Eleven Weeks of Discovery

This is one of the photography courses I offer. It can be presented in school or studio settings. Equipment for the course can be provided depending on the number of students and location. The course is limited to 12 students

In the food photography course I bring the students through a progression lectures, demonstrations and complex assignments. Each building on skills of the previous. The assignments are detailed and require hours of planning and preparation. Students sometime find that they spend more time preparing for a photo shoot than actually shooting. This is Discovery #1; a good photo shoot is the result of good planning. Your reward is the shooting itself, that is why we do this, we love to make pictures. It is essential we take time for planning, pre-visualizing, and assembling the necessary tools and talent .

Each studio session involves lecture presentations, set building, food styling, shooting the days assignment, tear down and planning of the next photo shoot. Each studio/classroom session is a minimum of five hours not including propping, shopping, and post production. These tasks are done outside of class.

Course Objectives:
Upon completion my course the students should be able to:

1. Read the specific lighting needs of various types of food.
2. Light, compose, and style basic foods for close up photography.
3. Understand ethical and legal aspects of food photography.
4. Refine and critique food photographs used for print productions.
5. Shoot and retouch images for use in provided layouts.
6. Manage image files for quality, output and application
7. Understand the Visual Aspects of Food
   
8. Understand the Markets for and Applications of Food Images
   
9. Devise a Plan and Work Under Time Limits
   
10. Anticipate a “Treatment”
    
11. Read the Surface of Objects and Pre-Visualize
    
12. Expanded Lighting Skills and Experience
    
13. Build Studio Confidence
    
14. Create Portfolio Quality Images

Weekly Course Assignments:

1. Introduction to Food Photography
2. Style, Clip Paths and Drop Shadows
3. Layered Imaging, Lighting Lab and Packaging Shoot
4. Classic Basket (Field Trip)
5. Impossible Layouts and Triple Composite
6. Wet Sets and Pour Photography
7. Layering and Exploding Food
8. Cook Book and How-to
9. Wild Card, Juxtapose
10. Location Shoot (Field Trip)
11. Final Classes, Package Inset or Magazine Cover Final Exam

Each class begins with a critique of the previous assignment's images, followed by a presentation and demonstration for the next assignment. Student teams then gather for set building and the days production. Although the teams shoot together, each student is responsible for their own files and post production of the images.