Monday 29 June 2015

Mmmmm Ribs!

Ok I have finished editing some photos that I had taken a couple of days ago. Here I took some pictures of some ribs with chips and salad on the side. One thing I wanted to focus on was all the different shapes, colours and textures of the food. By having food that was so varied I felt that I was able to make a picture that looked very interesting and hopefully rather tasty to boot!
I also chose to use a plain green plate as I thought the colour would work well with the salad and give the picture a more vibrant look, making all the colours of the food stand out.

Here are some of the pictures:







I initially took a picture of the whole plate of food just so people could see how I chose to lay out the food; I then started to play around with the aperture and with different perspectives. I found the pictures I prefer are the ones that feature this shallow depth of field and have this specific focal point that was usually the ribs. There are quite a few that I like but I am also aware of the fact that these can be improved.

I could set the scene differently. Having a set theme in the picture, so making it look darker for instance or focusing on the ingredients. I think if I were to do this again I would like to try using a barbeque or a grill and instead photograph the ribs while it is cooking or even while it is being prepared. I could also have used more salad in the picture so that there are some brighter, healthier colours and fewer chips, as I feel that they take up too much space in the picture.


Anyway that is all for today, there are some other pictures on my Facebook page if anyone cares to see this. I will also be posting pictures on here before I blog about them so if anyone is interested in what pictures I am taking then check it out! These pictures will also be available on my website and Flickr page. Right so on that note I shall be off! See ya!

- Kamilia

Saturday 27 June 2015

A Quick Experiment!

So I thought I would do a quick experiment with one of my brand new cups, this one being the wonderful jar with a lid. I wanted to do an experiment with this to see how I should go about taking pictures with a glass jar, I wasn’t entirely sure how lighting would affect the photo so thought it best to do a test before planning an actual shoot and finding myself struggling throughout it. The result of my experimentation is this:



I am actually quite happy with the quick set up that I made. I wanted to have some theme behind it so I could practice putting the jar in an actual situation. I was trying to create a relaxing end of the day themed photo set in the summer or fall. I am planning to do a shoot similar to this in the future but I will do more planning for it and work more on the set up and also decide on what drinks I will use. I feel like it would be really good for an outdoors shoot near firelight or in the light of the sun. I did use a phone as a light to backlight the back of the jar so that the colour of the drink in the jar would stand out more and was more vibrant. In the end I did find it somewhat difficult. I had to try to control the shine coming off the jar so that it wasn’t too distracting and the jar lid also was difficult to work with. I also had a mirror on hand and wanted to do a quick experiment with reflections and the jar just to see what it would look like and also experiment with how light affects the mirror as well as the jar. However I soon was able to find a way to use light to illuminate the picture without having to worry about to many reflections or too much shine. Anyway that is all for tonight so I shall be off. See ya!

- Kamilia

Thursday 25 June 2015

Road Trips in America

So as I was going through my Twitter feed I saw a tweet from NatGeoTravel which had a link to an article showing 50 of America's best Road Trips. I was instantly interested by this, a friend of mine having talked about several and showed me a video a man had done of his hike on the Pacific Crest Trail. After following the link I was shown a variety of smaller sections that split these Road Trips based off of what I would want from the trip or what I would be doing.

Some examples of a few of the Road Trip sections are Must do Drives of 2015, Gourmet Road Trips, Urban Excursions and others. The list that got my attention is the one titled 'Off the Beaten Path'. The Trips listed here are 'Crossing Chattahoochee', 'The Borderlands of Texas', 'Authentic Old West', 'Forgotten Florida', 'Ghost towns of Colorado', 'The Orazarks, Arkansas', 'Dalton Highway, Alaska'.

The Dalton Highway in Alaska looks particularly interesting, mainly because I would love to go to Alaska anyway, and this would be a great opportunity to venture through the country, enjoying the landscape and taking some great pictures along the way. There is something exciting about planning a trip and just spending your time out in the wilderness rather than spending time in towns or in resorts. There are hotels and places to stay on the way so there would be places for people to go if they don't want to camp outside in a tent or a van.





Here is a link to the lists of Road Trips: http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/americas-best-road-trips

Anyway that is all for tonight, I have some photos that I have been working on that I will be sharing so be on the lookout for that. See ya!

