ardn516-samantha-ortiz

[ardn516-samantha-ortiz]

Positioning Statement

Food is an important aspect of my Filipino heritage, with many family events and birthdays spent together building community and connectedness with food. I remember many holidays and special gatherings where my aunties/uncles and grandparents would make food to share, as we sat together with an unspoken seating arrangement for the kids and the adults. In those moments over the table, we gossiped, laughed at jokes, and talked about the latest trends. The connection made with sharing food in those moments brought us closer together. As Delaney (2020) stated, Sharing food means being vulnerable with one another and fostering a connection with one another. At that moment we all put our vulnerability on the table and showed that we trust and care for each other to share a meal. When I moved to New Zealand, that part of my culture hadn’t changed and is deeply ingrained in me, no matter where in the world I go my culture remains the same.  

For this project, “Where am I in the world, and what stories can I tell?” I’m inspired by my heritage and have dedicated it to food. How sharing food connects people and deepens relationships. I will present a collection of photos of Asian food in Tamaki Makaurau which entails a story, showing my relationships with the person/people and creating a home through food. To portray this the pictures show my surroundings, the food, who I’m with, and the connection made through the act of eating and enjoying the food. 

The first sequence of photos displays an at-home takeaway dinner with my Mum and dog. The purpose of this shoot was to display how even if we aren’t eating in a restaurant or making our food, this homely comfort of eating takeaway at home after a busy day in New Zealand introduces my bond with my family. It shows how close we are and how we trust each other. Eating on the bed in a place so personal while also having the dog sit with us signifies she is part of our family and trusting her to not steal food but very much tempted. 

The second sequence of pictures establishes the place and shows us sharing a meal establishing our bond. Sharing a plate of meat among the three of us shows how comfortable we are with each other and how I view them as my close friends, dining with them in “The Golden Ribbon,” located in New Lynn. A local Filipino restaurant that serves as a home away from home for Filipinos such as myself. 

Lastly, are photos of my boyfriend and I sharing a meal at our favourite and affordable Sue’s Dim Sum place in Lorne St CBD. A small and cozy place where the scent of dumplings from the kitchen wafts around the whole place. Through using focus, composition, and lighting techniques I was able to create a warm, playful, and comforting atmosphere in my images that depicts my home in Auckland through sharing food. 

[ardn516-samantha-ortiz]

Photos for Final

These are the final photos I've decided to edit and upload. I've had to remove the night market pictures because they didn't necessarily have what I wanted which is the act of sharing with me and not pictures of other people sharing. This is because my concept is seen through my lens.

I've also decided to keep these photos from my formative as I feel it fits with my concept that sharing food connects people and creates place.

[ardn516-samantha-ortiz]

Best of Week 11

I think these photos are the best based on their composition, lighting, and focus techniques. The first photo is focused on the food and slightly out of focus. I like how this technique plays out in the picture with the food in the foreground and my mum and Mia (the dog) bonding in the back. In the second photo, it took a couple tries to get Mia to face the camera directly and have her head align with my mum's hand, chopsticks, and noodles boxing Mia in this frame. The composition makes it look like she's eyeing the noodles while keeping a straight face at the camera. Overall the lighting is warm and cozy, the exact atmosphere I want to have in these photos especially since the setting is at home having takeout which adds to the cozy and homely atmosphere.

[ardn516-samantha-ortiz]

Week 11 contact sheet

I decided to reshoot last week's photos as upon closer inspection the lighting made it hard to see Mia's face who is a key model in this photoshoot. I still wanted to go for a warm atmosphere so instead of relying on a lamp as the light source I put the overhead lights on. This didn't quite give me that warm effect so I changed the white balance to daylight (approx. 5200K). This change warmed the lighting of the room instead of having a stark white light. It gave me the impression of a homily eating experience I wanted to receive in the photo.

[ardn516-samantha-ortiz]

Best photos of week 10

Out of all the photos, I think these ones are the best. Although it might be difficult to see my dog's face it could be fixed through editing in adobe light room. I chose these photos as they fit with my concept and lighting seems to have a warm ambiance despite making it a bit difficult to see.

[ardn516-samantha-ortiz]

Week 10 contact sheet

I organised an at-home photoshoot of Asian takeaway with the subjects being my mum and dog. The purpose of this shoot was to display how even if we aren't in a restaurant or making our own food, homily comfort of eating takeaway at home instils a different type of bond and closeness. It displays the comfort and close relationship we have with each other. We love and trust each other to be eating on the bed a place so personal while having the dog sit with us signifying she is part of our family and that we trust her to not attack the food.

