is that I have not been in a shooting class for some time due to our previous extended winter break. This was about the exact time that I had acquired my strobe equipment and was required to take a self-portrait with my newly acquired equipment. I did much experimenting with the new strobes capturing various subjects, but the one subject that was eating at me the most was me. Perhaps this may have been a mistake on my part in getting the T2i instead of the T3i three years ago. But would you really want an articulating screen as a complete newbie with cameras, regardless of any protection plan you put on it?

Now maybe it was a just a coincidence that in the time of our break, while being away from my studio, I was bored. Bored at my buddies house in the middle of the night and I had been itching to take pictures, but had forgotten one of my tripods at the studio. Of course my buddy is so tired after we watched a video on YouTube that he crashed on his bed soon after. Meanwhile, thinking back about the video it later occurred to me of a unique, yet a potentially destructible way of creating art from the camera. You guys may or may not like this as I have gotten mixed reviews from the people closest to me, but none-the-less a couple of photos are posted below. I think the consensus so far is that you either love it or you hate it.

You are probably wondering one of two things; why am I seeing this, or what did you do to get that? Well, this is much of the reason why my T2i ended up broken in the first place. Although, at the time it was apparent that the lens’s mounting points were broken but the camera functioned as normal with no visual signs of damage.  I kept at it after the fact. Needless to say, I had a feeling that they would need to check the camera as well and so they were both shipped the next day. I ended up acquiring the T3i as a substitute while the T2i was out being looked at. Can one get camera sick? It may be why I had not been shooting much because of the lack of control I had for the T3i at the time. Then I notice looking through the viewfinder that I would be returning the T3i regardless of the outcome of my T2i. This is why I did more “drop” tests keeping well aware of not actually dropping the camera this time. Below you will find the T3i photos of the “drop” test before returning it to establish a brand new, flawless T3i. In case you have not figured it out by now, my T2i is no more. L

These were all done in various lighting situations, so color balance was a concern, however, not important after seeing how they turned out. Yes, the process is simple and may potentially be damaging to any camera but call me crazy when I say that I knew my camera’s demise would come soon after experimenting with this hazardous option. So it’s obvious that this is a do at your own risk project. However, this could not have come at a better time as Studio Photography will be on my next round of studies and I figure that having the articulating LCD screen will help out immensely when it comes time to capture some self-portraits.

With all that said, I do miss my camera but now that I have my control back on the now T3i, I want to kick myself for not getting it in the first place. Often times I wonder if this was meant to happen the way it did. Either way, tell me what you guys think. Am I headed anywhere with this? 

Stay tuned next Tuesday to find out the first subjects I captured with my new T3i. Let’s just hope I did not lose grip on them too. Pun definitely intended.

Have a wonderful day and keep shooting,

Your Tuesday Ambassador

And as always, thanks for reading.

Taking Care of Business

(jerry-reynolds.com)

OK, OK, not that kind!  Bet it made ya laugh though!  On to the true subject matter at hand.

“Home again home again, jiggity jog #iusa14” I tweeted rather late Wednesday night as I finally landed back home after volunteering for a week at Imaging USA (stay tuned for more information on this opportunity no student should pass up in the coming weeks).  It wasn’t much later I received a notification it had been “re-tweeted” by someone I had never heard of.  Being the nosey busy body I am I looked it up…..Steel Toe Images (Angela Pointon).  That digging led to more digging and I was intrigued.

Why was I intrigued?

     1. Her tag line on Twitter is, “Helping the world's most talented creative entrepreneurs kick butt. PPMag columnist. Wrote Worth More and one other book. I also shoot babies for a living.”

a.    PPAMag columnist --- I tweeted something she noticed?  Cool

b.    “I also shoot babies for a living.” --- ummmm that can conjure up some pretty disturbing visions and is pretty funny

c.    “kick butt”, “and one other book,” – I like her style, I would love to sit down for coffee with her!

    2. She is strength where I am weak.  She is strong where a LOT of photographers are weak.

Let’s be honest, most of us started taking classes at AiP-OD because we love photography or have been told at one time another we are good at it, or something similar.  Is there any of us that can honestly say we started because we need more business savy?  If that had been the case we probably would have entered a business program instead of photography.

“Someone can be the most amazing photographer and fail at the business. But someone that is even a mediocre photographer can be wildly successful because they are great at business.” (loosely quoted as re-told by Lindsay Adler at Imaging USA 2014)

I don’t know about you, but I did not get into this to fail, so I will do everything I can, follow every avenue that opens, and pursue every opportunity that presents itself in order to have the best knowledge I can to make the best decisions for me.  I feel like this is one of those.

What is “this”?

“This” is a conference that Angela Pointion (Steel Toe Images) came up with because, “I got pissed off. So I organized a conference.”  Basically she was tired of the same old same old, speakers with all the same information, with big egos and with ulterior motives (to get you to pay for their information and pay big).  What she was put together is a different kind of conference; it is all audio, no visuals and no attendance.  You can listen whenever it suits you.  The speakers are inspiring as well as informational and they are not selling anything.

