Pasta shoot.
For this shoot, I used the same setup as my potato shoot (the chilli lights) because I made both dishes in the same evening, however I didn’t need the chopping board or the tea towels because this shoot was inspired by Loftus' image of the roast potatoes which were randomly scattered in the dish that they were cooked in (filling the entire frame) - I did the same with this shoot. With this shoot, I especially utilised the zoom function because I didn't want to get the background in the image, this was because Loftus didn’t have any background in his. I also shot all my images vertically (although on the contact sheet they were placed the wrong way), because my dish was rectangular, and I wanted to fill up the whole frame. I also took images at every stage, from preparation to the finished result, because I wanted to capture as many textures as I could, so afterwards I could choose my favourite images with the best texture to use for further analysis and development. I took the photos using a Canon EOS 4000d DSLR camera, changing the settings dependant on the angle.
original image a.
This was one of my favourite images from the shoot because I thought that it was the most versatile for editing. The complementary, vibrant colours of the red tomatoes and green basil stand are extremely eye catching and give a striking look - similarly to Loftus’ roast potatoes. I used a deep depth of field to capture the whole pan. Before shooting, i used a blowtorch to brown the tomatoes a bit more, to reveal the textures beneath the red colours. The feta cheese is a ‘square’ shape, in the centre of the pan which draws the viewer in, despite it’s imperfect shape – emphasising the message that not everything in the culinary world is perfect. I shot this shoot whilst it was all still in the pan, fresh from the oven, to maintain the random composition without changing it too much. I shot the image from above, to allow me the freedom to crop it in as much as I would like when editing. I thought that this shoot was very successful.
Developments.
For this development, I focused on the colour and texture of the food. I increased the vibrancy and saturation to make the colours even more bright and eye-catching. I also decreased the blacks of the image which revealed the texture of the tomatoes that I torched at the end. I also tinted the colour to the green side to allow for the green of the basil to be more vibrant. My intention was to reveal as much texture as I could, with this image, and I think I achieved this. This was to complement the random composition of the tomatoes and other ingredients, by revealing the textures it makes the dish look more eye-catching and appetising for advertisement. Finally, I cropped the frame down until the frame was filled with just the food, and not the edges of the baking pan that I cooked it in – to focus the viewer to just the textures of the ingredients, and not the pan.
original image b.
I think that this image was more similar to the style of Loftus’ than the last. I think this because the frame definitely looks more full and random than the last, despite the fact that I prefer the other image. The raw version of this image seems more beige and boring than the last image – which I hope to rectify in my developments. Although I don’t like it as much as the last, I still think that the random composition looks far more appealing. There is definitely more texture with this image than the last because - instead of leaving the ingredients hole like in the last image - the ingredients were broken into smaller pieces which created more texture within the image. I also like this image because you can see the texture on the surface of the pasta shells (the ridged lines), whereas the element of lines weren’t in the last image. In my developments I intend to increase the texture to allow for more shadows and depth – and to reveal the lines on the surface of the pasta more vividly done the more version. I also do intend to increase the vibrancy of the tomatoes, because this is what is lost compare to the last.
developments b.
For this development, I didn’t adjust the lighting much because I thought that my lighting with similar enough to studio lighting. However I decreased the blacks and increased the texture, sharpening and clarity to reveal the seasoning and the pieces of feta - which you couldn’t see originally. I also increased the tint towards the purple, unlike my first shoot, because after I had mixed all of the ingredients together the basil couldn’t be seen as well as before the addition of the pasta. As a result, I decided to increase the tint towards the purple to make the red look more vibrant (along with the increased vibrance and saturation). I think that by increasing the texture and decreasing the blacks, this created shadows within the pasta shells which create# a depth to the pasta which makes the composition look more full and appetising.