Maybe, Just Maybe…

I have no idea what kind of photography I would like to go into, but maybe just maybe it’s food photography. Last quarter I had an assignment to shoot fruit, and even though I hated it at the time because I couldn’t get it right no matter what I did, it was one of the best things for me. I honestly had no idea shooting food, fruit, vegetables, anything from the kitchen could be so difficult. The details, the lighting, the composition, the mood, the background, I had to learn really fast and by the time it was over I had re-shot fruit 8 or 9 times to get a composition I even liked. The rule is, if you don’t like it, no one else will. So I kept trying and trying to get something I was proud of. In the end, it was not perfect by any means, but I was proud of my accomplishments. Since then I have been studying a lot of different food photographers trying to see what they do, how they do it, what works for them, and how they got started. I am sure I will change my mind some where along the line for different fields in photography, but for now I am learning something new. My new favorite food photographer is France Ruffenach. I saw some of her work in some books published by Chronicle Books, and I had to look her up. She does some really beautiful food photography and even still life and portrait shots. Some of her clients include: Gap; Food & Wine; Elle Magazine; Martha Stewart; Pottery Barn; Red Envelope; Restoration Hardware; Travel & Leisure; and Williams-Sonoma. She even earned the James Beard Best Photography 2008 Award. Here are some of her images I really like.

Those are some of my favorites. Wouldn’t that be a great assistant job! Be sure to check her out here.

Photojournalism

I started my second quarter at PC this week, and last night was my second class which is Photojournalism. I really don’t have a lot of experience with photojournalism which could be why I am so excited about the class. We have some pretty cool assignments for the quarter and since last night I have been researching some photojournalists trying to get some inspiration for the class. Probably my all time favorite photojournalist is Jodi Cobb. She is one of the few full time staff photographers for National Geographic. She has photographed more than 26 articles for NG, and she has had 28 different addresses around the world, including a five year stint in Iran. She is on the top of my list for inspiration. In 1994 Jodi Cobb went to Japan to document the secret life of the Geisha, which in turn led to the 1995 award-winning book Geisha: The Life, The Voices, The Art. I truly love that book, but here is one of my all time favorite images of Jodi Cobb’s work.

Since last nights class, I have been researching other NG photographers and found Amy Toensing. I had never researched her before, and I always love finding new sources of inspiration. These are some of my favorite images from her website, which you should check out.

I really like her work, her style, and her journalism approach, and I am hoping that I can produce some photojournalist pieces I am proud of this semester.

Make Everything Personal

Last week I was trying to organize my desk drawers when I came across all my old handouts from Design class at UT. I started to read through them and then realized either I have totally forgotten what the handouts were about, or I never really read them. As I start to read down the first handout on Rick Valicenti, I came across this quote that really intrigued me.

Make everything personal because if you touch something, someone else might feel it, and if you feel something, someone else may be touched by it.

I thought to myself, hmm, who is Rick Valicenti, and maybe I should know, but the first thing I do is google him of course. And come to find out, he is a very talented designer who is not only the founder of Thirst, but he also edited the book Emotion as Promotion, A Book of Thirst. According to the website, it is a contemporary commentary on the state of communication design from both Rick’s personal and public point of views. The first book is a manifesto of heart-to-heart chats with the next generation of graphic designers. The Thirst insights are shared with humor as Rick tried to make sense of  making a living through design. The book is $60, but I have to admit I would purchase it. I love books that discuss how important design is, and how we as graphic designers have the opportunities to communicate what we want to say and make a difference. Here are some cool spreads from the book I liked.

After reading all about Rick, I am reminded of São Paulo, Brazil’s most important city. In 2007, São Paulo became the first city outside the communist world to put into effect a ban on outdoor advertising. The law came from a necessity to battle the pollution problem, …pollution of air, water, sound and visual. Since the law became enforced, billboards, outdoor video screens and ads on buses have been eliminated. Here is a image of the city without advertising.

It makes me think so much on how often I let advertising make my decisions for me. There have been plenty of times where I have bought a certain package of Macaroni based on the ad, or the packaging itself. It is crazy to think what would life be like driving down Peachtree in Atlanta without sale signs, car lot signs blinking, Walgreen’s specials, and everything we get so accustomed to in our every day life. I think that is why I really appreciate the power of Design and the power to make a difference. Wouldn’t it be neat to go to São Paulo for a week and just drive around to see what it is like? Talk about a completely different world.