2DII – Que Sera Sera Final

taking in comments from Mimi from last consultation, i decided to do food styling with photography for my final pieces.

the art direction with my final approach is a clean, not overdone, simple straight to the point styling.

before doing it, i had to study more on the kitchen environment of chefs, and their choice of utensils.

1. Pasta Chef

i looked at some images on pinterest to look at food styling but i felt that they were very rustic image driven, which is not the direction im heading for.

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instead of looking at stylized visuals of food styling on pinterest, i looked beyond them by studying videos of chefs cooking pasta to see what type of utensils they use for their cooking.

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i started seeing crockery such as tongs, spoons, the pan used for cooking the pasta, a white plate.

some of my process photos of executing my final work –

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(mounting boards are useful)

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final outcome –

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i used penne this time because it was way easier to control than spaghetti. i stylized the plate with tomato sauce (in reality its actually chilli sauce in a squeezable bottle), black pepper and corriander to give it not only a pop of colour, but also because they are relevant to the dish. the pan, tongs and spoon are placed halfway at the corner of the image so to not steal emphasis of the image. the cloth is placed because chefs usually clean the edge of the plate with it. i decided to place the ladle on the cloth because when i tried placing it on the bottom right during the styling process, it looked odd as there were too many silver cutleries on the bottom of the image, making it look heavy and uneven.

2. Pastry Chef

for pastry chef, it was slightly easier because there were a standard few crockeries that are mainly used. before researching i knew some elements that i could already play with – flour, eggs, whisk. 33df66c507cdcd995a32e3878f3d3063 106f2386a29dbd3626bda3d5809419ab 2154eba22499d3e9d6ffff59076753e6

process photos-

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final- 

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my name is created using whipped cream. the whole situation of the image shows the process of a life of a pastry chef. the supporting elements- whisk, bowl of batter, baking paper and tray, cracked eggs, flour and spoons. i scattered flour on the surface to create a more natural visual look of the image.

3. Grill Chef

in my previous 2 attempts (see previous 2 posts), they were names cut out from pieces of steak. as Mimi mentioned it was too direct, and creating grill marks on the grill is not possible, i decided to go towards a different approach this time by cutting my name on the piece of steak after cooking it. prior to this, i tried cutting my name when its raw, but it was impossible because of the tendons on the meat that made it impossible to cut through. i used a black background for this because i felt that it gives a better contrast with the green herbs. it also allows the steak to pop better, and i felt that it fits the mood of a grill chef – ‘dirty’; ‘unclean’ so to speak.

process photos –

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carving the letters out on a raw piece of meat is impossible
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scoring the letters


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i studied on how chefs cook their steak and the proper way of doing it is to baste it with melted butter with herbs, hence the herbs and butter on the grill pan. the types of saucers used for the butter and salt & pepper is for contrasting purposes. i felt that yellow butter on a black saucer would fit better, and salt&pepper would fit better on a white one.

final – 

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4. Executive Chef

executive chefs are the ones who plate the food before serving. this was a fun one for me to do actually because i had the chance to plate food and make them look pretty for the first time. but before doing it i have 0 knowledge on it so i watched some videos on how to do it.

i used a piece of meat from the steak i cooked for the grill chef because dont waste food!! i decided to rummage through my fridge and found half a un used onion, some cherry tomatoes and blueberries. and there, a dish is created.

process photos –

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final-

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the tomatoes, blueberries and mustard gave the entire dish a pop of colour, which is what i wanted. the herbs are used for garnishing. the char on the onions gave another level of colour and depth to it. the plate is surrounded with the sauces and garnishing because i realized that chef needs their elements close to them. i also realized that the elements are given in an entire serving. i came up with the idea of using the sauce to form my name because sauces are always used during plating, and i felt that it was the most interesting and relevant to the entire job scope of an executive chef.

some research ive done

““Aside from taste, we eat food visually. The first thing I think about is coloring: You want to have a nice balance of color on the plate. For example, we serve a skate wing at Hinoki & the Bird that is served with bright orange sambal sauce on top and plated on top of a banana leaf. The skate wing doesn’t need a banana leaf on the bottom, but it’s nice to have a contrast of color—chili sauce is orange and green sets it off. It brings the plate to life.”—Kuniko Yagi, chef, Hinoki & the Bird, Los Angeles”

&

https://www.fastcodesign.com/3050217/how-to-plate-food-like-a-3-star-michelin-chef

the plate is surrounded with the sauces and garnishing because i realized that chef needs their elements close to them. i also realized that the elements are given in an entire serving. i came up with the idea of using the sauce to form my name because sauces are always used during plating, and i felt that it was the most interesting and relevant to the entire job scope of an executive chef.

i plated my food on the side of the plate because its creates a good composition and visual pleasantness. i also used a white plate to create a fine dining look.

to conclude this project, i felt that this was the most fun as i get to work with new mediums. ive learnt how to art direct a food shoot, and also get to experiement with food + learn food styling. i’ve also learnt that “its all about the idea, followed by a well executed job.” – Mimi 

2DII – Que Sera Sera Process #2

after the last consultation with Mimi, i had lots of comments to take in to rethink about my idea.

this round of trials, i had an idea of incorporating the element of my hand into the images, to show the current action of making.

