Food/ Still Life

#_Food_Last name First name.JPG

This week, photograph a dish or entree that you encounter.

This can be made at home or prepared in a restaurant.

You will take this photo at home. or outside of class. Bring it by Monday March 6.

Consider what type of set-up this dish needs to highlight its appeal, and be deliberate with your lighting and background.

The average assignment (grade C) will be a top down photograph with a cell phone at a restaurant.

The above average assignment (grade B) will have better composition, show depth, have nice light and a background that lends to the tone of the meal.

Compositional Theories: by Katy Hall

• • Rule of Thirds - Imagine a grid that splits the frame into thirds both vertically and horizontally. Place the subject along those grid lines. The intersections of the lines are especially compelling places to position your subject.

  • The Rule of Odds - Having an odd number of things in a composition means your eye and brain can’t pair them up or group them easily. There’s somehow always one thing left over, which keeps your eyes moving across the composition.

  • Framing - One way to make your subject stand out is by creating a natural frame within the composition. The frame helps draw the viewer’s eye to the main subject. Framing can also be used to create a sense of depth, or to provide a context for the artwork.

  • Fill the Frame - it is not always necessary for the entire subject to be included in the composition. Sometimes it is more effective, and more interesting, to crop the edges of your main subject.

  • Leading Lines - Lines that guide a viewer’s eyes around, or through, the artwork are called leading lines.

  • Lines of Sight - Lines of sight are created when the subject is looking at something within the painting. It causes the viewer to follow the line of sight to the object being observed.

  • Simplify - Try to eliminate unnecessary items from your composition - they will only distract the viewer.

  • Point of View - Art does not always need to be depicted at eye level. Moving the point of view above, or below, the subject can create a more interesting, dynamic piece of art.

    • Worm’s eye view - images are taken low to the ground

    • Bird’s eye view - images are taken from high up in the air

  • Selective Focus - achieved by having a narrow depth of field - a selected object is in focus while the rest of the shot is blurred and appears out of focus

  • Contrast - the state of being strikingly different from something else

    • Tonal Contrast - refers to the difference in tones from the lightest tone to the darkest tones, from white to gray to black

    • Color Contrast - strong contrast is created between colors with opposite characteristics, such as opposite colors (blue and yellow, red and green, purple and yellow), warm versus cool colors, light versus dark colors, and bold versus weak colors.

Pick a food to photograph from my option of food.

How will you make is appealing?

Using the still life studio set up, style and photograph at LEAST 5 types of food today.

• SHALLOW DEPTH OF FIELD (4.5 or smaller)

• rule of odds

• rule of thirds

• edges cut the sense of continuation

• EXCELLENT EXPOSURE

• Styled with props

• Apply compositional theories such as rule or thirds, rule of odds, leading lines...

Open your image in PS and make necessary edits to it.

Turn it in as #_Food1_last name first name.jpg