Quick recap

This was a photography class focused on food photography assignments, where Don reviewed students’ previous work and assigned a new project. Trish presented photos of Star Wars-themed English muffins with a lightsaber, while Christine showed melted candy and rotten avocado photos with various lighting techniques. Don provided feedback on each student’s work and introduced the new assignment requiring six different photos of the same vegetable or fruit, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a cohesive theme while exploring creative approaches like different lighting setups and props. The class also discussed business development strategies, including using AI tools like Perplexity to research and identify potential clients for photography proposals.

Next steps

Don

• Move all the old class content (food class, product class, etc.) to a new website once his office is set up.

Trish

• Complete the new assignment by photographing one vegetable, one fruit, and one pastry, each in six different ways to create a story for the portfolio.
• Start researching and sending out proposals to local mom and pop businesses for photography services, using AI tools like Perplexity to identify potential clients.

christinelarson

• Attempt to access the old lighting class using the provided login link and password. If there are issues, email Don for assistance.

Summary

Project Discussion and Assignment Review

The meeting began with Don checking in with Julie about a previous video she missed from last week’s session. Julie confirmed she had watched the video and found it interesting. The meeting then transitioned to discussing photographs before moving on to the main assignment.

Photography Submission Review Feedback

Don reviewed Trish’s and Christine’s photography submissions, providing feedback on their creative approaches. Don particularly liked Trish’s third image of a lightsaber toasting English muffins, interpreting it as a Star Wars reference rather than Trish’s intended Badlands analogy. For Christine’s melted candy photos, Don praised the lighting and suggested developing it into a larger portfolio series, while also providing technical feedback about color consistency and lighting angles.

Photography Lighting and Composition Techniques

Christine discussed her photography process of shooting a candle holder with different lighting setups, ultimately preferring an image featuring rotting leaves that created an artistic effect similar to a perfectly rotten avocado. Don praised both of Christine’s photos and shared a personal anecdote about finding mold in an old crock pot. The discussion then transitioned to the day’s class topic, where Don explained that students could choose to photograph one vegetable, fruit, or pastry six different ways, or explore multiple types of the same item.

Food Photography Styling Techniques

Don led a discussion on food photography, sharing examples from websites like the Rusted Ladle and Better Together Instagram to demonstrate creative food styling techniques. The group discussed various ideas for photographing fruits and vegetables, with Trish suggesting cucumber photography concepts and Don proposing multiple shooting approaches including close-ups, patterns, and liquid effects. Don assigned the group to create 6-8 images focusing on a single food group to develop a cohesive photo story.

Fruit and Vegetable Portfolio Project

Don suggested creating a portfolio project involving a single fruit or vegetable in different scenarios, emphasizing the importance of keeping it simple and focused. Christinelarson discussed potential ideas, including using an apple with various props and exploring different lighting techniques, while Julie considered using tomatoes or blueberries due to their current seasonality. Trish proposed using cucumbers, and the group discussed the challenges of finding high-quality produce at regular grocery stores versus specialty stores like Trader Joe’s.

Food Photography Business Strategy

Don discussed challenges with food photography, particularly the time sensitivity required when working with perishable items like fruit and vegetables. He suggested using AI tools for background enhancement and proposed a business strategy where participants could research local businesses and create photography improvement proposals, recommending a 30-minute daily commitment to send out three proposals. The conversation ended with Don providing technical assistance to Christinelarson regarding access to an old lighting class website.