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.
An Opportunity You Don’t Pass Up.
In case you didn’t know, I love animals. It’s gotten to the point that I’ll count out the approximate footsteps and speed of movement necessary to “accidentally” cross paths with a dog and owner walking vaguely toward me from a quarter mile away.
Yep – I’m “that guy.”
The Way of the World
Much like birds and whatnot on National Geographic, people do things to attract attention or show off. For the most part these things can be summed up in a word:
“Style”
Sometimes it’s clothing style, cosmetic style, artistic style, or personality style. Many times, these days, it’s hairstyle.
Recently I did a photoshoot for a long time friend of mine, who happens to be a top-notch stylist. By “top-notch,” I mean Redken Certified. If you know what that means, you know how prestigious it is.
Anywho – she has had her styling fingers in many heads of hair and, as such, has developed her own unique style of cutting, feathering, trimming, coloring and other verbs that I don’t actually know. The point is that she’s good and has something to show off.
That’s where the actual photography comes in.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Check it out.
However, the whole point about trends in style all filter down to the point of the whole post.
The Pack
Much like with wolves, if you don’t keep up, you fall behind to get eaten by crows and such… OK, maybe not to that extent, but still – there are ramifications. Really what I’m trying to say is “beauty is determined by the determiner.” I know that sounds convoluted, but its just the case. This model is beautiful. She’s beautiful with the retouching and she’s beautiful without the retouching. In fact, she’s flat-out hilarious (one of the most fun people I’ve worked with in quite some time.) Just to drill home my point – she busted out the robot in the parking lot for the sake of a funny portrait. Awesome.
However, people that look to style mags demand a more “commercial” level of beauty, and so the process of retouching begins.
Now, I know what you’re saying (or at least should be): “Jon! Didn’t you write a post a few months back about not doing this exact thing if at all possible?”
Well, yes. Yes I did. But in the same breath as condemnation, I will always stand straight up and say I will break my own rules to help my friends succeed. Also, I like paying my bills… well not… I… YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!
So yes. I am conflicted and my brain doesn’t quite know which side of the fence to come down on… So I sure wouldn’t mind some opinions. There’s a comment box down there somewhere…
But, because I know you’re looking for it, here’s the before and after:
– Jon
I scream, you scream, we all scream…
It’s rare that I get this geeked about a project, but this one really came together – and we aren’t done yet.
You may recall this post and this post from the last couple months. I have been part of assorted groups focusing on art direction and team-oriented projects. For this round – the assignment was “dessert.” We may have gone a bit off the reservation…
Our focus was on taste – specifically, a taste that you would go through horrible experiences just to enjoy.
As with each previous set – our teams got shuffled before-hand. This time around Jessica McIntyre, Brian Doig, Nancy Garcia, and myself got our sweet tooth on.
– Be sure to swing by in the next week or so – we’ve got some video with your name on it.
**No dogs, street-fighting girls, or business men were seriously injured in the making of these images.**
– 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
JonKPhoto 