Last Sunday, I talked to a group at Stratus Vineyards Ripe & Juicy Market in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. Ripe and juicy really epitomizes the essence of a Niagara summer. Our goal was to experience the market, noticing what felt ripe and juicy for us. We wanted our photographs to evoke the qualities of ripe and juicy. Whenever we are photographing on a theme, it’s best to get in the right mindset first.
Here are three exercises to do in preparation.
1. Explore the qualities associated with the theme.
When we understand the qualities we are getting close to the essence of the theme. For ripe and juicy we came up with words like – full, soft, colourful, round, bold, ready to eat, flavourful, mouth watering, blooming, blossoming, curvy, sensual, overflowing with goodness. I couldn’t help but notice that the logo (above right) for the event had many of these qualities.
2. Awaken the senses.
Fix yourself in the moment, check out your entire visual field, smell the air, hear the sounds, touch and taste, if possible.
3. Look at examples of images that express the theme.
What makes them work? From a design perspective, examine how colour, lines, shapes, textures, patterns are used. What about lighting, depth of field, perspective, and balance.
Below is a slideshow of what we found.
Photos By: Dr. Michael Barsky, Elena Galey-Pride, and Kim Manley Ort