EDITORIAL FOOD (4)
Frivolous Food / Striking Shadows
Meeting Notes
Quick recap
The meeting was a photography workshop focused on creative food photography assignments. Don led the discussion, offering the group two weeks to complete three assignments: “evidence of eating,” “food under pressure,” and “food in motion.” Participants shared their recent work, with Christine showing images of candy using AI-generated backgrounds and discussing lighting techniques. Mike presented photos featuring creative shadows, while Julie shared her attempts at food photography. Don provided feedback on the images and offered technical advice, such as how to avoid lens flare in brightfield lighting. The group also discussed the challenges of generating ideas and the process of creating photography books. Don announced that the next class would be on August 31st.
Next steps
Don
Julie
Mike
christinelarson
- Complete the 3 assignments for the food photography project within the 2-week timeframe.https://tasks.zoom.
us?meetingId=x%2B7iWgoKS7% 2BVjSw9V1IjDQ%3D%3D&stepId= 4bbe5588-9aa5-11f1-9a17- 2eed30c01763 - Try clearing her cache to access the “Big Beautiful Light” class materials.https://tasks.zoom.
us?meetingId=x%2B7iWgoKS7% 2BVjSw9V1IjDQ%3D%3D&stepId= 4bbe601f-9aa5-11f1-9fdd- 2eed30c01763
Summary
Food Photography Assignment Planning
The group discussed the next assignment, which involves photographing food, with Don offering a two-week timeline to complete all three assignments. Don confirmed they would meet on August 31st instead of the following week. The conversation included casual discussion about watching grandchildren and sharing parenting experiences between Trish, Christine, and Don.
Food Photography Workshop Feedback
Don led a photography workshop focused on food photography techniques, discussing ideas like “food under pressure” and food in motion. Julie agreed to send Don photos after confirming he wanted to see them, and Don provided feedback on Christine’s work, praising her use of ChatGPT for background effects and her color correction skills. Don reviewed several of Christine’s food photography shots, providing technical feedback about lighting and shadows, and concluded that three out of four of her photos were strong portfolio pieces.
Realistic Photoshop Shadow Techniques
Mike demonstrated a photography technique where he created realistic shadows using Photoshop by duplicating and manipulating images of characters like Baymax and a ballerina. He explained his process of creating drop shadows, applying gradients, and distorting them to make them appear natural on different objects. The team, including Don, Trish, and Christinelarson, praised the technique and discussed potential design applications.
Website Image Upload Issues
The group discussed image upload issues on a website, with Julie and Don examining various images and techniques for uploading files. Don discovered that drag-and-drop functionality could work for file uploads, which was news to him. The team observed some technical issues with file uploads not working properly through the “upload file” button, though drag-and-drop seemed to function successfully.
Printer Revival and Photography Advice
Don shared his success in reviving an old Canon PIXMA R100 printer after 8-10 years, including finding drivers and compatible ink cartridges. Christine asked about brightfield lighting issues, and Don explained she should block off excess light sources to prevent flaring, recommending she clear her cache if she continues to have trouble accessing the class site. Don advised Trish about photography idea generation, emphasizing that starting with existing ideas and building momentum through practice is more effective than waiting for perfect concepts, and suggested using Book Write or InDesign to create photo books without waiting for perfection.
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Three Ideas for Editorial Portfolio Work:
Conceptual Imagery
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1. The Evidence of Eating
Photograph what remains rather than what was served.
Crumbs. Stains. Torn wrappers. A single olive pit. Melted ice. Lipstick on a glass. The wreckage after a birthday party.
The food becomes evidence that something happened.
You must suggest the unseen person, event, or emotion without showing it directly.
Lesson: Narrative through absence.
Assignment: Create two images: one suggesting pleasure, another suggesting regret.
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2. Food Under Pressure
Crush it. Stretch it. Stack it too high. Pin it down. Suspend it. Squeeze it between sheets of glass.
The subject is tension, instability, and impending disaster.
A cherry beneath a brick. A tower of crackers about to collapse. Gelatin held together with clamps.
Lesson: Visual tension and anticipation.
Assignment: Make one image showing physical pressure and another showing psychological pressure.
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3. Food in Motion
Forget the perfect plate. Photograph the spill, splash, fall, bounce, tear, pour, crumble, or collapse.
This isn’t high-speed beverage advertising. The motion should communicate an idea: chaos, waste, celebration, impatience, excess.
Lesson: Timing, controlled accidents, and gesture.
Assignment: Create one frozen-action image and one image using deliberate motion blur.
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