However, upon reflection, some of the pictures are quite dark and difficult to see her (the dog's) face. I might have to retake another day preferably with the same outfit.

[ardn516-samantha-ortiz]

Best photos of Week 9

There were a lot of photographic opportunities at the night market because of the wide variety of food stands. From this collection of photos, I took a liking to them because of their colour, composition, and movement. In the first two photos, I liked the movement from the customer grabbing a sample from the cashier and the colours and composition of the Korean hot dog. The picture with the butcher is my favourite out of them all, the composition of him in the gap between the Peking Duck was incredible, I don't believe I was able to get that shot. The last two photos I liked were because of colour and movement again. I liked how I captured the condensation of the fizzy cans as well as their bright colours contrasting each other and the movement of the takoyaki being flipped.

Although these are good photos I'm unsure of how I'm going to incorporate them into my final.

[ardn516-samantha-ortiz]

Week 9 contact sheet

Another place I planned to photograph is the local night market in Henderson. My family and friends always go here to eat on days we don't feel like cooking ourselves. I took a multitude of pictures of Asian food in the night market, something most familiar to me. From this and taking photos of the night market, I've observed many people going to the stand that sells their home countries' food. The act of making and selling the food to wanting customers builds connection and community. It was purely people sharing their culture's food with others who were willing to try. I saw many customers familiar with the owners of the stand having casual conversations about their livelihoods and I saw people bonding over liking other people's cultural foods. From observing and taking photos I found that the night market was a melting pot of cultures where people create friendships and memories over shared food.

[ardn516-samantha-ortiz]

SDL other photographers who have done a similar thing.

photographers who capture the essence of food and the bonds it creates. Alexandra Onosa is a Romanian photographer who has explored Food and the human connection. She has also realised that cooking for her family was something that kept them alive, the bond that it has fostered in her friends and family.

photographers that capture human connection. Amelie Korbes, she displays human connection with people closest to us. Such as taking it literally and exploring the connection between twins and sisterhood. I've chosen her since human connection is part of my concept and should look further into what makes our connection with other people. I'm also fond of her use of colour, it's colourful and soft but not overly saturated. Something I'll be looking into when editing for my photos.

photographers who capture images of Asian cuisine. Michael Michaels is a Food Photographer based in London who adamantly photographs high-end Asian cuisine, savouring every bit of colour and texture the food has to offer. His use of colour is captivating, he's able to capture a multitude of colours in a single picture of food.

These photographers have done something similar to what I'm currently doing and are much more respected and ahead in their journey as photographers. I plan to closely pay close attention to their techniques for food and capturing human connection. Alexandra has inspired me to include my own heritage and history as to why food and connection are important. She would be the main inspiration since she is the one who's most similar to my theme.

Jund, M. (2021, March 11). Food photography: Action shots and human connection. Medium. https://medium.com/mooi-women-publication/food-photography-action-shots-and-human-connection-84f0954cdf9e

Michaels, M. (2023, March 14). Asian delights – London food photographer. London Food Photographer. https://michaelmichaels.com/asian-delights-food-photography-london/

The Frames. (2024, August 28). Amelie Koerbs looks at human connection with those closest to us — Them frames. Them Frames. https://www.themframes.com/features/amelie-koerbs-looks-at-human-connection-with-those-closest-to-us

[ardn516-samantha-ortiz]

Best photographs of week 8

I think out of all of the pictures taken these three are the best. The first image clearly shows us sharing a meal together establishing our bond, to share one plate of meat among the three of us shows how comfortable we are with each other. Reinforcing my concept of food bringing people together and building bonds. The second image establishes where we are in Auckland, "The Golden Ribbon." As well as displaying some of the dessert options that the Philippines has to offer. Lastly, this picture shows my friends actively eating Halo Halo (an ice cream dessert from the Philippines). An overall warm tone and the movement caught from the shutter make for a unique show of eating in a still image which I'd like to explore more.

[ardn516-samantha-ortiz]

Week 8 contact sheet

For this week I had planned with some friends to photograph at Golden Ribbon, New Lynn. A Filipino restaurant, popular with local Filipinos. I got a collection of pictures of the menu, food, and desserts.

[ardn516-samantha-ortiz]

SDL flip through photobook

Shikeith Notes towards Becoming a Spill

This was one of the first photobooks flip through I saw and was instantly compelled. The dark colours, the poses of the models, and the composition are so cohesive with one another. I especially liked 0:48 where the background is black and the pictures are positioned uniquely across the pages. It reminds me of paintings hung up in someone's house haphazardly and it draws me in.

