Michael Ray Lives to this day (Couldn't find birth date)
1. Michael Ray is a successful commercial food photographer based out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His extensive client list includes, but is not limited to, Heinz, Ocean Spray, Sara Lee, Jose Cuervo, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Subway, and Weight Watchers, and his successful career has spanned over 3 decades, beginning in the 1980s. His drive for perfection and his unique lighting techniques create beautiful and mouth watering photographs.
2. This artist tends to get up close and show the texture of his food. He focuses on not the advertisement of food, but capturing it in all it's essence. The background is generally complementing his work, highlighting the color of the food. You are really able to grasp the texture and juiciness of the food. Also, some of his images don’t have the food central, but have a well composed and balanced image. He uses unique white backgrounds that have absolutely no noise and bring out of the image and into your mouth.
3. I think with his work he’s just trying to highlight the amazing quality of modern food. As most men I’d say he has a passion with good food. He has big clients and fortunately is able to live very well off of his photos. I think he started off on a personal basis, following a passion. Eventually he found it took him somewhere in life, somewhere incredible where he is able to capture amazing human creations into images.
4. The focus on food quality and highlighting the texture of images has influenced me. I like taking up close photos where you can really grasp what the food feels and tastes like. However I have taken away more than just food pictures. I enjoy taking pictures where you can imagine what things feel like. Such as one of the images in my composition gallery where I shoot through the hole in a fence. The ridges and contour on the wood let the viewer fully understand what it was like to be there shooting that picture.
6. I decided to pick 3 different foods, a meat, and two deserts. We both depict a meat cut up into slices, where you can see the juiciness and glazing on top. His lighting is much better in that photo however. In the first desert photo he chooses a nice fruity desert whereas I have a chocolate and ice cream desert. However what we both do well in these photos is get up close enough to really see the drizzle of the sauces. In the third picture, Ray emphasizes the layers to this ice cream pie, so in my picture I try to really capture the different elements of this desert.
7. These images remind me of many great memories. They are from nights with quality people and fun times when there wasn't any worry on our minds.