{5b | Bold and Clean, #2}

Bold and Clean #2 shares many of the same style characteristics in the "Bold and Clean" family as #1,
but it tends to be more light-hearted and fun (and commercial, if you will), incorporating more bold colors
around the food. For this style, photographers in the food blogosphere include Matt Armendiaz (Matt
Bites) and Terilyn Fisher (spoon fork bacon).

With the styling and the bolder colors in the photograph above for this styling, I intended to take a more
"everyday recipe" approach to the cake. While the photograph in Bold and Clean #1 makes the cake look
as if it's intended for a formal occasion, this photograph in Bold and Clean #2 is more casual: the
photograph communicates that this is a cake that you might want to try for a kid's birthday or for an
everyday dessert whereas the other Bold and Clean photograph shows a cake that is perhaps reserved
for a special anniversary or celebration. Even though there is a stronger focus on the food in this style, it's
still possible to use it for different purposes, depending on the story you're looking to tell.

{6a | Chiaroscuro, #1}

"Chiaroscuro" (one of Anita's favorite words!) means, in Italian, "light-dark." It is a painting term from the
art world that's used to talk about a clear contrast between shadow and light in an image:
think Carvaggio and some of the Dutch Masters' still lifes. I commonly hear this style referred to around
the food blogosphere as "dark photography," but I have to say that "dark" is a term I truly dislike for this
type of style (and from now on, I refuse to answer any questions posed to me about "dark photography"!).
The main reason for my dispreference for this term is that it's a misnomer: unlike "bright" styles, where
there are actually very few shadows, these chiaroscuro styles actually have bright spots. In fact, more
often than not, the light areas of these images are just as bright as the light areas of "bright" images. The
difference instead lies in the contrast between light *and* dark and the greater use of shadows throughout
the entire image. So let's all use "chiaroscuro" from now on, please?

The Chiaroscuro style uses the contrast of light and dark to throw selective focus on the food, and allows
the photographer to really control what the viewer sees and notices. Perhaps even more so than some of
the other styles, this one in particular creates much more moodier images. What I personally love about it
is that the photographs don't give up all of their secrets to the viewer immediately: the shadows create
mystery that forces you to really study the photograph, first looking at what's highlighted by the light and
then what's hidden and lurking in the shadows. Anita notes that this is a style that calls back to the early
days of food photography in the 1950s and 1960s when images of food were treated almost like painted
still-life images.

Like the Bold and Clean styles, I find myself making a distinction between two types of Chiaroscuro food
photography, one that is more low-key and marked by somewhat lower contrast images (6a | Chiaroscuro
#1 above) and another that is marked by higher contrast images where the brights are really bright and
the shadows melt into almost pitch black (6b | Chiaroscuro #2 below). For this first sub-style, Andrea
Gentl / Gentl & Hyers (Hungry Ghost food + travel) make some of the most beautifully subtle and moody
images I know of. There's also Sarah Ryhanen (Saipua), whose blog is about flowers not food but is too
perfect for this style not to mention.

Characteristics
use of light and deep shadows for dramatic focus on subject
moody images
strong tonal contrast creates a sense of tension and mystery
corresponding propping: dark, textural, organic, lush
 painting-inspired

For the question "What story does this photo and style tell?", we received the most number of answers
from the BlogHer Food audience for this photo. One person said it made them think of late night snacking;
for others, it was about a romantic moment. For some, the photo evoked a rainy afternoon; when Anita
saw the photo for the first time, she told me it reminded her of a scene in a painters' studio. This wide
variation of stories exemplifies the lure of Chiaroscuro images: the light scraping the surface of the cake
and the teacup hints at a setting with tea and cake, but the rest of the story is left up to the imagination of
the viewer--the message almost being "Try this cake for yourself to solve its mysteries."
 {6b | Chiaroscuro, #2}

This second sub-style of Chiaroscuro is characterized by a greater contrast between lights and darks than
Chiaroscuro #1: light areas are just as bright as those in properly bright images. Because of the contrast,
this type of Chiaroscuro is even more so a nod to (Caravaggio-style) painting and art, where the lines
between light and dark are well-defined. The result is a treatment of food as almost museum-like art.
You'll find many examples of Chiaroscuro #2 in the pages of this blog (and in sated!), and Hannah Queen
(honey & jam) has been making images this way recently.

Photographing the cake this way highlights its grandeur: the cake on a tall pedestal with flickering candles
suggests someone very important's birthday, perhaps. One audience member noted that the draped
fabric is reminiscent of art and not of how one might find the cake in everyday life. Personally, I think I
gravitate towards this style just because of my overly-dramatic personality: I like to give everything far
more importance than it might deserve.

---

The most important take-away from this study of current food photography trends and styles is
that developing style and voice in a photograph requires really thinking about what the purpose of your
image is. With so many elements out there to work with--light, photographic technicalities, props, styling,
and on and on--, understanding how to put all of these things together to serve a singular idea is key.
Photography trends and styles are circular and come and go, driven by different purposes and social
desires (as Anita and I found from our quick study of the history of food photography), so finding personal
voice is all about experimenting, choosing the elements that resonate with you personally, and keeping in
mind the "why" behind what you choose.

We'd love to hear your thoughts about these styles and of these photographs in the comments/discussion
below!

After the jump are lighting setups, technical details, and some comments about how I set up each of
these photographs. If you excuse me getting on my soap box for just a moment, I want to say how much I
believe that technical details are only important insofar as learning and mastering them allow them to
become second nature and stop getting in the way of you making images that really communicate your
intentions. Mimicking someone's lighting or f-stops or exposure isn't going to produce a good photograph
if you don't understand the intention and purpose behind that image and behind what you are trying to say
when making that image. For this, nothing will make up for or replace hard work, lots and lots of practice
and experimentation and failures, and some good, old-fashioned deep thinking.