[ardn516-samantha-ortiz]

Week 7 contact sheet

While exploring with Auto Exposure Bracketing I took some photos of my design building's exhibit. This gave me better insight into how to use this camera feature and to include the technique in my future photographs of Food. It was interesting to see the different exposure levels of some of the same images/locations.

[ardn516-samantha-ortiz]

Best Photos of Week 6

I don't think week 6 was my best despite my efforts of sticking to my concept of food connecting people. Although, these two photos of my friend have stood out to me. I think the food and bright natural lighting are what made me pick these pictures out of the rest.

[ardn516-samantha-ortiz]

Week 6 contact sheet

Keeping to my concept of food I took a collection of photos that explored exposure with food as the subject. I visited Tsujiri and got black sesame ice cream which is a Japanese treat and Potato Corner a classic Filipino street food.

[ardn516-samantha-ortiz]

research

Researching helped me voice my thoughts and further solidified my concept. This in-depth article about the act of breaking bread shows what it truly means to break bread—to share and foster a connection. While reading this, I am reminded of my family and more specifically my grandmother. When the website mentioned the soldiers and mothers who went through hellish ordeals, but still found comfort in sharing food I thought of my grandmother who went through similar ordeals in World War II. She lost a lot during the war but managed to find comfort in cooking and sharing her meals with people close to her.

[ardn516-samantha-ortiz]

DSLR: Taking charge workshop

compare jpeg to RAW

Set your camera to record both a large RAW + a large JPEG file simultaneously, and take three different photographs, varying the light situation and the proximity of subject matter. Process the RAW files and compare these to the JPEG files, ensuring that you are examining these at 100%. Write a brief account of the differences in the three instances. Note also the sizes of these images: what is the maximum size these can be printed out at 300dpi?

From my analysis, the most noticeable difference in picture quality is that the Raw files have more detail in the picture than the JPEG files. Capturing smaller and more intricate details than a JPEG although JPEG files are much easier to manage and transfer compared to a RAW file, which is something I prefer out of convenience.

2. Shooting modes – Manual

Select an outdoor daylight situation with middle-ground and distant elements. Take the same photograph, using a tripod, in the following ways: a) shoot programmed auto setting b) shoot shutter speed priority at 100 ISO c) Shoot aperture priority at 100 ISO d) Shoot using the manual setting to obtain the maximum amount of detail across the image.

Auto (top left), shutter priority (top middle), aperture priority (top right), and Manual (bottom)

I understand how the different shooting modes are used depending on technique, situation, and person but while auto gives me the properties automatically to take a perfect photo it doesn't give me the same flexibility as manual mode. Manual mode is a bit challenging for me to use because I'm a novice but over time I'll come around to it.

3. White balance

Why might you not ‘correct’ the white balance? Shoot, using a tripod, a house (from outside) with its lights on at twighlight: a) auto-white balance b) setting the temperature using the K colour temperature setting (try three different Kelvin temperatures)

Auto-White Balance (Top left), Tungsten Light (top right), white fluorescent light (bottom left), daylight (bottom right).

It's interesting to see the different effects it has on the image. From cool white to warm white, in my opinion, I lean towards the white fluorescent light. It has warmth to it but it is not too over-saturated like in the daylight kelvin temperature. Although the last one is something I'd usually prefer it's way too much and preferably I'd use that Kelvin temperature in a different subject matter.

4. HDR imaging

Set up your camera on a tripod in a variable light situation; a situation with both shadow and sun-lit areas. Set your camera’s drive mode to continuous shoot, and select Auto Exposure Bracketing with 1-stop increments. Hold down the shutter release button until you have heard it take the three exposures in a row. Repeat this process (same photograph) with the Auto Exposure Bracketing with 2-stop increments.

1-stop increments

2-stop increments

Then use either Lightroom’s HDR or Photoshop’s HDR to combine these files. Notice the many decisions you make at this point and how easily the photograph starts to look unconvincing. Your aim in this exercise is to produce an HDR composite image that you find ‘convincing’ as a photograph and write a brief account of your reasoning i.e. what you consider to be a ‘convincing’ HDR photograph and compare this HDR image to the ‘correct’ exposure image (the first shot in the burst of three).

These are the finished HDR composite images of a convincing HDR photograph. Compared to the correct exposure image, these HDR images are brighter and more vibrant which are the most similar to the human eye. I noticed that the 'correct' exposure image for the first-stop increment does not encapsulate the shadows of the area or the vibrance of the green foliage well. The same goes for the second-stop increments. This is why I believe the HDR images are 'convincing,' since they capture the highlights, shadows, and vibrancy of the scenery better.