Tea Time

I really enjoy the process of brainstorming an assignment and watching the many ways it morphs from one idea to the next. The colors, shapes, texture, and light leading me ever down the path to The Shot on the journey through The Land of What If. Here are some ideas I came up with for tea!

Recipes for happiness.

Someone asked me the other day: "I notice that you commonly take the shot from directly above the food. Do you think this is the secret to creating the abstract, graphic quality of your images?" I thought it was a great question because not only did it parrot back to me what my intentions were and that I was hitting the mark, but really solidified my vision for me. There definitely are certain things that I want in my photos, an interesting angle is just one of the facets. Color, shape, and texture are integral to my style, as is my choice of lighting. I want bold, in your face images that make you want to go out immediately and pick up the product I've just shown you! I make images that elevate the ordinary into the decadent; that tell the story of food, whether it's your bowl of tomato soup and crackers, or your afternoon cup of tea.



Here again, color, shape, texture, even with a little different lighting and different angle. Can you smell the jasmine as you patiently wait for the green tea to turn the water ever darker? I love the shape of this little glass, even with it's scratches, and I think putting it in this gorgeous light while surrounded with some sort of grubby looking textures makes this photo exactly what I expect of all of my photos: simple, graphic, decadent. I take my inspiration from many, many different sources - other photographers, music, drawings, movies, and plenty of abstract ideas, as well. Most of all, I just listen for that little whisper that instinct has to offer; what story do you want to tell today?

Fleur de Sephora

I say all of the time that I don't want to be a commercial photographer. The headache that goes along with getting The Shot in conjunction with my perfectionism and lack of equipment is sometimes mentally crippling. I sweat and curse for hours over a project that I imagine another person with the proper tools can have set up, taken down, and processed in a fraction of the time; maybe I am wrong in thinking that. So why do I keep plugging away at this project geared towards commercial photographers?

The above photos were taken on top of a kitchen table, using 2 regular household desk lamps and white foam core, and lots of swear words. I fiddled with the lighting for an hour and a half before I ever took a photo. I have learned how to "see" when I look at something now, where before I didn't know what to look for. I've learned that being resourceful is something that I will always be, and that's great, too. I've always heard the phrase, "write what you know," and "work with what you've got." I think when you learn how to see the difference between what's there and what needs to be there, the getting there starts to get easier. So, desk lamps and curse words be damned; I am going to get the job done, even to my own high expectations!