Student: Mike Tallarito
Project: Unconventional Still Life
Class: Advanced Studio Lighting

In my advanced lighting course, students were tasked with creating an unconventional still life. Mike, a student with a strong interest in commercial food photography, approached the project by photographing cross-sections of various organic foods. He then allowed the foods to decompose over several weeks, rephotographing them to reveal the striking visual contrast between the fresh, unaltered state and the later stages of mold and decay. His work highlighted the unexpected beauty found in both preservation and transformation.