One of the benefits of food photography is that after the shoot has wrapped, you’re usually left with a rather substantial supply of delectables. I just found myself in possession of nearly 4 dozen cookies the size of my fist.
Soap, Scents, and Set Design
I just finished up the most complicated batch of product photography I’ve undertaken in quite some time, if ever. Dig in and freshen up with a behind-the-scenes look at some locally crafted aromas.
Behind the Scenes with The Hero of Time
In case you missed it, the best Legend of Zelda game ever (The Breath of The Wild) came out a year ago, today. Every few years the kingdom of Hyrule, once again, finds itself in a perilous fight against the dark forces of Ganon (the main antagonist in the series). The fate of the land rests squarely on the shoulders of our intrepid adventurer and hero, Link.
BTS – Photographing Sandpaper
I’m currently teaching a lighting class and a recent assignment focused on texture and the ability to minimize or exaggerate it as the situation required. Since sandpaper is all about that texture, it served as the perfect model.
Going Green… Decoratively.
Due in no small part to a connection from a close friend, I’ve recently begun some business with a local/national herbalogically-minded, interior decoration-based company. I suppose that’s a bit wordy, but it’s a pretty accurate description of what these folks do.
The company is BrightGreen and they craft “Living Walls.” These guys —-> 
Basically, imagine a unit that allows plants to grow vertically on a wall instead of on the ground or in pots. Also, because each unit can hold multiple small plants, you can essentially plant designs on the wall that match the decor and such.
Over the past coupe weeks, we began work creating imagery for the new product from the company, the “Grovert.” It’s the plant-it, hang-it, grow-it yourself unit for sale at plant nurseries in the Midwest.
Here’s a bit of of the project – a few of my favorite shots. What do you guys think?
– Jon
High Tech Self-Promo
This has been in the works for about 3 months now.
Since the start of term, I wanted to put together a booklet – kind of like a process book (showing clients how I get to the end of a project). So, I did.
I won’t ramble about it, as it’s intended to be fairly self-explanatory. I wouldn’t mind some thoughts and opinions, though.
Whadaya think?
– Jon
Colorful Effervescence
Did you know there’s a substantial difference among tonic water, club soda, and sparkling water? It pretty much boils down to a lack or abundance of sodium bicarbonate and/or high fructose corn syrup.
However, one thing that all 3 of the aforementioned beverages have in common is a LOT of bubbles.
My girlfriend showed me a tutorial video, presented and narrated by this guy –> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqBVWlrHqG8 (You wish you had hair like that.) You can also check out the people he works with here–> ppsop.com/instructors.aspx
I got pretty stoked about the prospect and went to the local scrap-booking store to pick up a wide array of gaudy colorful backdrops (the gaudiness is subdued due to the shallow depth of field). So, while I’m fairly pleased with the results, there are certainly some tweaks left to be made.
A re-do to follow!
– Jon
Blatant Filler Post
Hey guys –
Sorry I haven’t gotten a post up in the last few days. Things got crazy busy over the weekend and they pretty much required my full attention. BUT DON’T FRET! As soon as a spare hour or dozen pop up this week, I’ll have some super-awesome stuff to share.
For now, let us dwell on the unseasonably favorable weather we’ve been having. Even though things have dialed back to a more spring-like temperature (which is good) I still have the upcoming summer right on the forefront of my mind. Many people think of things like picnics, camping, or family trips.
I love food.
Specifically I like to cook. A lot. Grilling too. OK, not “too.” If I had my say, almost all of my food would be grilled. Except soup. That get’s tricky.
But vegetables. Grilled vegetables are the way to go in the summer time. In that regard, I present you with the vision of summer dancing in my head. And yes – I grilled all these myself. But not on a grill… on an electric stove. I did, however eat that garlic. It was fantastic.
I wish this picture was “click and smell.”
– Jon
Shooting ad photos. It’s theraputic.
I always like building little sets. I did one with a drawing figurine (that’s for a later post).
It’s fun because of the details. OK it’s also a nightmare because of the details; but when you get to the end and can say that you hand crafted every single insignificant piece of the image, it’s just a good feeling.
I wanted to shoot an ad. Lucky for me, the alcohol industry puts out a new flavor of something or other every 12 hours or so (that may be an exaggeration, but not by much). Anywho, it afforded me the opportunity to come up with a project for myself that hadn’t been done before. … Now, before I continue, I must say – when it comes to liquor, I’m a purist. If it’s already good, don’t mess with it.
This is the exception.
Bacardi pulled off something special here. If you’re a spiced rum kind of person, you should go try it…. actually you should try it while you finish this post. It would really enhance the experience…. but I digress.
I wanted to make an ad and to do so, I tore through an ENTIRE bag of charcoal to find/make just the right pieces. Those chunks of wood – scavenged from a tree that was recently “chipped.” Spent an hour getting the blackening “right.” ARTS AND CRAFTS, PEOPLE.
So take a gander and see what you think. I like the top one, everyone else likes the “smokey” shot. Comments always welcome.
– Jon
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