My challenge to you is to think about what you are doing to “take care of business.”  Maybe this Dream Big Conference is for you, maybe not. And that is ok.  But I implore upon you to take the business classes seriously and no matter what direction your photography journey goes, make sure you are “taking care of business.”

For more information on the Dream Big Conference, Steel Toe Images or Angela Pointon, check here:    http://steeltoeimages.com/conference/

It’s another Manic Monday ~

Monday Ambassador

PS – if you want to find me on twitter look for morganlisak

Good morning,

Greetings from the frozen North East. My name is P. Seth Roberts and I have been a student at AIO for just over three years now. I am a veteran, having served for 11 - years in the United States Army. When I am not working as a film director, I am operating as a full-time student and professional photographer. I am working on my second degree, a BS in Photography through our school.

Photography has long been a passion of mine. Having worked in the film industry for a long time, the very idea of capturing a single frame to tell a story, rather than several thousands of frames has always fascinated me. The most amazing and unexpected "side-effect" in being a student here is how my photography studies have made me, in many ways a better filmmaker.

Recently, I have taken the lessons I have learned at AIO and begun to build my own vision. I have started to express my views on certain social issues as well as created pieces of art that appeal to me and to my audience. All of this was made possible through my studies here at the Art Institute.

While I am sure it is entirely possible to learn these things outside of any institution of higher learning, I can't imagine the years of fumbling through the dark, it would have taken me to get to this level of skill. I am grateful not only for the opportunity to learn my chosen craft, but for the interaction of my Professors and Classmates that have allowed me to get to the meat of any given challenge. This has allowed me to avoid mistakes that would have been made, and most likely cost money, time, and reputation.

There have been many challenges I have had to face in order to get this far as a student, and achieve a certain level of success. These challenges are no doubt shared by you as a fellow student. If there is anything you are facing, or questions you have concerning struggles you face in your academic career at AIO, please do not hesitate to ask. I will gladly share with you the things I have learned to overcome.

As I proceed through serving as a member of the Student Ambassador body, I will be posting many challenges I have faced, and how I overcome them. I still face challenges today, however, AIO provides many great ways of dealing with them.

Every challenge you face, regardless of the source will always have two parts. First, the external, what is bothering you. Second, the internal, how will you chose to deal with it. Understanding this first, is the best way to begin the process of overcoming challenges, and growing as a professional. You haven't begun to face real challenges in photography until you start working as a professional photographer.

How you deal with these challenges, here and now, will determine your success in the real world. I am looking forward to continuing this blog. Please, share with me your thoughts on issues you are facing and I will answer as soon as I can.

Thank you.
P. Seth Roberts

Beat Your Cold Weather Woes: Bundle Up with a Book!

Subzero temperatures do not make for the best shooting weather, even with electronic hand warmers keeping the camera battery nice and toasty and plenty of layers between us and the elements.  When it’s this cold out, there are plenty of ways to keep honing your skills.  If I feel like cooking or baking, I play around with food styling and photography (next week’s post will focus on food photography, so stay tuned!).  This weekend I’d rather curl up with a good book or two.  From my first instructional photo book purchase on concert photography to the wacky photograph collections my mom finds for me, I’ve amassed a bit of a collection and would love to share my favorites with you.

Books make great props, too!

My Top 5 Photography Books

1. Street Photography Now showcases photographers with eyes for the unusual like Raghu Rai and one of my favorites, Matt Stuart (the cover image is one of his).  The hours they spent scouting the streets for interesting compositions and moments that just scream to be photographed result in memorable and often humorous images.  Even if you’re not into the genre, you will appreciate the work that went into this collection.

2. My mother found Believing is Seeing (Observations on the Mysteries of Photography) for me and it immediately landed on my list of favorites!  Taking on issues of ethics in photojournalism, the filmmaker discusses some famous controversial photographs as well as how our beliefs affect what we see in an image.  It is a great combination of philosophy and non-fiction writing that includes informative interviews. 

3. I’m a sucker for biographies of people I admire, so it’s no surprise that Henri Cartier-Bresson: A Biography is on my list.  From his family life to his professional success, the book provides insight into how he became the father of photojournalism and how his down-to-earth approach to photography brought us so many iconic images. 

4. Learning how our gear works helps us make sure we can face any problems that may arise on the job.  If you’re like me, you may not love learning the science of it all, but books like Camera: A History of Photography from Daguerreotype to Digital make it more fun and put our modern gear into historical context.  You may even find that you want to give an old Mamiya or vintage Kodak Brownie a go for the fun of it! 

5. National Geographic’s Photography Field Guide: Secrets to Making Great Pictures contains everything from compositional techniques to photographers' anecdotes and explanations of how their images were captured.  There are also a variety of other field guides, including topics like travel and portraiture.

