Workshop 4 Industry Folio

Proposal for Workshop Industry Folio
Ashley Jobson


Location Component-Documentary/Food
Studio Component-Food

After the idea was sold to us by Julian, I revisited the notion that food photography may be a great aspect of the industry to get professionally involved with.

My concept is that my folio documents the journey of a few eggs from the farm through to being served up in several ways.

The location component will obviously be the lead-up shots

Shot 1: Chickens...eggs in Background...medium shot

Shot 2: Eggs in barn...Chicken in background...close up..long shadows
These two shots play with the concept of "what came first..the chicken or the egg"? Landscape

Shot 3a: Long haul Truck (showing rear of truck to represent that we are following the eggs' journey or....

Shot 3b : alternatively a basket of eggs being carried back to the farm house.. Landscape

Shot 4a: Triptych Eggs (in cartons) on Supermarket shelves/in supermarket trolley (3 X Landscape or portrait)

Shot 4b: TBA

Shot 5 : Eggs stacked in fridge. landscape

The studio component shots will be those of basic food prep involving the eggs and the final prepared two courses.

Shot 1: Eggs on bench next to flour,implements and other props. Portrait

Shot 2: Eggs being cracked into a bowl.. emphasising the glisten of the white as the golden of the yolk. Portrait

Shot 3: Baking and/or cooking diptych of both courses (2 x portrait A/R)

Shot 4: Final shot of Quiche? Portrait

Shot 5: Final shot of Cake? Portrait

These two final shots are subject to what I finally decide that will be the most visually effective dishes to "plate-up".



Requisites:

Access to chicken on farm with a barn
Large rich toned free range eggs
Cane basket with cloth
Cooking utensils, cookware, plates cutlery etc
Kitchen with nice natural light
Props and other "ingredients" ...feathers/straw
Final dishes
Oven/Cooktop-stainless steel-or old style (gas?) cooker
Fridge stainless steel or old style (rustic round edge)


Costs:

I know of friends who have the appropriate kitchens and appliances for the contemporary kitchen, but will have to scout around for the alternative rustic country kitchen look and feel..Either way I anticipate there being no cost involved here.
The rest of the items will either be borrowed or purchased at low cost, estimated at about $50 including finished prepared food dishes.

Without specifically designing each shot in advance, I am not sure what extras will be required in addition to the above list. The best tactic I believe is to have a sundry budget which I will set at $25

Finishing costs:
Printing 10 X A3 prints @ $9 = $90
Reprints 3 @ $9 = $27
Mounting 10 x A3 foam core cut to size @ $11 = $110

Transport/fuel: Scouting/equipment procurement $50
Camera cost : 1000 shots @ 2c = approx. $20
Tripod
Fill flash (backgrounds)

Total budget/costs
$362 +/- $20 (say $400)

Timeline:

Total Time: 11 weeks
Shooting and production time:  Realistically 8 weeks

Week 5: Scouting locations and sourcing all props and necessary equipment.
Preliminary design and shooting
Week 6: Location practice
Week 7: Location shoots and post production
Week 8: Studio practice
Week 9: Studio shoots and post production
Week 10: Re-shoots as required
Week 12: Re-shoots /Final post production
Week 13: Printing and mounting
Week 14: Printing and mounting
Week 15: Reprinting and mounting as required

I have allowed a significant and early window to get my shots printed and mounted as printing resources are often stretched towards the end of the alloted time.

Furniture

This week we are going to be shooting furniture.. We have been asked to research various professional furniture photographic images and decide on two different styles which to replicate in terms of lighting and other technical considerations.

These are a selection of some of the images I found

I like the natural shadow effects on this image

This image conveys an opulence and comfort

Again the shadows create a natural location look

Vivid

partial/minimalism

Modern art

Almost all images exclusively have a combination of light modifiers/screeds and lights constructed in such a manner that there is a defined lighting ratio between the various surfaces of the furniture giving it shape. The item is almost always positions askew of being front on and most likely shot as long as the lens would allow to reduce distortion,

Food

Speaks for itself

We were given a brief information session on the art of food photography ..Usually very simply lit from the side or the back and shot low down and with shallow DOF. The light source can be either natural "window" lighting or simulated with studio lighting...

The plating or presentation is usually cropped off on the sides also allowing for a nice close image

We had a selection of fruit and veg so this is the result

White balance needs adjusting as the kiwi fruit looks more like banana

Portraits

The first week were asked to take a portrait photograph based on a surprize short notice brief.

The brief one of the briefs we got was to shoot a married couple on their first wedding anniversary.

This is the result

The result was this cheesy abomination with the husband's hand dominating the shot and a background that was too cool.. and the wife being too closely cropped on the left side..