Architecture images (29/06/2022)

For my first photo, I created a triptych of a building near Spitalfields market. I had to make sure to align myself correctly so that I could capture the leading lines correctly. I originally tried to capture the building from portrait mode; however, the leading lines did not stand out as well compared to when I took the photos in landscape mode.

On the left side of the second row is my photo of a glass & steel building displayed in black and white. I really enjoyed this photo because of all the leading lines that are created by the tall buildings.

On the right side of the second row is my photo of four separate buildings. When I originally took that photo, the clouds caused the buildings to be underexposed. So to fix this I had to decrease my aperture number so that more light could enter the camera.

The third row is my photograph of a building from a low vantage point.

On the left side of the fourth row is my photograph of an empty building. Originally this store was filled with vibrant colored furniture. However, I chose to make this black and white because the heavy presence of black makes the image seem emptier than it actually is.

On the right side of the fourth row is my architectural photograph of the interior of a building. In this image, I really admire how there are so many leading lines all across the ceiling. I also set this image to black and white in order to showcase the contrast between the lights and the black ceiling.

Street Images (29/06/2022)

The first picture in the top left is my rule-of-thirds photograph. This one was taken at Spitalfields market. I really enjoyed taking this photo due to a double rule of thirds that is going on. For me, the pink bus is in the top right corner of the grid. However, if you look behind the bus there’s also a similar grid. In that grid, the bus lands in the bottom right corner which also follows the rule of thirds. To capture this photo well, I had to crouch very low on the ground in order to get the bus in the top right corner of the grid.

In the top right photo, I stood at the location for ten minutes capturing photos of people as they walk across the music store and into the music store. I really wanted a capture a still object with motion all around. To do this, I had to set my shutter speed low enough to where I could get a sharp focus on the object while the background people get blurred out. As you can see in the photo, the parent and child holding hands and clear focus, while the two people were walking across the screen get blurred out.

The image in the middle row to the left is my vanishing point photograph. In order to paint this picture of an endless street lamp, I had to set my camera very close to the street lamp pointing it vertically app. I also had to set my aperture number very low so that the top of the pole could be blurred out. The blurry part of the pole ball now blends in with the white color of the sky, thus creating an endless street lamp affect.

This image captures leading lines that lead to a high-contrast subject. I used the poles on the fence as leading lines to the subject in the black shirt. Since the subject was a far distance away, I had to increase my aperture number in order to get a good image.

The last two photos in the last row were of two students who were heading to school. In the photograph on the left, I made sure to get close to the subject without zooming in. I also made my aperture number extremely low so that the background could be blurred out. Lastly, I angled my camera so that the sun was acting as a small light source. This created a serious/dramatic shot.

Studio Lighting (30/06/2022)

Because of my church event that day I was unable to do this assignment in the studio room instead I did this assignment from home. The first picture (top left) I used a small light source coming in from the right side of the photograph. In order to create this light source I covered the blinds on the window 90% of the way so that only a little portion of light could get through. As you can see here the small light source produces a smaller triangle underneath the subjects right eye. This light form, along with the subjects pose, projects serious/dramatic environment to the viewer.

Without having a white box to work with I had to use my flash to create a medium light source for a photo two (top right). As you can see the subject has a slim shadow that is produced from the medium light source.

In order to produce no shadow I had to move outside where there was a large amount of light source. As you can see, this is a portrait photo with a different pose. To compensate for the large light source, I had to increase the aperture number so that the subject would not be overexposed.

Experimentation

Over the past few weeks I have experimented with different types of photography shots. For starters, I worked with capturing images from three different perspectives (first row). However, I realized that capturing photos of an entire meal can be too distracting, I switched my focus to capturing photographs of the main dish.

From there, I practiced taking close up shots on images. One recommendation that I got from professor Josh was how a close-up shot of a subject can either make it seem big or small. Having this uncertainty makes audience more engaged. As you can see from the second row I have three photographs where I attempted in creating a close-up shot of the meal.

