Edward Weston's black and white photographs of food have a clinical and unconventional style that draws viewers' attention to details rather than appetizing them. His pepper photo shows an abnormal shape that makes people think rather than just want to consume. Weston's mushroom photo uses lighting and composition to emphasize repetitive patterns and details rather than color. His cabbage leaf photo suggests an overhead perspective that casts shadows downward to vividly present details like veins in the leaf.

1. His Clinical
Look At Still
Life.
EDWARD WESTON

2. EDWARD WESTON
Edward Weston has a unique view of the subjects in his
images. Especially when it comes to food amongst the rest of
his still life photographs. Here he has taken of photo of a
pepper that is abnormal on shape and formation. Already he
strives away from what is expected of the subject, gives
people something more to look at. His use of showing the
image in black and white helps give the image a more clinical
sense, something I am hoping to achieve in my own work.
Usually food photography is is for a commercial use, causing
the viewer to want to go out and buy what ever has been
captured in an appetising state. By not following this
convention, Weston is making people think more about what
message could come with the subject, instead of just wanting
it for themselves. I believe that this may be a
metaphor, showing societies expectation of form compared to
realities truth.

3. EDWARD WESTON
This image of a large mushroom is taken in
Weston’s documentary style, and has been
processed, again, using a black and white filter. He
uses the rule of thirds, so that the centre of the
subject (the mushroom) is not the centre of the
image. This gives the photo a dynamic feel that
does not follow common the standards of food
photography.
The choice of black and white with this image is interesting, as it doesn’t take any colour away from the
subject. Because it is also taken at a macro state at such high definition, the viewers attention is drawn to
the imperfect pattern that can be seen in the ridges of this up turned mushroom – giving them so much
more to admire, and adding o the entire composition of the image.
The white background used helps to add a sense of weight to the subject, emphasising the slight shadow
that is cast. The use of a soft light is an addition to this, and also contributes to bringing out the small details
of the inside of the mushroom. And by casting the light at an angle, the effect of these repetitive patterns is
more dramatic.

4. EDWARD WESTON
I chose to look at this piece as the background is a solid
black, something that I plan on using with my own work as I feel
it gives a bold presentation to the subject without taking any
attention away from it. I especially admire the way that there
can be no definition made out from the background, yet the
subject is perfectly lit so that every detail can still be observed.
The way that the cabbage leaf is laid out suggests that the
photograph was taken from an over-head stance, with the
lighting being placed further forward so that the shadows seem
to be cast downwards. By doing this all details are given a vivid
presentation, making the stems in the leaf appear almost to
look like veins. The black and white filter of this image adds to
the sinister atmosphere already created by this.

5. EDWARD WESTON
Again this image has a solid black background, yet is shown in
profound detail thanks to the lighting. I wanted to look at this
image because what seems like a dead garlic can be observed as it
grows new life, though not in the way that most think of. I believe
that the way the light slowly fades from the vegetable that everyone
knows, away from this new growth that can be seen as Weston’s
way of saying how peoples attention will always be focused on what
they want, and whatever obstructs their acceptable product will be
ignored.
When shopping for garlic, or any organic food, people don’t want to
see something that is still in the process of growing, they only want
the food that will benefit them. By looking at the image this way I
am inspired to create something similar, though perhaps with a
different kind of growth. Despite the health praises that fruit and
vegetables receive, once they grow mould and become rotten they
are never looked at again. I plan to create images that help show
these outdated foods as not something that has turned too old, but
as something that has been left so long that it has grown new life.