- Kamilia

Wednesday 24 June 2015

I have Plates! Well sort of.

Oh joy of joys, I have some good news to share! I have finally found some new dishes and cups for my shoots that I have been planning! Just look at them!


Aren’t they adorable? For the travel mug I was interested in the design of it, usually I tend to see ones that are just one colour but this one is blue and speckled, how charming! I also thought that it would work well for some outdoor shoots. Maybe I can do some photos of some drinks to have around a campfire for example!

In addition to this I was especially pleased to find a jug that comes with a screw on lid and straw. I have been searching for a decent sized one that comes with a lid like this for a while, I was beginning to think that I may have to settle for one that is not quite like the one I envisioned. I have already planned to do a variety of cold drinks to serve in this, some iced tea, smoothies, milkshakes, maybe even some cocktails which could add a vibrant splash of colour to some pictures!

As for the dish displayed in the picture, I did not initially have the slightest inkling to get one like it. However, when I stumbled upon it in a charity shop I instantly generated some ideas for shoots, I knew I just had to get it! A variety of pasta dishes or some curries, nice savoury food, filled to the brim with a variety of vegetables and spices, I am sure I can make some amazing pictures with this!

For the small teacup and saucer I thought this would work well with a coffee or espresso as well as some tea, I could add a touch of class to some photos with this cup due to design and lack of colour. As for the final mug I simply felt that the design on the mug was nice, the greens work well with the pattern and make the cup look very pretty. I could take some pictures of some flowers in this cup besides taking pictures of some hot drinks.

In any case this is just a very short update to let you all know what I am up to, so I shall be off now. See ya!


- Kamilia

Sunday 21 June 2015

Joel Robison

Joel Robison was one of the first photographers I came across when I first started studying Photography. A lot of his work looks like something straight out of a storybook, a wonderful work of art to illustrate a story. This may be due to the fact that the man is a notorious daydreamer. He spent a lot of his time as a child reading and watching movies which have inspired a lot of his works. He originally was going to be a teacher, but he found that he felt disconnected from his work. It was soon after, that he discovered the art that can be found on Flickr and ventured into the world of photography. After some time working on his skills he was able to land a contract with Coco-Cola and has not looked back since. His work always has an element of surrealism and most of these pictures are self-portraits. It is one of the many ways that he tries to show what he is thinking and to show his story. One of my favorite series that he has done is called 'Put YourHands Up'. Here are just a few of the pictures.

Save This Ship

New Growth

New Growth

Adventure In My Grasp

I respect the simplicity of these pieces and admire the lightheartedness that is also present. I would like to create works similar to this. I attempted to do just that when I was studying his work during my A-levels, the work I completed for this you can view on my own Flickr page titled 'Journey', I will also do a blog post soon talking about this piece, saying what I was hoping to achieve and my inspiration behind the work. I shall provide all links below:

'Put Your Hands Up' Flickr album: https://www.flickr.com/photos/joel_r/sets/72157627298560423

Flickr Page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/joel_r/

Website: http://joelrobison.com


'Journey' Album: https://www.flickr.com/photos/100070209@N07/sets/72157651976236595


Anyway that is all for today all so I shall be off. See ya!

- Kamilia

Wednesday 17 June 2015

Dramatic Nature Photos Illuminate the Quiet Mystery of the Woods: Article

I just wanted to quickly share this interesting article I stumbled upon today. It shows a series of photos taken photographer Lee Acaster. He usually works as a graphics designer but is becoming more well known through his photos of densely wooded areas near his home. Here are a few examples of his work:






Throughout the article he answers some questions about his work and what he achieves. I honestly found this very interesting to read and was rather surprised to find that a lot of his work was taken in local areas that I have been to before. He has made his pictures look very surreal and enigmatic. I always do enjoy finding a new photographer who has an interesting style, particularly people who do work that is quite different from my own! I am not very good when it comes to nature shots so I never really know how to approach this, finding people who are able to do something I can't is very inspirational! I highly recommend you check out his work as well, I shall provide the links below:


Anyway that is all for now so I shall be off, See ya!

- Kamilia

Tuesday 16 June 2015

The Winter Lights Festival

I am sorry for the lack of posts as of late people, been rather busy these last few days and been unable to take photos as a result, however, I thought I would instead share some photos I have taken in the past when going to the festival mentioned in the title.

