There's hints of it showing up in some of my more rustic pottery and wood backgrounds, splashes of blue glazes,paints and stains that play against weathered browns and grays.
Washes of blue in hammered,transparent and frosted glass pieces.
Blue is the reason I bought this silly vintage dog glass, I guess.
It has me looking at props that I normally would pass up, busy antique patterns to explore. Flow blue,cobalt,indigo, woad... blues so deep they look forest green or black in certain light. They are all on my radar these days.
I've been experimenting with different tones and layering blues with teal and black.
Found these in my vintage fabric stash. Funky Japanese print cotton and this intense blue fabric that is not quite cheesecloth and not quite tulle netting. It is kind of interesting over another surface & tone, adds another dimension. I'll have to come back to this later!
In the end, color can be a powerful propping element when it is in the right light and setting. What color is your world these days?
Paula
On Camera with Photographer Chris Cassidy: from the deep blue sea
I love blue! I also love it paired with red or brown.
ReplyDeleteLove the glass with the dogs, would love to know how you end up using it.
The glass is so amusing, isn't it? It breaks all my rules for photo props but couldn't resist the color and the way you see through to the dogs on the other side. I'll let you know when it gets a starring role, thanks for commenting!
ReplyDeleteI like blue with chocolate. But retro kitchen green has been calling my name lately. Love your creative ideas with the fabric.
ReplyDeleteLately dark walnut color, dark grey tones capture me. Must be the fall afternoon mood that I took my pictures in... I love the table top ...the one blue showing through the dark stain on your second picture. Did you make it?
ReplyDeleteI white washed a table top like you said several months ago, and it turned out great. I am more drawn into darker food pictures now, tired of very bright overexposed pictures.
Thanks for your inspiring post. Not necessarily the color but your beautiful style. Shortly after reading your post, I ran out and got my busiest fabric (a bed cover), silver platter where I had been displaying liquor bottles and snapped a photo which is completely different form my modernist minimalist style...
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Re-studying your pictures, I now understand how you can avoid getting a reflection of the photographer in the cutlery - they are not reflective!! If I can't get my hands on vintage silver any tips on how to wear stainless steel? Maybe attack them with steel wool or is there an easier less-permanent trick? That is my REAL everyday cutlery!!
Brown food benefits greatly from blue (those are some of my best photos)- in fact it's such a great combination that I've been trying to decode the formula with a color-wheel to see if the colors in the same relative position would work well with red green, white, yellow foods - but the answer is not there either.
It just has to feel right. I would love your thoughts on other winning combinations.
The play with light and dark, along with relevant color in the last photo of the fish is genius!
True art.
Thanks,
L
Thanks to all for commenting:
ReplyDeletePaula, isn't it funny how we gravitate towards a color? I know the color you are talking about, I love it especially with desserts!
Ilke, yes I stained the board with a mix of black & indigo. (I remember when you whitewashed your table!) I agree with you, seeing too much of one thing does get boring after awhile. Which is why I am into blue now, but looking for my next favorite at the same time!
Hi Laura, thanks for your thoughtful comments. I can tell that you really enjoyed experimenting with a new style, and your shot looks great! So exciting to mix things up....
Regarding the silver, I would be hesitant to try altering the finish of your flatware with abrasives. In the studio, we sometimes use dulling spray, available in the US in photo and art supply stores. It comes in permanent and non-permanent formulas. The permanent can be removed with solvents, but it is work to clean off. The other is almost like an oil film, so once you spray it you can touch it, but it wipes right off again. We try not to overuse, as it can look unnatural. When prop shopping for jobs, I look for flatware that has a factory brushed finish. It avoids the distracting reflections but still looks natural on camera.
About color: the color wheel has some bearing on helping select colors that will flatter the food. It certainly can steer you in the right direction. Beyond that, choosing a color in just the right hue with the right amount of saturation and tint or shade is what creates the visual impact. When you wrote "It just has to feel right" that pretty much sums it up.
Paula, thanks so much for the tips!
ReplyDeleteI will definitely look for this stuff in an art or photo store. In the meantime, I have a can of "staying spray" for my charcoal drawings so I will try spraying a little bit of that on a dollar-store fork to see how it reacts and how easy it is to remove... Maybe even hairspray? I'll have to check!
I appreciate your sharing your wonderful style, ideas and talent!
Ciao,
L
Lovely photos! Don't know why but they make me think at Anastasia - the movie. They give such a nice winter feeling.. :)
ReplyDeleteThrilled to have found your blog! I am in the Chicago area also! I have added you to my sidebar so I don't miss anything. :) Yes, the winter blues.. I feel such a connection with blue in the winter (I'm all about color therapy) & I crave it visually during the cold months - esp. robin's egg shades. I just changed my header yesterday on my blog to blue. I am going to return & indulge in reading more of your blog with a cup of tea. Happy Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteLara from Air Kiss
I think the blue dog glass is fabulous!
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