Honorable mention: Scott Kelby’s instructional books are so easy to understand and provide incredible insight into photography and specific post-production programs.  The Digital Photography Book almost made it onto my top 5, and I swear by my Lightroom book! 

Has a photography-related book inspired you, or is there an instructional book you can't live without?  I would love your suggestions in the comments below.  Happy reading!

-Friday Ambassador

Works Cited:

Assouline, Pierre. Henri Cartier-Bresson: A Biography. New York: Thames & Hudson, 2005. Print.

Burian, Peter K., and Robert Caputo. National Geographic Photography Field Guide: Secrets to Making Great Pictures. 2nd ed. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic, 2003. Print.

Gustavson, Todd. Camera: A History of Photography from Daguerreotype to Digital. New York: Sterling Innovation, 2009. Print.

Howarth, Sophie, and Stephen McLaren. Street Photography Now. London: Thames & Hudson, 2010. Print.

Kelby Media Group, Inc., Scott. "Featured Books." KelbyOne, Online Education for Creative People. KelbyOne, LLC, 2014. Web. 23 Jan. 2014. <http://kelbyone.com/books/>.

Morris, Errol. Believing Is Seeing: Observations on the Mysteries of Photography. New York: Penguin, 2011. Print.

Conceptual Photography

Let me tell you, I had been having a bit of trouble with conceptual photography in the current class I am taking. I think I have finally got it.

I think BrightHub defines Conceptual Photography the best: "Conceptual photography is, first and foremost, about the concept of the photo. A conceptual photographer is trying to bring some message about to the viewer, be it a political advert or a social commentary or an emotional outcry. There is some level of abstraction, thus, in a conceptual photo: the image is not an explicit example of the concept, but a general expression of the idea." (BrightHub)

So the photographer has an idea, a concept, and they wish to share it with their viewer; the viewfinder is their canvas, and they "paint" with light.  You and I are the artist, attempting to convey a message to our audience. Something I couldn't quite accept about Conceptual Photography, is that the audience, the viewer, can really decipher just about anything from your work.  It really is about them.  There are a million things that could contribute to how the audience "sees" your work. It's about what's in their head, their reality.

I try to keep my message, my concept, in mind as I shoot. I think of my audience, but only slightly. My current audience is my classmates (mostly) so they know the message I am conveying, or at least attempting to. HA!  Sometimes I don't quite get the message across, and I think heavens that we are in school and learning

So for now I will leave you with this: the images here are of course, mine.  If you, my audience, were to think of one word as the one-word concept I am conveying, what would it be?  I will post the answer next week, as well as carry this post further. :)

 

{the source for the quote in the beginning of the post}

http://www.brighthub.com/multimedia/photography/articles/39542.aspx

A link to some outstanding examples of conceptual photography:

http://www.thephotoargus.com/inspiration/40-outstanding-examples-of-conceptual-photography/

--

Wide-Angle Wednesday- Keeping on task!

Greetings from the frozen Midwest!

I’m really starting to think the Arctic misses me and wants me back. I lived three years in beautiful central Alaska, and you would think I was used to the frigid temperatures. With that said, it’s been so cold I have not been out to shoot for a long time.  Additionally if I braved the frozen wind, I don’t have an idea to where or what I would like to shoot.

This mindset leads me to talk about being on task. I know that in order to keep the fire burning and to hone the skills, I need to keep shooting.  This is especially a challenge when not in a photography focused course, the landscape is just blah, and of course the weather. The last photog course I had ended in November and since then I have been focused on math and currently I’m working on color theory for web and multimedia.

So where do I go from here?

I recently found out that this time of the year is a great time to photograph bald eagles migrating down from the North. Sounds like an awesome field trip to the areas they are known to flock. After consulting a few local photog friends, it doesn’t appear I will have a lens with enough focal length to capture the eagles from the area in which people are allowed to show up and observe the flocks. The subject is there but not an option if I can’t get close enough. Though this gives a goal for next season.

Not all is lost, I just had to find the focus and get on task. Remember what Confucius is quoted to have said, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”

Now to turn the page, I have taken sometime to brainstorm some ideas that sound interesting and of course is do able. I figured a great start is finding a theme that can be revisited in times like this. For a previous course I developed a photo series focused on a local historic park in which I titled “Discovering Maramec”. Granted the course has come to an end, but I could always revisit Maramec. Nah I think something new is needed. I looked at maybe a theme based on forced or odd perspectives. Another idea is a scavenger hunt of objects or locations. I’m thinking something similar to the vacation car ride A-Z game we played with our son in our travels across the country. I figured I could come up with a list of random objects and or locations using the alphabet. Figured the theme would be a unique series of 26 images.

Now that I have a focus, I’m going to look at completing this series in one week!

I look forward to sharing what I plan to call “The Alphabet Series” next week.

Last week I wrote about resources, and today I wrote about staying on task with a side of creativity. Feel free to share your ideas by commenting below anytime, any day.

May your Wide-Angle Wednesday be spent someplace tropical!

From My Camera to Yours,

Wednesday's Student Ambassador