The Winter Lights Festival is held at Anglesey Abbey In Cambridge every year between November and December. I went here almost two years ago and it truly was a spectacular event. The work put in to the festival was truly immense, sadly I do not have as many pictures as I would like as my skills back then aren't what they are now. When I went I thought it would be interesting to see how they would lay out the festival and was intrigued at what exactly they would be doing here, I knew that they would use different lights to make the trees and foliage look more interesting but I didn't know exactly how this would be done, what the layout of the location was like, if any other events would be going on there and so on. I was pleasantly surprised to say the least. I know for a fact that I took well over 700 pictures while I was there. With my tripod in hand, me and many other photographers were trying to capture the spectacles before us, I also met a variety of photographers who offered useful advice that helped me capture photos in the dark.

Besides the trees themselves there were other activities to do and food served whilst people were venturing through the area. I never got the chance to see any of these, however, I took to long getting there, which is also why I had so many photos!

Here are just a few that I have taken:








While the trees as a whole looked amazing I was also fascinated with the textures of the plants and how the light hit them and made them appear. These pictures are actually my favourites from the festival, the contrast between the light and dark, the colours and shapes all made these pictures stand out to me. 

If anyone is interested in seeing other pictures I have taken you can have a look at my website and flickr page. I will provide the links below:


I promise to take more photos soon, pinky swear! Anyway that is all for today so I shall be off, See ya!

- Kamilia

Saturday 13 June 2015

Article: A Defense of the Prices a Photographer Charges for Portraits

This article I read a few days ago and I must say I really appreciate everything this article says. The writer, Chris Gampat from The Phoblographer, discusses the reasoning behind why he won't give people a discount purely for being close to a person he knows, the example he gives is the friend of his mother. He goes into detail all the work that goes into a portrait shoot, and all the minute steps that need to be taken in order to take a really good portrait shot. The work that is involved before the photos are even taken are so important and absolutely necessary. I feel it is always a bit upsetting when people just expect you to take a picture and that is all it really takes. You need to plan the shoot, come up with a location, theme, poses, plan for how many will be there, learn what the picture is for, find out about the person so they feel comfortable and so much more. That is all just before the photo is even taken.


I must say that Chris Gampat has hit the nail on the head with his article and I truly am happy that there are people writing about this and addressing the issue, because at the end of the day, this can cause a problem, if you refuse to give the person a discount they can very easily bad mouth you and affect your clientele. However, if you accept their price then you will be losing money in the long run as the time spent with this person can be spent on someone willing to pay the full price. They may also pass on the word and you may have a increase in people asking for a reduced price.
Phoblographer are a great site and I urge you all to check out their site and read the article I am discussing. I shall provide the links below:

The article: http://www.thephoblographer.com/2015/06/08/a-defense-of-the-prices-a-photographer-charges-for-portraits/#.VXwmPc7wOnh

Phoblographer: http://www.thephoblographer.com

Anyway that is all for now so I shall be off. See ya!

- Kamilia

To post or not to post

So I have been debating posting this for a while, mainly because these photos were taken around a month or so ago for my final term at University. It is not that I dislike the pictures, on the contrary I am quite proud of the result. It is more the fact that the time has passed so to speak. The work I will be posting in this here was made a while ago so I felt it wasn't exactly relevant, or no longer up to date with what I am doing. But in the end I have decided to post the work I did over my last term of University. Here is my take on the Seven Deadly Sins series:

Envy

Gluttony

Greed

Lust

Pride

Sloth

Wrath

Untainted

These pictures are all my own interpretation of the Seven Deadly Sins, with the addition of one extra photo that represents someone clean of the effects of these sins. I did the set up, picture taking, modelling and makeup for all of these shoots. True it would have been much easier to have had assistants and also have another person model for me but I am happy with the outcome of these photos. The model who was supposed to assist me just couldn't put enough time aside to model for me as often as I needed her to. Also I wanted to have the same person in all of these shots so in the end I felt that the best way to have this consistency is to model myself. I feel like it would take to long to describe what I was trying to achieve with each photo and I am sure you all don't want to read an essay, so if anyone has any questions about the photos then please leave a comment and I will happily reply! Anyway that is all for this post. See ya!

- Kamilia

More Photography experiments!

