- The header image I choose were pictures of some of the salads I made this summer. Figs, fried goat cheese, fresh fruit, tomatoes from the garden, grilled chicken left over from dinner, all turned into something satisfying that was too pretty not to photograph. These images epitomize what I want to show people about creating a meal, it doesn’t have to be difficult. The chicken was grilled for dinner the night before so I took the leftover and chopped them up, the strawberries were on sale at the farmers market for a $1 and the avocados were from Walmart- $2 for a bag of 5. The pecans and almonds were leftover from a previous baking project, I roasted them in the toaster oven for 5-10 min (checking often so they don’t burn and get bitter) and I always keep a health food nut blend (sold at BJs, Walmart, and every farmers market around) which has cranberries, pepitas, whole almonds, and dried cranberries for around $4 a container. The mangos in the background picture were on sale at the farmers market because they were ready to eat (meaning they need to be used within a day or two before they turn overripe) so they only cost .50 a piece. Finally the blend of lettuce I use either comes from Whole Foods (50/50 blend, or Sweet Baby lettuce blend), Bjs, Costco, or the farmers market. Whole Foods sells a small container for 3.99 which you should get about 3-4 salads out of and large for 5.99 which you will get about 6-8 salads. BJs and Costco have beautiful blends for $4 but I can never finish a container before it begins to turn and the farmers market has the cheapest but the blends are usually just spinach and mixed greens for about $1-$2 a container. Steer clear of Walmart for mixed blends, as I found no matter what I do their lettuce tastes like dirt. Seriously. These pictures encompass the message I want to spread about educating people on creating meals and that making something delicious can be fun and easy. It doesn’t have to be the same thing every night and fresh salads don’t have to be boring, you can eat healthy without living off rabbit food. I hear people all the time say they don’t like eating salads because they’re tired of lettuce, but that doesn’t have to be the case. I also think this relates to my target audience on where to source food and the prices they should expect when shopping.
- Well my sources are from photos I have taken which I have noted in the images so I’m not using anyone else’s work. I received permission from my professor ahead of time, who explained as long as I properly cite my images they can be used, which I hope I have done.
- I must admit, trying to get the photos to size right was difficult. As I tried layering the image I struggled to not allow it to overtake the whole screen which ended up minimizing the photo beneath it which became my headache for the evening. I used the layering tools described in Manovich’s article by using the grids to crop the image and place it on top of the background image. I found Pixlr difficult to use when trying to get the images to resize properly and layer them right. The format for my webpage already had a header photo so I set the dimensions for my custom header and then added pictures I had previously taken to the background photo. I couldn’t figure out how to go back to the background photo once I added layers to it without restarting the whole process. It seems like it would make a more user friendly experience if you could just click and edit the photo you wanted to at any stage during the process. I layered text on top of the background image which I did in the last step to cite the photo credit. I used auto enhancement on google photos to brighten the top layer images so this way the top two photos stood out from the darker background photo.
- The production process concept from MS Paint to modern applications have the same concept with being able to edit an image, except the original models weren’t able to create smooth lines or non pixelated images. It wasn’t a site to edit a photograph per se but more to create an image or “drawing”. You were able to add text to a screen and use the mouse to drop and drag geometric shapes and lines but the ability to make it look smooth or (for lack of a better term) professional is because technology surpasses it by miles today. It’s like comparing GeoCities to todays webpages. The idea was there but the technology wasn’t. The original MS Paint was fundamental to helping design websites on GeoCities, but now programs are much more integrated. For an example, photo editing on my phone allows me to black and white an entire picture and then color in what I want by zooming in as far as possible (pixelating the image, but making it possible to color within the lines using your finger).
- “Salads” photos by Jessica Plante-Campbell. All rights reserved
Travelling Foodie 