Apple Pies Inspire Creativity For Photography Class

Upper School students in the Digital Photography elective course got a sweet taste of what it's like to stage and photograph food. For a recent project, Director of Technology Terry Andrews led them in the creation of two images showing a homemade apple pie before and after baking. 

Andrews said he was inspired to bring this project to his students after reading an article about a baker who shared before and after photos of her own patterned pie crusts.

"After experimenting with the idea on my own, I wanted to develop a photography lesson using diptychs to have students create their own works of edible art," he said. "When pitched, the students loved the idea of being able to create their own decorative apple pie. In fact, they held me accountable to the idea after several weeks went by and we had not tackled the project."

On a Thursday morning, Andrews and the students took action. He brought out all the necessary ingredients and supplies, including pie crust intricately cut into a variety of decorative shapes. The students spent the class period assembling the pies and taking a "before" photo. They finished the project at home by baking the pies and taking an "after" photo. 

"I really enjoyed doing this project because I love to bake, and it was so cool being able to make a pie in my photography class," said 10th grader Olivia Beaver. "It was so different than any other project I had done for this class or any other one. It challenged me as a photographer to take the 'after' photo because I had to make sure I had the lighting right and my settings adjusted accordingly to get the perfect focus."

So, what did the students learn that day aside from the photography essentials of ISO, shutter speed, aperture and lighting?

Andrews listed out several useful discoveries of note:

• If you truly understand the technical aspects, you can photograph just about anything and make it interesting.
• A sturdy tripod is indispensable for shooting directly overhead.
• Inspiration comes in many forms.
• Always add more butter and sugar than the recipe calls for.