I am definitely not a food photographer

How does that Killers lyric go? I got soul, but I'm not a soldier.

My take is: I'm a foodie, but not a food photographer.  Much clunkier, but true point.

I love food.  Probably a little too much, given my now super rigorous shedding for the wedding wellness plan.  But, boy, do I suck at photographing food.

I don't think this is entirely my fault, after all, food styling is a profession for a reason.  A quick google search will reveal all kinds of crazy secrets, from swaps with real foods (but not the ones the photograph is supposed to be capturing) to just using ... other stuff, like sunscreen for milk to keep cereal crispy-looking.  Not to mention the use of tools like brushes, tweezers, and rulers even in the setting and plating of real food. 

I totally understand it from a visual and composition perspective - for most people, the first step in craving the food on your plate is by seeing something tempting with your eyes.  But, when I'm presented with some delicious food, the first thing I want to do is taste it while it's fresh - steaming if it's hot or frozen if it's cold.

Case in point: not a stunning photograph, but one of the most amazing and interesting things I have ever eaten

Foie Gras - Terrine with Maple and Apple
Eleven Madison Park | New York City, NY

Don't get me wrong, I am 100% the person who quickly snaps a photo of my food with my iPhone before I tuck into it.  Mostly to remember the experience and what I ate, but also partly to share on social media.  

That being said, I'm not the kind of person who will drag a full DSLR/lighting/staging setup along with a food stylist's Mary Poppins bag of tricks (seriously, how obnoxious would that be) into a restaurant with me when all I wanted to do was to go in and eat some damn tasty food.  

I'm sure we've all witnessed and snarkily judged people (Elite Yelpers? Bloggers?) in restaurants who interrupt the whole experience for everyone they're with because they have to set the perfect stage for their photo.  Nobody (except maybe the business owner, who is actually trying to sell food) cares that much, get over yourself. 

I'm just not that kind of photographer and I'm not sorry about it.  I like to be fully immersed and capture moments and tell stories authentically with my photos.  And I love being able to call those shots and be selfish and picky because it's not my job.

One of my better snaps that definitely makes me want to eat this again.

Tuna 3 Ways
Sushi Wasabi, a hole in the wall omakase-style restaurant in Tustin, CA

I was so eager to dig in, I squeezed the lemon first.  Also, I managed to cut off half the oysters from the shot, not that they're that photogenic anyway.

Fresh Oysters on the Half Shell
Hog Island Oyster Co. | San Francisco, CA

This actually came out okay, I think because we were sitting outside, so there was some indirect afternoon light.

Assorted Charcuterie Board
Bestia | Los Angeles

I think this photo came out better again, because we sat outside and it was early evening, so there was lots of natural light.  It still looks a little messy though, composition-wise. 

Wafu Carbonara - bacon, egg, and ramen
Katsuya | Glendale, CA

A hidden gem discovery while on a work trip.  Eating by myself meant I had an entire table to move stuff around.

Skinny Jeans, served in a bowl: egg whites, goat cheese, avocado, spinach, scallions, roasted sweet potato
Pulp Lifestyle Kitchen | Salt Lake City, UT

Cheers to those food and lifestyle bloggers who take beautifully styled photos of their food alongside a recipe.  My homemade noms almost never turn out that nicely, usually due to time and space constraints.  I don't generally have the time to plate food I just cooked and set lighting/camera position because that means either plating ridiculously hot food or accepting that I will be eating cold food because I was too busy photographing.  The lack of time was especially true when I was juggling full-time work and part-time MBA and it's hard to get a cleanly composed photo in a small apartment kitchen setup. 

Potstickers, not even plated.  I was just pleased I batch-made these for the freezer and they seemed to turn out fine in the pan.

Active Shooting Time: Basically 0 - I spend seconds taking these photos before I eat, so it's not worth tracking
Time Spent Reading about Food Styling and Reviewing My Photos for Patterns: 2 hours
Hours To Date: 647

Traveling Back in Time

Last Saturday, I wandered the halls of the LA County Museum of Natural History in search of dinosaurs.  At the La Brea Tar Pits, there were numerous signs adamantly stating that the exhibits there were in the ~20,000 thousand years ago and that there were no dinosaurs there.  I really wonder how many times people needed to ask that they felt the need to bold and underscore it on multiple signs in multiple places. 

In any case, the Museum of Natural History is apparently the largest of its kind in the western part of the United States and houses nearly 35 million specimens and artifacts that cover ~4.5 billion years of history.  Even with almost 3 hours, I made it only through probably a third of their exhibits and will definitely have to head back to look at the other exhibits and the architecture of the building itself.  The only disappointing thing is that I find photographing museum exhibits indoors to be somewhat discouraging, since the glass frequently causes a reflection and ruins the best of photos.  The best pictures I get are generally things that are just in the open air and under natural light.

Now that I've gotten the first 100 hours under my belt, I think I'm going to stop focusing so much on subject based photography and start working on technique with specific areas like composition, lighting, color, etc.  And a series taken with just a regular point and shoot to force me to practice some of these elements.  Taking it up to the next level!!

A battle of Jurassic proportions

Immense and bizarre indeed!

From under the rotunda

Active Shooting Hours: 2
Review Hours: 1
Hours to Date: 105

100 Hours

Reaching a milestone is a funny thing.  Leading up to it, there's nothing but breathless exhilaration and excitement.  This past weekend, having finally gotten to the 100th hour and clicked it away, the moment was just like every other hour - looking at the world with a keen eye for an interesting subject.

I meant to focus the majority of my time and this series on the La Brea Tar Pits and the Page Museum, but many of the exhibits are behind glass or are lit in a way (harshly, unevenly, etc.) that couldn't be corrected for by moving my position.  Luckily, the boyfriend and I were both feeling spontaneous and wanted to get the most out of our trip, especially after navigating through LA traffic.  Given that fact, we ended up wandering around LACMA and ended our night with seeing Frozen at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood.

Dire Wolf Skulls at the Page Museum in Los Angeles

Methane bubbling up through tar at the La Brea Tar Pits

The crescent moon over the Urban Light installation at LACMA, which is right next to the La Brea Tar Pits.   202 restored lamps in total and many used to light up streets in Southern California.

The bright marquee of the El Capitan Theatre.

More LA

Active Shooting Hours: 2
Review Hours: 1
Hours to Date: 102