A food time was had by all attending Photography Team's dinner & learn event

 

What is more delicious than a chef-prepared dish that is tantalizingly displayed on the plate, whetting the appetite? Quite possibly, it's a photograph of the same, made all the more tantalizing by the light and shadows a skilled photographer can employ to make the texture of the ingredients pop and the juices and sizzle stand out. A visual creation that causes the mouth to water.

The National Press Club's Photography Team on Wednesday, July 20, tested the possibilities in the Cosgrove Lounge, looking at some of the Club chef's creations, turning to look at Washington, D.C., food and travel photographer Jennifer Chase as she demonstrated lighting techniques, looking back at the food, turning the information over in their minds, soaking in a tip from Chase, pondering a beef tip on a plate.

Outstanding!

At least, that was the goal: to get tips on producing outstanding food photography.

Chase had portable video lighting, and participants tested it out. She said that it's needed in many restaurants that use subdued lighting for mood, so that when doing a photo shoot you're able to enhance the colors and textures of the food subjects. That means getting more of a sense of what's "in there" than most people who are dining there will see.

 

 

Then there was a three-course dinner for participants to practice their newly learned skills on before partaking and sharing what they learned with others over the meal.

The goal was to have Chase help participants shoot better food photos that capture more colors and textures, and set them at interesting angles against a variety of backgrounds. Hats off to the Club kitchen for preparing a few interesting and photogenic sample dishes for practice shots.

A very good food time was had by all.