Food photography has evolved, especially in the age of social media and the proliferation of food blogging sites, said Muhammad Mazhar Quraishi, NPS Coordinator at Nikon Middle East FZE, Dubai, at a specialised workshop for children held at the seventh edition of the Sharjah International Film Festival for Children and Youth (SIFF)’s ‘Kids Station’ on Wednesday.

Introducing the young children to the basic operational principles of a DSLR camera, Quraishi described the various steps to make food aesthetically pleasant and naturally appealing in photographs.

“Natural lighting and neutral backgrounds work wonders in capturing the best images,” he said. “You can get creative with composition too. Although there are no right or wrong rules in the way you frame a picture, the goal is to draw out the strengths of what’s on the plate.”

“It is also important to get the proportions right,” he added. “Too wide, too small and out-of-proportion images will take away the beauty of your pictures. Good lighting is another critical factor to enhance the quality of images. Go with daylight to bring out the natural, fresh appeal of food.”

“Overhead shots work best to reveal the intricacies of the different elements styled on the plate,” said Quraishi. “A macro shot that closes in on one part of the dish is another effective way to capture the desired look.”

Creating a Scene

Syrian theater director Adnan Salloum took a group of young children on a roller coaster ride of creativity, spontaneity and histrionics at an acting workshop titled ‘Creating a Scene’. Introducing them to one of the key steps involved in both cinematic and theatrical performances, the children were given short scenes of varying emotional intensities to enact.

While one child essayed the role of a little boy late from school, another emoted pangs of hunger and thirst and the third burst into fits of sporadic laughter. Using their improvisational acting skills, children also learnt to alternate between happiness and grief, fear and calmness, anger and humour, and so on. In no time, the session had transformed into a full-fledged theatrical performance as Adnan Salloum guided them on how to improve their latent skills.

101 Filmmaking tips

In a fun-filled interactive session, Sharjah Media City (SHAMS) introduced young children to the basic concepts of filmmaking. Screening trailers of Matilda and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, both based on Roald Dahl’s works of fiction, the floor was thrown open to the little ones to discuss the various steps of movie-making.

After getting acquainted with terms like script, genre, location, editing and synopsis, the children put their new-found knowledge to come up with a simple story line for a 1-minute film. Interestingly, the seven to nine-year-olds settled on the story of a haunted class room where the children are all locked up and have no way to escape!

Organised by FUNN – Sharjah Media Arts for Youth and Children – SIFF 2019 concludes Friday, October 18.