In the third row, I tried to work on taking pictures that had motion. I believe that adding motion can add even more excitement to a photograph. For example the photograph on the left has ice cream dripping down the cone. Seeing the ice cream drip makes me want to eat it more. In my mind, I imagine that it's a hot day and if that ice cream isn't eaten soon it will all wash away.

On the last row, I decided to capture close-up overhead shots. I went with this form of photography because it allows for me to capture everything on the plate. For example, the picture on the left has a lot going on. With it being an overhead shot I'm able to highlight the sauce spread which adds to the dish presentation. With the photograph also being a close up shot, it allows the audience to see the tower of Jollof rice in detail.

Subject Research

To find out more about Jollof rice, I looked at some online articles that talked about the origin of Jollof rice. Through my research, I found that jollof rice originally came from the Wolof empire of Senegal.

As the empire grew so did the recipe. Soon it spread to parts of the West African coast that are currently known as Ghana and Nigeria.

Influences

One of my influencers was from the Instagram account smokeypartyjoloff (left). The one thing that stood out from the post was how they sculptured the Jollof rice. Adding height to the jollof rice makes the viewer feel as if it’s a big portion. After seeing this work so successfully in this social media post, I added this sculpture to my own project.

The second influencer (middle) comes from the book, "Visual feast: contemporary food staging and photography" by R. Klanten and & A. Kouznestova. I really enjoyed how this photographer was able to capture the same object three different ways. Even though it’s the same dish, the multiple photos allows for the photographer to explain the dish in more detail. Before my final project I experimented with this same idea, shooting everything I ate from different angles.

The photograph on the right comes from the book "Feast for the eyes: the story of food in photography" by S. Bright. This photograph takes the viewer behind the scenes to see how a certain dish was made. While the preparation photographs might not mean much on their own, including those photographs in my final project will allow the viewer to gain a deeper appreciation for the final product/dish. capturing photographs of the preparation phase and final phase allows for me to create a story with my pictures, furthering the appreciation for the dish.

Another reference was from “Known and Strange Things Pass” by Andy Sewell. I saw this reference at the Victoria and Albert Museum. What really inspired me what the presentation of the photographs. They were presented in a scatter hang format which I found was an intriguing way to tell a story. Adding this idea to my project allowed me to think of the spiral format which is what I ended up going with.

Behind the Scenes Look: Nigerian Jollof rice

Culture. It's something that defines us, makes us unique. Food plays a huge role in understanding someone's culture. For my final photography project, I decided to capture the story of Nigerian culture through the lens of food photography. More specifically, through the lens of Jollof rice. As it's popularity increases worldwide, many people see the final product, but how is this spectacular meal created? In order to fully appreciate a good meal, one must understand how it's made. Today, I give you just that; a behind the scenes look at the creation of Nigerian Jollof rice.

Intended Presentation Method:

For my final project I decided to create a series collage using seven pictures, with one of the photos taken as a background. On top of the background photo, I placed five photos detailing the preparation of the meal. These five photos were displayed in a spiral format that led to the final dish in the middle of the collage. Each photo had a different size in border width so that the viewers eyes could follow the spiral all the way to the center (aka the final dish).

The medium for this project would be a digital image that one could post on a social media page. I chose to showcase this on a digital platform because, when I researched other famous food photographers, one common distinction I found was that they all posted their food photography images on some social media platform.

My Inspiration (28/6/2022)

I want to credit to the two books: "Visual feast: contemporary food staging and photography" by R. Klanten and & A. Kouznestova (left), and "Feast for the eyes: the story of food in photography" by S. Bright (right) for bringing me my inspiration.

When I took a look at the picture on the left, the thing that instantly popped out to me was how the photographer captured an image of the same-ish dish but from three different angles. I really admired this style because the shot allows for the viewer to appreciate the photograph from three different perspectives. I also noticed how plain, yet simple the background is. Having a plain background allows for the viewer to concentrate on the subject, which is the dish, instead of being distracted by logos, designs, etc.

