Food and Light started promptly at 8:00am. I was up at 5:50am and went for that run which actually energized me for the morning session and the rest of today.
Our teachers: Jen, Todd & Diane
I was sitting in the back row next to Elana of Elana’s Pantry. She is the sweetest, kindest, and most friendly person. Truly just a sweetheart!
Loved her!
Everyone was excited to learn.
But we all had to really put our thinking caps on because our first morning session and lecture was from Jen on camera settings.
Aperture, shutter speed, ISO, controlling depth of field. Pretty much it made my head spin.
I am not a numbers girl. And camera numbers and settings make me especially cross-eyed and really tax my brain and take me back to 9th grade algebra class wondering if these concepts will ever click for me.
Algebra finally clicked by the end of 9th grade and camera settings and numbers are beginning to click after reading about them over and over, for months and months.
Like most people, I shoot based on trial and error rather than on studying the numbers and knowing how shutter speed and depth of field and ISO settings all integrate.
However, knowing and understanding the fundamentals and knowing what the numbers do and how they effect your photos is really powerful.
I suggest reading anything you can online about these concepts. And read from many different sources. Google it. Someone will explain it in a way that will click for you. Also in Helene’s book that I reviewed here, she does an excellent job of going over these concepts.
After Jen’s presentation, Matt gave a lecture and here are a few of my lecture notes from his presentation:
Camera Angles
Vary your camera angles in a series of shots
Shoot top down, 3/4 and straight on
Flat food shoots well from top down
Top down shots often give a very graphic composition
Food with height shoots well from straight on
Straight on gives height and drama
Composition
The best photographers tell a story with their shots
A visual story keeps photographs interesting
Fake it if you have to!
After Matt’s lecture it was time to start shooting.
I was ready to get up and just dive in.
The food table with everything from radishes to fresh flowers to peppercorns to desserts.
Guess what I chose to shoot?
You guessed it: cupcakes!
I chose, plated, and styled, and accessorized the cupcake
And then shot it.
The pink sugar sprinkles were the icing on the (cup)cake for me <— pun intended
And after that, we broke for lunch.
It was an intense morning. I learned tons.
It will all continue to sink in as the days (and weeks and months) pass.
But for now, my internet connection is painfully slow and so I am going to sign off and explore a bit of Boulder in the evening before it gets too late. We start again bright and early tomorrow!
I’m glad you enjoyed the pictures of the early morning Boulder run I did. Yes, it’s super pretty here! I won’t lie, I love San Diego and the beach and ocean will always be my true love, but it is so pretty here!
Questions:
1. What are your photography challenges?
I have these photography tips posts, too:
Food Styling: Books, Props, & Photo Quality: It’s not just your equipment that matters
Food Styling: Pretty & Not So Pretty Pictures
Plate to Pixel: Book Review & Photography Tips
2. When you’re in lectures, do you take a lot of notes or do you just try to absorb what you can and not stress out about writing it all down?
When I was in school, yes, I stressed out about writing every single word down that I possibly could.
But for lectures like this, there is so much information, and there are no “tests” and I didn’t try to write it all down. I remained mindfully present, wrote down some key pointers, and worried less about writing it all down and more on just listening and absorbing. In a few weeks I may wish I had written more down! But they are sending us the Powerpoint slides so I’m not too worried.
Reminder to enter the Giveaway for the Healthy Cookies & Brownies
I love when there is not the pressure of a test, I actually listen and absorb concepts so much more because my mind isn’t trying to grasp every word to write down. Thanks for sharing some of your notes, they are some great points!
“I actually listen and absorb concepts so much more because my mind isn’t trying to grasp every word to write down. “—
that is what i was trying to succinctly say in my post but didnt. that is exactly what i mean about the notes!
Good tips, seems like a great class so far. I am definitely a note taker, not because I necessarily study it again later but because the act of writing it helps me learn it.
You’re making me miss my camera! I still need to get it fixed. I’ve been working on a point and shoot for so long now. Sounds like a great time Averie!
