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Indoor Architectural Photography
Architectural Photography
Architectural photography is a new up and coming type of photography that can make people money. When a builder or home owner wants to sell their house they often times will post it online so people from out of state can see what the home looks like. Essentially the pictures sell the home so the photographer needs to be experienced in making spaces look beautiful. My aunt has the most amazing kitchen and every time I walk into her house I feel like it should be out of a magazine. I was able to capture some architectural photography in her home.
This is just a new skill that I am starting to work on, but it will be something I look forward to doing more of. I also love to look on Pinterest for pictures of homes to get inspiration for how I would like to decorate my home someday.
Check out Ian Youngs Indoor Architectural Photography he is seriously an inspiration to me!
Want to be a food photographer?
Food Photographer: Learning How
Food photographers have been becoming more and more popular over the past several years and there are many reasons for that. People and companies want pictures of their product especially if it’s edible. They want people to see the picture and want what they see. Another key to remember when taking pictures of food is to be picky and pick the best of the best food because you don’t want to photograph something that doesn’t look appetizing like a half rotten apple or spoiled tomato.
When I first started photographing food I thought it was a bit strange because I was used to always photographing people. I wasn’t really sure how to get good shots at first and it took some experimenting to become a good food photographer.
When taking pictures of food it’s important to remember to set the food up in a way that makes it look appetizing. You want the person who sees the picture to want to reach into the image and pull the food out and eat it.
For both of these images I used a soft box with a continuos light to add interesting high lights and shadows. I also used my Nikon D300 along with my Tamron 28-75mm lens. Since these images were taken inside and it was a little darker and I was using the continuous light I set my aperture at 5.6 so it would bring in some light and also create a nice background. This is definitely a skill that I want to work on in the future.
For more food photographers check out Tyler Price Photography.
Fresh Produce makes for interesting Photos
Fresh Produce Photos
Fresh produce photos have many uses; they can be used as fine art prints, used in advertising for grocery stores, or on posters and flyers for food events like farmers markets. When shooting fresh produce it’s all about how you arrange it.
Cut the food up, take pictures from above and stylize your photos by adding in baskets, kitchen towels or even a person. My fresh produce photos were taken using a 50mm lens that way I could get background bokeh if I desired. I loved taking pictures of the peppers because of how vibrant their colors were. When your at the grocery store or farmers market picking out your fresh produce to use for photography make sure you are picking and looking if over really well because you want to use the best of the best to capture amazing pictures.
My favorite picture from my fresh produce shoot was of these grapes below. I positioned the grapes in the bowl off of the vine and then had a group of grapes next to the bowl. I used a wood bench as the background and got the shot from above to give my picture a different feel. I used all natural lighting for these pictures, but I could’ve also used a speed light or continuous light to get more interesting shadows.
For more great fresh produce photography check out Casey J Photography.
Jackson Hole is Famous for their Food and Landscapes
Jackson Hole Food
Food photographers are extremely important for restaurants and their advertising. Jackson Hole food is awesome to photography because it’s full of color and the dishes are beautiful. Restaurants use pictures of their food in their menus, in advertising, and on social media. Knowing how to photograph food is a great skill to have as a photographer because it can open up so many doors and opportunities.
While on our Teton trip we went to the Lift restaurant in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and did a food photo shoot. When I first started taking pictures of food I thought it was super strange I didn’t understand the importance of food photography. Ever since this shoot I look at pictures of food in menus and on social media and have realized how important it is to have photos of food.
Jackson Hole food is awesome and who doesn’t love food? These Comm 316 students took the opportunity to sample the food after we photographed it. Having pictures of people interacting with their food shows that the food is just too good not to eat. Pictures of people eating food are hung in restaurants to encourage people to eat more.
There are so many talented food photographers but one I got a lot of my inspiration from was AJ Burcas. Check out more great Jackson Hole food photography at AJ Burcas website.
Product Photography Examples
Capture Products with Photography
Product photography is a new type of photography I have been experimenting with. A couple of tips I have received from people while doing product photography is use your environment to make the shot interesting. With this Zevia cream soda I took it out of the kitchen outside and set it on a rock and it made for an interesting shot.
Another tip to remember when doing product photography is that a prime lens is key. For all of these shots I used a 50mm and had my aperture at 2.8. This gives a nice bokeh and makes the product the main focus.
Product photography examples can include people interacting with the product like in the picture below. I had a model hold the sprite right out in front of her to show off the sprit, but also to show that people actually drink it. When doing product photography its important to have interesting light. For all of these images I just used natural light, but speed lights and continuous lights can also be great to add to product photography.
Someone that I like up too as a product photographer is Katie Anderson. She was my Comm 300 professor and she taught me a lot about photography. When she first started her job she has now she didn’t like product photography that much but she serious is amazing at it. Check out her website to see great product photography.
