Day 1, Experience 1: Photographing and Blogging

We started the week off with a lesson from local professional food blogger and photographer Alice Currah from https://www.instagram.com/savorysweetlife/ and http://savorysweetlife.com/about/. Alice started a food blog in 2009 to share family recipes with beginner cooks.  Her blog was an immediate success, even gaining the attention of Martha Stewart.  Since being discovered by Gourmet Magazine, Alice has published a cookbook, hosted numerous PBS cooking specials, and writes a weekly food column for PBS Parents. Alice taught us the basics about blogging:

1. Define your blog's purpose.  Give it an identity.
2. Know your target audience.  
3. Offer something special or unique on your blog

Alice also taught us the basic tenets of food photography, especially highlighting the importance of light, angles, color, and texture. Throughout the week, we will practice using natural light and capturing texture and color in the food we cook and eat.  We will also practice Alice's three photo angles: 

1. Overhead shots
2. Straight on
3. 45 Degree angle

After soaking up all of Alice's wisdom and wit, we began to practice capturing food around campus and set up our blogs. Below, you will find some of my practice shots. 

 Alice and her PowerPoint--Food Blogging Basics

 Lauren kindly volunteered to hold tomatoes in front of the light so Alice could show us how to manipulate the light with black and white poster board. 

 Capturing texture with donuts.

 Crumb donuts make for excellent textures shots.

 Practicing the 45 degree angle.

 Practicing straight on shots.

 Back to the 45 degree angle.

 A slice shot, and also an experiment (between 45 and straight on).

 Maya, Kellen, and Peter stage a donut set for photography practice.

 Sweet and sprinkled tower from 45 degrees.

 An overhead shot to capture the sprinkles. Because life is better with sprinkles and so are donuts.

 Peter capturing tumbling donuts with the help of Alice.

 Imperfectly sprinkled donuts in the foreground with a glimpse of a well-loved cookie sheet for texture in the background.

 I'm breaking the rules here since pineapples are the "perfect" specimen for a straight on shot. I tried the 45 degree angle.

 Close up overhead for texture.

 Practicing telling a story--the knife, the cutting board, the apple.

 Same story, different angle.

 Alex setting up for a natural light shot on the concrete bench outside of my classroom.

 Tanya and Kate practicing overhead shots.

 I also practiced and used Kate and Tanya's staging.

 Same staging, different angle.

 Extreme close up for texture--Alice reminded us to get as close to the subject as possible.

 Julia and Lauren using the concrete backdrop for texture. Alice told us all the pro bloggers and photographers use the ground instead of tables.

 Crumb donut featured inside a beautiful basket--playing with color and texture.

 All the practice veggies from overhead.

 Close up meets 45 degree angle.

Tanya, Julia, and Samantha setting up their food blogs after the lesson.