I was able to finally find time between writing essays, working, and doing photo shoots to take a few pictures. The weather has been muggy, cold and rainy... but after my classes today I decided to go out to try and capture the fog in my pictures. The fog doesn't really show, but I really like how these pictures turned out.

I have been inspired to do another 365 project.

Just incase any of you are not completely sure what a 365 project is, it is simply just a project for photographers or anybody who would like to participate to take a picture every day and post it.

I have tried many times to do a 365 project and I have never completed one, but this time I am inspired to do so!

I took this picture to start off my project.

The pink around the edges is just paper that I have put around my lens to add color and softness to the image. I used my 35mm lens and one soft box light. I then did some editing in Lightroom 5 to add saturation and more exposure and contrast to my eye.

I have only seen one completed 365 project, and I loved going through all of the pictures from beginning to end. It was really great to see how much that persons work has improved. I am hoping to do just that... Improve my work, and also to get my name and work out there. Maybe I will even inspire someone to start a project of their own!

In my last blog post, I had mentioned about a maternity photo shoot that I was going to be doing... Here are a few of my favorite shots that I took.

I used nothing but natural light, my camera, and my tripod.

We ended up running out of light before we finished the session, but we are meeting again for another shoot this week!

Whenever I know I will be working with props for a photo shoot, I practice photographing them ahead of time. This prevents me from spending time during the actual photo shoot trying to figure out  how to photograph the props and allows me more time focusing on the people i'm taking pictures of.

The images below are of a banner I made for a photo shoot that I am doing tomorrow.

The burlap I used to make this banner is some what see through, so it was pretty tough to photograph.   After a few attempts I was eventually able to find a perfect setting.

Using nothing but natural light, I was able to capture these images by setting my camera at a shutter speed of 1/60 and an aperture setting of f4.2.

For the past two weeks in my Photography Seminar class, we have been discussing different types of photography and the different techniques photographers use to better their pictures. When we were discussing food photography I have heard of a lot of the tricks that most food photographers use but it had made me realize that I usually never use any of those tricks. 

One thing that professional food photographers use, especially for advertising, are mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes help give dishes volume. For example, a roasted chicken, salad, or pasta. Below is an example that I did of a before and after picture of a simple bowl of pasta with tomato sauce.

 Before adding mashed potatoes:

After adding mashed potatoes:

I prepared the top dish exactly as I would for a quick dinner. Cooked for 11-12 minutes, drained, then I stirred in the sauce until all of the noodles were fully coated. For the second image, I prepared it completely differently. After placing the mashed potatoes on the bottom of the bowl, I cooked the noodles for about 3-5 minutes. I then added a small amount of sauce to them, stirred, and then I carefully placed them on top of the mashed potatoes. I then added some extra sauce on top.

Being able to actually see the difference between the two dishes makes me realize how much of a difference these techniques make, and I am excited to try out the other ones and share those results with you as well!

Just recently I started getting into Conceptual photography. I get a lot of my inspiration from the Modernist Cuisine as well as a Photographer I just recently discovered, Michael Crichton.

The flowers in this image are all edible. The orange flowers are calendulas and the little white flowers are cilantro flowers. They both are great for salads, to be used as garnishes, or even tea!

To capture this image I hot glued all of the flowers onto a foam ball. I then created a foam stand to stick the cone in so that it would stay upright. I used a tripod and a remote to help me take this photograph so that I was better able to pour the chocolate syrup. For my light source, I used two softboxes.

To view work from my two current inspirations go to these links:

http://modernistcuisine.com/books/the-photography-of-modernist-cuisine/

http://www.michaelcrichtonphoto.com

Hello! My name is Katelyn Luce. But you can just call me Kate. I am a photography major at Suffolk County Community College. Most of my work consists of Portraits...

1/50  f4.5

...And different styles of food photography.

2"  f4.5

I started taking photography seriously around 2011 when I had decided to change my major from baking and pastry to Photography. Since then I have showed my work in an art gallery, one art show, Edible East End, and I also have taken pictures for different specialty stores, restaurants and families.

I have taken a little break from school to work as well as to travel around Europe, so I am very excited to be back and to continue my education as well as improve my work.

I can't wait to share my photography journey with everyone!

To view some of my most recent work:

KatelynLuce.com

HumansofLongIsland.com