Group Shots
Comm 316 Group Shots
Group shots is something I sort of struggle with I often times feel like I’m never in the right spot at the right time to get the perfect shot. So when it comes to group shots for me I try and keep it more candid. Yes they should still be positioned right, but they don’t all have to be staring straight into the camera for the shot to be good.
Comm 316 has some awesome photographers, but often times as photographers we hate to get our picture taken. These guy and gals did a great job and being the ones in the picture rather then taking the picture. For the group shots I used a little bigger aperture then what I used for the portraits. My aperture was set at 5.6 so that it wouldn’t have as much blur and a bigger focus spot. The light source that was used for these group shots was a reflector.
There always should be some laughs during group sessions. These pregnant gals above have been so fun to work with in Comm 316. Once again catching someone laughing or someone in a natural situation can make for a great shot.
For more group shots with Comm 316 students check out Erik J. Hill Photography.
Senior Portraits: Girls Part 2
Comm 316 Grad Pictures
Comm 316 has taught me a lot about lighting, editing and positioning of models to create grad pictures. This picture of Chance turned out super natural with the way she is holding her body. I used a beauty dish for this picture and also the picture of Jenna below.
Jenna is a natural model, she always had a new pose to try in every picture. This black outfit was great for taking portraits in because it showed off her curves very nicely which is what you want to try to accomplish when taking portraits of females.
Tori’s bright colors made a great contrast against the yellow leaves. She also just a natural at modeling and has some of the prettiest eyes. In order to light up her face with the sun behind her I used a reflector and had my f-stop at 2.8.
This head shot of Megan was taken using a continuous light source. Her eyes and smile were what caught my attention when I was taking her pictures. When taking grad pictures it’s important to focus on the persons best feature whether it be there eyes, their smile, or their beautiful long hair. Capture what’s beautiful about them .
For more Comm 316 grad pictures check out Jenna Scarnecchia Photography.
Comm 316 Senior Portraits: Girls Part 1
Comm 316 Senior Portraits
When it comes to taking pictures of girls it isn’t as difficult because often times girls know how to pose themselves. These Comm 316 girls rocked their senior portrait session in Victor, Idaho.
This beautiful picture of Katelyn was taken using a flash and the natural sunlight lighting behind her. I also used a f2.8 to blur out the background so she could be the only focus.
Hanna has the most beautiful eyes they naturally got my attention when I was photographing her. I used a simple light reflector for this picture to get a soft light look. This picture reminds me of a fashion portrait you would see in a magazine because of the way she is positioned and how much her eyes and necklace stand out.
Madeline has the most perfect skin and hair she really could be a model. I didn’t even have to do any touch ups on her skin because it already is naturally smooth. In order to get the nice light on her face I used a strobe and positioned her in front of some straw bales that you can sort of see in the background.
This gorgeous picture of Rachel was taken inside an old barn where it was a little bit on the dark side. I used a strobe as my light source to brighten her up and add interesting shadows. I love how the light source didn’t light any of the background up, only her.
Check out more Comm 316 portraits by taking a look at Tyler Prices website.
Senior Portraits: Guys
Comm 316 Senior Portraits
As a Comm 316 student I have been able to do some senior portrait sessions with some of the other graduating photographers. This section is dedicated to senior portraits for the guys. This first picture of Tyler was taken using beauty dish as the light source.
Eastern Idaho is a great place to take pictures because of the beautiful landscape that we have around us everyday. I have had many opportunities to explore this part of Idaho because of being involved in the Comm 316 Professional Image class offered at BYU-I.
When taking portraits of guys it’s important to make them look masculine. You don’t want them to look cute and curvy like the girls you want them to look like they have muscles and they are tough. In order to do that you want to pose them correct. Shooting a little lower, looking up at them is always a nice way to make them look powerful and in control. Both these two pictures of Erik were taken using a speed light and also a 28-75mm Tamron lens with a f2.8.
A great portrait photographer that inspires my work is Josh Peterson Photography, check him out!
Photographers in Black and White
Comm 316 Photographers
Comm 316 students are always taking pictures and very rarely can you catch them without their cameras. I was able to catch some very natural portraits of some photographers behind the lens of their cameras on our latest excursions to Teton and also Victor. From Canon to Nikon these girls know how to get the best shots during the beautiful fall colors.
When taking portrait pictures you want to remember that the person should be the main focus. In order to do that I use a f2.8 to create a nice bokeh in the background and focus just in on the subject. All four of these pictures were taken using the sun as a natural light source. I also really like to use a 50mm lens when shooting portraits. As a photographer I thought that it would be a nice touch to do all of these Comm 316 photographer pictures in black and white.
To see more interesting portraits of Comm 316 check out Douglas Phan Photography.
About Tasha Larsen