I seriously need to get a better camera. Mine was a spur of the moment buy for fifty bucks. I am planning on getting a Rebel… but I still really need to work on my skills anyway. Your amazing! Thank you for the tips!
yes it’s really about the skills first, camera 2nd.
my next post will shot it’s more about setting up your shot than the actual shot/camera that takes the shot
Great tips Averie, thanks for sharing! I usually love to tweet tips during live conferences and compile a list of what i’ve learned into a post :)
i have SEEN your live tweets and posts from conf’s. you rock girl!
Thank you, but I don’t ROCK as much as you do ;) *hugs
Aweeeesome! Aperture and shutter speeds totally get me too. It’s one thing on paper but a whole other beast when it comes time to shoot. I’ve been learning this stuff since grade 10 and it still confuses me! I like your cupcake photos :)
really? ok that helps me to know! I swear it’s like h.s. algebra all over for me some days :)
Yeah. I took photography courses through high school and could pass the written tests on the numbers fine but I always kind of winged it when it came to taking photos. I am NOT good with numbers at all and hated math so I don’t know if it’s related. Unfortunately after high school I only had a point and shoot for a while and kind of fell out of it…relearning is fun though!
Averie this looks like a great class — I bet you are having such a great time! Yes in classes of any kind I love to take notes — somehow the act of writing helps me remember things.
Wow – your cupcake pic is really great! You deserve a kudos, girl!
Those are absolutely BEAUTIFUL shots! I am impressed!
Have you ever considered not bleaching/darkening your eyebrows? I think it would really flatter your already beautiful face!
wow this is awesome!! I feel like I just learned a ton within a few sentences. I particularly liked this, it kinda stuck with me! “The best photographers tell a story with their shots”. And I think that can go for any kind of photography really. :)
glad it helped
Love that you’re there!! I love Todd & Diane. I know you’re having tons of fun. I love the photographs of your cupcakes! Can’t wait to read more!
thanks for tweeting this out too. you’re a doll!
I wish I was there with you!!
your cupcake photos look fantastic!
:)
Such great tips! Honestly – I’m pretty surprised…I never would have guessed in a million years that the numbers – the “math” in photography, settings and how they all work together, etc. make your head spin; You look like a true professional! It will all click for you soon :)
My photography challenge…is the motivation! Not for the stuff I do “for business,” but the blog-related stuff. I always start out with grandiose ideas, but when it comes to shooting it, I kinda loose the drive halfway through. I’ve come to terms with the fact that I just don’t have the drive to be a true food blogger and photographer, and that’s okay with me.
That’s definitely one thing I admire you for, because I never really realized how much time, effort and…messes…go into being a food photographer. I’ve done a couple shoots where I get ingredients all over and such so it looks neat and “rustic,”…but dang, it’s a drag to clean up after it all! haha.
dude it’s a freakin full time job to be a GOOD food blogger with 1. recipe development (not everything you ‘develop’ even works out!) and then there’s the 2. photography piece with shoots ranging from an hour to mannnny more including cleanup 3. the editing. 4. typing, uploading, posting, etc..yes FT job!
You could be a true food blogger if u wanted to be. You have amazing recipe development and your photog skills are already amazing. Motivation…well, can’t help ya there :)
Numbers..yeah i shoot instinctively…NOT according to #’s. Today I shot in MANUAL ALL DAY!!! WOOHOOO FOR ME! :)
that’s WONDERFUL that you had such a great day, averie. thanks for sharing a few tips.
the math would make my head spin, too. those tips that you share from matt are super helpful, esp for a novice like me. but even something like, “shoot from the top down, 3/4, straight on” is really helpful.
i’m a HUGE note taker! i take notes even when you don’t really need to. it helps me retain info to write it down.
i would LOVE x 1000 to run in boulder!!!!
enjoy your eve!
I completely agree on the note-taking. Writing keeps me more focused.
I’m finding being pretty new to my dSLR, I’m slowwwwly figuring out how all the aspects work together and what numbers are better combinations in which settings, but I can never talk about it because I constantly forget all the words for them!
(Pretty new to your blog. Hello! I’m really digging the photography class share.)
All such great tips!!! Your a natural. :)