1. Pasta Chef

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taking in advice from my classmates on using tomato sauce, and creating my name to standout, i created this.

i felt that using the spaghetti to form my name in the right context (in this case in a pan of spaghetti) would create the ‘ah hah’ moment that Mimi referred to. unfortunately Mimi said it didnt look appealing, and at the same time nothing to shout about.

2. Pastry Chef

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okay i have to be honest that this didnt turn out as what i expected. the typography turned out quite ugly, and the execution isnt good. Mimi agreed with me and i had to rethink again.

some process images on how i created my failed outcome.

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3. Executive Chef

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the executive chef is the one who garnishes and plate up before allowing the waiters to serve the food. i chopped up some basil leaves and parsely to have my name formed. Mimi said that my name looks a little thin and there isnt a need for the hand.

4. Grill Chef

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in the previous consultation, i thought Mimi meant that i should create my name using the burnt char marks left on the grill pan. but no, thats not what she meant. anyway, i tried having the burnt marks on the pan but it didnt turn out obvious enough.

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i didnt want to waste the cuts of meat again so i tried to see if putting them on the pan, with the tongs would be better.

at that point i was really lost. i didnt know how to proceed further. Mimi told me that my work has to be believable, they have to look like its done my a proper chef and in the context of a real kitchen in an expensive restaurant. my execution has to be good, and it has to look like it comes from a page of epicure magazine. it could be food styling, or it could be really good DI of food typography. all in all, the art direction has to be thought out, and my photography has to be good. the choice of utensils has to be well thought out as well as they are the details that speak that they’re in a context of a restaurant.

 

2DII – Que Sera Sera Process

prior to this, i had a few different ideas on my job scope. some examples such as florist, photographer, barista, etc.

i did some research on some examples i could find on the internet and had some ideas.

florist –

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photographer –

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i had an idea of using the edges of signboards to form my name using photos i recently shot of during my trip to Hong Kong during the Chinese New Year.

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i wasnt really clear on how to proceed, but it was just an idea. i asked my friends about it and they mentioned that its gonna be tough because of the angles of my signboards, and also it doesnt really protray me as a photographer, but more of a neon light artist.

after a few days of conceptual thinking, i had an idea to focus on one type of job then branch it out. finally, i decided to focus on a being a chef, but branching it out to 4 other different types.

i did some visual research on pinterest –

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there were a few chefs i had in mind:

sushi chef, steak chef, sous chef, pastry chef, executive chef (the one who plates the food), pasta chef, vegetable chef.

i settled on pastry, pasta, executive chef, grill chef.

i felt that my knowledge on the types of chef werent strong, so i decided to do a research on the different types of chef. these are some examples of what i found.
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from this, i decided to focus on Grill Chef, Pasta Chef, Pastry Chef, and Executive Chef.

i did some studies on pinterest hopefully to get some inspiration from existing works.

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i appreciate the cleverness in the play of words with the visuals. unfortunately this project is based on our names, so creating a clever play on the words is out of scope.

i did some initial tryouts –

1. Pasta Chef

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pasta chef

this is an initial idea of a pasta chef. i had an idea of having pasta in a pot of boiling water as the concept, but Mimi advised me to have it more complex and not too direct. she also advised to use different types of pasta because spaghetti is a difficult medium to control.

my classmates gave me some advice that i could experiment with other types of noodles like ramen or penne. they also said that i could use tomato sauce as a background to make the image pop (yellow on red).

i had an idea on playing with the alphabets found in alphabet soup. is-google-drowning maxresdefault

i could try and elevate this simple concept into something more visually appealing.

2. Pastry Chef

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pastry chef
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general visual

this is my initial version of a pastry chef. i really liked how it came out but Mimi said that it only looks pretty; there is no deeper concept behind it. she also pointed out that tearing up a croissant to form my name doesnt prove my role as a pastry chef because (which pastry chef tears up their work?), which i agreed with her.

3. Grill Chef

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after cutting
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frying process

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similar to the previous 3, Mimi said that my outcomes didnt really have any conceptual depth to them. she suggested that i use the grill marks to create my name because all im doing now is approaching the execution too directly, and thats too simple.

generally, Mimi told me to think of my concept in a depeer context, and create that ‘ah-hah’ moment.