2022 WEEK 16: Around the World in 80 Dishes - Guest Challenge - The 2022 Trevor Carpenter Photo Challenge

GROUP RULES FOR PARTICIPATING IN THE TREVOR CARPENTER PHOTOCHALLENGE!

This week, it’s a different kind of approach to The PhotoChallenge! The idea was presented by a long-time member of the community, Cheryl Joy.

We’re going to do food photography with a twist. We’re going to choose a dish that is not ethnically or culturally connected to our origins or our country of residence. For example, I live in the USA of Italian and French descent. That means I have to choose a dish that is not American, French, or Italian.

sushi on plate — Photo by Marta Filipczyk on Unsplash

Therefore, the above image of Sushi, a Japanese dish, is an appropriate choice. The food, plate, chopsticks, and the overall presentation gives us the idea it’s at least far east cuisine and most probably Japanese. It’s an easy one to figure out if no one tells you what it is. Although there are variations of Sushi type dishes throughout the far east that could make guessing a little more challenging.

The big twist on this particular photography challenge is that you as the photographer will not give your subject away with a title or naming your dish as part of a storytelling paragraph. We will leave it up to other community members to figure out exactly the name, cultural background, and country of origin of the dish you selected to photograph.

raw meat on display counter — Photo by Lynn Vdbr on Unsplash

This is where it can get tricky, being Italian, I can’t present a serving of Italian Prosciutto…however, to the untrained eye, it would be hard to distinguish Spanish Jamón Serrano from Italian Prosciutto di Parma. Unless labeled as on the above image. Spanish Jamón once thinly sliced and served on a platter is almost indistinguishable when compared to Italian Prosciutto or German Schinken. As much as they look similar, they are greatly varied in flavor. The image below is a good example.

person holding chopsticks slicing meat on white ceramic plate — Photo by S O C I A L . C U T on Unsplash

I hope this is clear enough of an example to understand the challenge and get you inspired for this week’s PhotoChallenge? Since food brings people together socially, I hope this will be a fun challenge for all!

CHALLENGE SUMMARY:

Choose a dish that is not culturally connected to you or the country you live in.
Photograph that dish (Experiment with techniques and various lighting)
Remember it has to be a new image taken by you for this challenge.
Pay attention to the depth of field.
Experiment with photographing from different angles and heights.
Pay attention to your White Balance to bring out natural colors.
Post your photo to the group without naming the dish.
Let the community guess the dish and its worldly origins.
Post your photo during the week of Sunday, April 17, and Saturday, April 23
Please remember to comment on at least FIVE photo submissions this week by guessing the origins of the dish and also commenting on the photographic qualities of the image by answering the question “why?” in your comments. In other words, “why do I like (or not like) this photo?” or “why did this photo catch my eye?”

TOOLS TO COMPLETE YOUR CHALLENGE:

A good cook/chef (Optional – Don’t kidnap one)
A tripod to free your hands and help you experiment
Lights, diffusers, props to build a striking image

Although not necessary, plenty of DIY options, I find a good tripod very important when experimenting with different lighting scenarios. It frees your hands, you maintain your composition and it gives you more freedom to think and create.

A tripod also allows you to use lower speeds. You may need to get more depth of field and there’s just not enough light to shoot handheld, use a tripod and a remote if you have one to keep everything nice and stable.

Use what you’ve got, parchment paper makes a great diffuser in front of a variety of light sources. (Be careful with tungsten bulbs as they can get hot enough to burn you or ignite paper and fabrics) You don’t have to go out and spend big dollars. Most of what you need to create a great photo is probably already in your home… I for one always look for a good source of natural light and use a reflector (White Board) to balance out some shadows…

A FEW TIPS AND TRICKS

If you want to push yourself a little further, there are tons of food photography techniques you can find on the internet. Sometimes it’s more about an illusion than an eatable plate!

19 Food Photography HACKS – Learn These Tricks of The Trade – Photography Pursuits

The friendly community guidelines are pretty simple

Take a NEW photo for the current weekly theme, not something from your back catalog or someone else’s image.
Post your photo each week to our active communities on Facebook or Flickr (or both). – Tag the photo: #2022photochallenge #photochallenge #tempusaura
Don’t leave home without your camera.

Participating in the 2022 Trevor Carpenter Photo Challenge is fun and easy.

Thank you! HAVE FUN WITH PHOTOGRAPHY!