The picture on the right takes the viewer behind the scenes to see how a certain dish was made. While the preparation photographs might not mean much on their own, including those photographs in my final project will allow the viewer to gain a deeper appreciation for the final product/dish. capturing photographs of the preparation phase and final phase allows for me to create a story with my pictures, furthering the appreciation for the dish.

Along with the pictorial book, I also took the opportunity to research the history behind Jollof rice and where it came from (https://www.eater.com/21274028/jollof-wars-social-media-rivalry-ghana-nigeria-styles-history-west-africa). These two articles help me understand that the love race actually comes from a Wolof tribe which is now present-day Senegal. As the Wolof tribe grew in size, their empire, along with their food recipes, expanded along the coast of West Africa which is now present-day Ghana and Nigeria. Having this knowledge under my belt gives me more appreciation for the dish as a photographer.

Negative Space (27/6/2022)

For today's class, my group experimented on how to take photos with negative Space. Understanding how negative space works took some time. However, once I got a grasp, the results turned out really well.

With the two photos at the top, I used the sky as a negative space in order to direct the viewer's eyes to the buildings. One thing I learned is that over-exposure and under-exposure play a huge role in how effective negative space is. For those two photographs, I tried to under-expose the photograph with a -.7 and -1.3 respectively.

In the third photograph (middle left), the clouds overhead created a great under-exposure shot; however, the clouds also made the photograph too dark which is why I had to bump the exposure level to +1.3.

For the last two shots, the clouds once again created an amazing under-exposed shot. However, due to the contrast in colors between the subject (bright red building and dark black street light) and the sky, I didn't have to change the exposure at all, leaving it at +0.

My Trip to Wales (29/6/2022 - 3/7/2022)

During my time in Wales I took loads of pictures; however, today on my Tumblr account I will be showcasing two photos that gave me inspiration for how my final project will look.

In the photograph on the left, the thing that stands out to me is the sauce dripping down the ice cream cone. When it comes to photography, motion can tell a lot about a photo. For starters, I enjoyed how the cream went on a journey, going from the jelly to the ice cream, to the strawberry, chocolate, and eventually to the ice cream cone, combining all of the colors into one. For the audience, the motion entices the audience to want to eat the treat before it all melts away. To capture the cream in a still shot, I set my shutter speed very high. I also decreased my aperture number so that I could blur out the background. I plan on capturing the same motion with my Jollof rice by adding red stew which is common to add to this meal.

On the right-hand side, I wanted to practice taking close-up shots of the food. By shooting so close to the food, it leaves the reader to ponder how large the meal actually is. I got my inspiration from a few people including Josh (one of our instructors) and "smokepartyjollof" which is an Instagram page that specializes in close-up Nigerian food photography. For all the audience knows, it could be a small portion of food, or it could be an ocean of food that covers the entire plate. Creating this mystery gives the photograph more detail and meaning for the viewer. I hope on capturing this same feeling when I try this tactic with my Jollof rice. Similar to the photo on the left, I lowered my aperture to the lowest amount while still limiting overexposure. To aid with the overexposure, I increased my shutter speed so that too much light wouldn't enter the camera.

V&A Museum (4/7/2022)

Up on the fourth floor, near the back of the gallery was a collection of west African pottery. Yesterday, I had the privilege to capture some images. This instrument is called Igbako which means scoop. This was often made out of clay, and was used to fish out meals like Jollof rice and pounded yam.

For this shot, I decided to capture this image from a worm-eye-level perspective. I captured multiple shots of the instrument from different angles, but ultimately landed with this choice. In my project, the theme is storytelling. I want to take the audience on a journey of how Ghana and Nigeria make their Jollof rice through the media of photography. Likewise, when I saw this instrument, I was intrigued by this side. Showcasing the rough edge allows the audience to get a taste of how difficult it was to create this piece of pottery; it's almost like telling a story. Capturing the smooth side would've been nice, but getting the rigid side allows for us to get a better view of the story. One could ponder, but it's almost like this instrument was cut from a sheet of similar clay material.