Ok today I will be sharing a couple of edits I have done on some tea, specifically herbal tea. As an avid tea drinker I wanted to experiment with this and try to present the tea in a way that makes it look more interesting. Any way here are the photos:



These edits are specifically of Peppermint Tea herbs, the cup and saucer I brought specifically for the shoot so that the whole set up looked more refined and elegant. The photos I think are ok for initial shots, though I need to try to find a way to take an above shot of the set without getting the reflection in the spoon. It doesn't compliment the shot at all like this. However, I do like the arrangement and set up. The idea behind this is to use the ingredients to show how I make the tea with the exception of the hot water. I will be doing more shots however with the water, the ingredients mixed together and any extra foods that I use added into the shot, like honey for example. I also chose to have a different coloured background based on the colour of the herbs and what I think would compliment them, Here I thought either a pale blue or mint green colour would work so tried both to see how I felt about it. I think I prefer the mint green to the blue but honestly I think both work just as well as the other. Any who that's all for now, See ya!

- Kamilia

Friday 12 June 2015

Been painting again have we?

Yes, it is true. I have been painting yet again, after the last attempt I felt I should attempt to paint while I was still somewhat conscious. I, again, brought out my watercolours and drew and painted another face, this being the result:



Honestly I am not sure how I feel about this one. I believe it is an improvement in comparison to the last attempt at art but still not quite there. It has been a very long time since I properly sat down and painted, however, may just be I am out of practice. Hopefully, with the time I have now, I can do more paintings and practice some more, improving my skill and wearing away at the rust that has developed over the years. Well that is all for now, I bid you all a good night, I shall be back in the morn showing some photos I have taken over the last few days. See ya!

- Kamilia

I have fallen in love once again ... with tea!!!

Hey! listen! Guys I have found one of the best things ever made! Are you ready for this? Ok here we go.

Blooming Tea

It is the perfect mixture of delicious tea and beauty, just look at this video showing how different teas 'bloom' in the hot water!


I can't get over how remarkable the process is, I have heard of this tea before and seen pictures of it, but to actually see it in action, it's so amazing! I can feel all the ideas generating already! Now I will try my hardest to get everything I need to try and do this over summer, however, next year I will also be doing Moving Image for my University Course. If I can find a way to make this work with the brief I will most defiantly focus my project on the varieties of tea, changing the set up and containers to match the tea and feature different music that I feel works well with each tea. I am so excited about this already and I haven't even started yet! Well that was all for now so I shall be off. See ya!

- Kamilia

Thursday 11 June 2015

An attempt at Art!

So in the dead of the night (around 5 am to be precise) I thought it wise to try my hand at some painting, specifically with watercolours. In the past, way back when I was still doing my GCSE’s, I did art. I found I was best at using acrylic paints, specifically for landscape pieces, I couldn’t sketch to save my life, the very opposite of my brother, dad and granddad, who are all brilliant at doing just this. However, as I had spent all night working and wanted something to do before I went to bed I decided to do a quick sketch and use my old watercolours to try and do a painting of a woman. This picture was of nothing in particular, I was simply drawing, I was however partially inspired by the style and design for the artwork behind the video game ‘Child of Light’. This was the result:



Now this is most definatly not my best work but I am quite pleased with what I was able to do considering it has been a good few years since I last painted, particulalrly since I was so sleep deprived as well! That is of course my fault but still I enjoyed painting this, even though, looking at it now, I can see many places where I can improve upon this. Still hope you all have a good day,! See ya!


- Kamilia

Wednesday 10 June 2015

Iceland

Years ago I went on a trip with my school to Iceland. I absolutely loved it, even if I did leave my coat on the plane and was wrapped up in a blanket instead! Everything there was amazing, the sites, the people, the food, I am desperate to go back and rediscover Iceland but in my own time, at my own pace. This video shows some of the more famous sites in Iceland and is a beautiful time lapse which wonderfully captures the beauty of this magnificent country.


Tuesday 9 June 2015

I have no plates!

So as I have said before one of the things I will be trying out over the summer is Food Photography. Now I have done two shoots so far, The next one will feature some juicy Barbecue Ribs and Chips, sounds good right? However, it has come to my attention that I don't really have any plates, that would suit the shoot, that I can use. It is also nearing the end of the University year so my funds for these shoots are running a bit low. I may have to focus on something else instead in the meantime until I can make some money and get some better props to use for my shoots.