For this photograph, I changed my ISO from 200 to 1000, due to the lack of natural light inside the museum. Boosting my ISO to 1000 especially helped with my photo since the pottery was showcased in the corner of the gallery. Once again, similar to having the higher ISO, I set my aparature to 14 in order to allow more light into the camera, while at the same time limiting the amount of grain in the photo. Lastly I set the shutter speed to f 1/15 in order to allow a crisp clear photograph. You can also see that I used my body as a shield in order to eliminate the glare from the photo.

The BOXPARK (27/6/2022)

Yesterday, I went to the BoxPark (outside High Street Train Station). Amazing wouldn't even come close to describing this place. For my meal that day, I had loaded fries with shredded jerk chicken. The first thing I realized is how much the peppers pop out in the dish. The bright red really stands out in the sea of brown fries and seasoning. In order to capture the contrast in the best way possible, I decided to go with the overhead shot. Because the contrast (Bright red to dark brown) is so massive, it visually makes the pepper hotter than it really is.

Walking my way Downtown [Gravesend]... (25/6/2022 - 26/6/2022)

Title: African Food: Identical, yet Different (24/6/2022)

Within these 6 photos, I've created pictures of 3 main Nigerian dishes: Pounded yam with Okra soup (left), Jollof rice with fried plantain and chicken (last 2 on right) , and puff puff (top right).

Pounded Yam is traditionally a heavy meal that is served near dinner time. Once you eat it, you're immediately knocked out (almost like a Thanksgiving Dinner)! For the two shots on the bottom left I wanted to create a photo of the dish through two different perspective; one where the Pounded Yam is in focus and the other where the chicken & fish are in focus. For example, in the middle left image I set my aparature really low in order to blur the chicken and soup along with the other surrounding background, allowing me to prioritize the Pounded Yam in the shot.

In the top left, decided to take an overhead shot in order to capture the entire dish. One problem that I ran into was the photo came out a little dark, so to compensate for this I decided to decrease my shutter speed so that more light can enter the camera. Once I did this, my photos became much brighter.

Similar to the left side, I decided to create the photo of the jollof rice w/plantain & chicken from 2 different perspectives. One being a stand alone shot of the jollof rice, and another being a shot with the jollof rice and plantain in focus while the chicken is blurred in the background. In both images I set the aparature really low in order to focus on a specific target.

Lastly, for the puff puff (top right) I set the aparature extremely low so that I could blur the background and focus the lens on the pastry.

Title: African Food: Identical, yet Different (Work in Progress) (23/6/2022)

Today I took pictures of two main Nigerian dishes; puff puff (top) and Jollof rice w/plantain & chicken (middle and bottom).

In the top two photos, I created a photo of the pastry dish behind a colorful background with the restaurant name. In these photos I really wanted to showcase the puff puff, so I decided to lower my aparature in order to blur out the background. To further engage the audience into the photograph, I decided to take a shot of the puff puff which a bite mark, allowing the viewer to visualize what it would look like if they were to take a bite out of this tasty dish.

In the next four photos I was trying to create a photo of the meal from different angles, with each angle giving detail to a specific part of the dish. Not only did I attempt in creating an overhead shot, but I also had some shots from a worm eye view. By shooting it from a different eye level, it allows the viewer to explore different details of the dish that they wouldn't be able to see from an overhead shot.

Fun Facts about Arianna! (21/6/2022)

1. BIG yungblud fan

2. Always down for an adventure/hike

3. In love with the sweets (candy, ice cream, you name it)

With the photo on the left, I worked on creating photos with a low aparature. Having a low aparature allowed me to eliminate any distraction coming from the background and allow the viewer to focus soley on the subject.

With the photo on the right, I chose for the subject to sit behind that background because I really enjoyed how the subjects hair red/orange hair complemented the bright pink background. One thing I had to do with this photo is increase the aparature so that there wouldn't be too much light coming in. Once I did this, the image became much sharper.