As an avid and dedicated tea drinker I may find some props that I can use for this and instead do some shoots based around the herbs used and what you may mix with the drink. The company Teapigs have some particularly nice teabags that would be nice for the shoot but the herbs themselves also have more shape and form.

I'm not sure where to go from here in regards to Food Photography. I may have to spend some more time planning and experimenting first before I do anything else. At any rate that is all for now so I shall be off and I hope you all have a nice day! See ya!

- Kamilia

Sunday 7 June 2015

Summer Project Plans, thus far

Right so here is a very quick post purely to record my plans for my Summer Project thus far. I will more than likely come up with more ideas at a later date (Pinterest is helping me immensely to do this). So far I have 5 shoots that I am planing to do over the Summer:

       1. A Pancake shoot, possibly split into two different shoots.
       2. A Sandwich shoot, creating various types of sandwiches and focusing on the ingredients and sauces involved to make them.
       3. A shoot that focuses on the American Diner experience, looking at different foods and drinks that I think are usually served in an American Diner, this will also be foods served at different times of the day (breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)
       4. A Picnic shoot, featuring the basket, cloth and various foods and drinks
       5. Shooting food from a different perspective

1.
For the first shoot I will be doing two variations for the shoot. For one shoot I will be looking at the process involved with making the pancakes, all the ingredients used, being mixed together and cooked. I will also be capturing the end product, being presented nicely on a plate. I will also feature some nice berries to have on top of the pancakes to give the picture more colour and also to include some different shapes. I would be shooting this in the kitchen as well but may use some different backdrops to make the picture look brighter as well. I may also feature all the ingredients used when the pancakes have been arranged nicely on the plate (e.g. broken eggs, flour, milk spills, etc).

For the second shoot I will be experimenting a bit more, making the pancakes look as though they are floating in the air, but still arranged in the same order (plate at the bottom, pancakes then toppings, knife and fork on the side. I would also like to use some icing sugar to create a snowy effect, will have this falling either on the pancake or infant of it. In order for this to work I will need a dark backdrop in order for this to stand out, may make it more interesting by having dark backdrops of different colours and textures. Can also use the fruit again for this shoot and could have it either just at the top of the picture or possibly falling around the pancakes.

2. For the Sandwich shoot I want to try and do more professional sandwiches that may usually be served in good restaurants that also involve and variety of ingredients. I may also do something similar to the second pancake shoot and suspend the food, showing all the layers and ingredients used. This was initially inspired by a pin I found on Pinterest that was about various sandwiches of the month. Here are some examples:





3.
For the American Diner Experience I would like to get some red and white tartan tablecloth for the table and a brightly coloured background or backdrop that looks like an actual booth to make it look more authentic. Some very specific props would be needed as well for this. Would also like to feature hands in this, the customer and the server. I would like the server to be the same, feminine hands, red nails, well manicured. Will have different hands for the customers however. Would do various shots for this so this may turn into a series rather than just a one time shoot.

4.
For the Picnic shoot I would like to use an actual picnic basket and blanket similar to the diner experience tablecloth. I will also be experimenting with angles, shooting from above and below to make the food and layout of everything look more interesting. Would like to feature hands again, to show the family getting involved, grabbing at all the food and drinks and adding interest to the picture.

5.
Finally of the shoot where I take pictures of food from different perspectives I would like to shoot mainly from below to make for look larger than it really is, things that normally look small like cherries, drinks, appetisers, etc. 

As or everything I would need I have created a list for this:

  • Glass bottles, similar to milk bottles.
  • Various kinds of plates and cutlery, going from basic commonly used ware to broken pieces or more decorated plates.
  • Striped straws that swirl around the straw, not ones that go straight down.
  • Glass jug
  • Glass Kettle
  • Red and white tartan table cloth or picnic blanket
  • Basket, with nice interior or slots for plates and cutlery to go
  • Magnifying Lens pieces for my up close shots
  • Various backdrops
  • Different clean slates of rock and cutting boards
  • Fishing line
  • Split pins
  • Nail polish
  • And of course ingredients for all the food!
Well I think that is everything so far so I shall bid you all farewell. See ya!

- Kamilia