And ya I totally agree about the flash, learned that by trial and error. It doesn’t come close to sunlight & variations of sunlight popping through windows & such. I really hate artificial light, so I prefer to take my food photos when it’s really sunny outside, that way I can use the sun how I want. Sometimes it’s real cloudy however, and I have to resort to lamps/indoor lighting etc, I don’t have the right equipment for that, so those never turn out that great.
Also I definitely agree on that raspberry/blueberry/egg sandwich combo, that turned out incredible: both photo & taste. Love that one.
Yeah those are grape leaves. That one came out too cool, IMHO because there’s so much going on. I’ve recently started “compartmentalizing” a plate, but it seems I mostly do that when salad is involved, hah.
Here’s a tip for your lighting: use a Gobo… That’s a term for anything that GOes Between the light and the subject to alter the quality of the light. You can make a scrim from a sheet of printer paper… Or use white paper as reflectors. I’ll see if I can dig up a set-up pic that shows all the gobos, reflectors, and such… When I was shooting on the line, everything had to be minimal, so I used to use menus standing on-end, with white paper taped to them, to create shade and to reflect-back-in light. If you have your light (the sun) coming in at 10oclock, position a gobo to block the light from 6 to 12oclock, and a reflector at 4oclock to fill in the shadows areas you create. If you are interested in more, let me know, I’ll find a pic and/or make a diagram.
I wish I had the time to arrange platings and garnishes these days, but the kids seem to always be screaming until dinner is served (and sometimes after!) keep up the delicious work!
Oh wow… Those are just amazing! You’ve obviously got your gig down pat, both food and photography, and don’t need my advice! Those are just great man, I especially like the hands in the first shot, gives it a really nice human touch/connection.
And I totally get what your saying about not having the time to set up a shot while getting supper ready for the family, I’ve got 3 little boys myself (plus a wife) that just want to eat.
Thanks for the tips on the lighting, I just put the gobo one to use with this shot:
Reheated some leftover. Sweet potatoes, meat loaf, and some frozen veggies.
I also really like the shot with the hands; the hands belong to Chef Greg Gourdet of Top Chef fame. The shot was taken when he was head chef at Saucebox.
I often find myself debating whether or not I should post a pic in the food porn thread that isn’t a stylized plate. I usually just post it, because continuing with the porn analogy: angles and lighting are nice, but I need a hot chick. I’d prefer amateur hotness over pro fatties any day .
Sometimes it feels impossible to even snap a quick photo of dinner. Example: last night we had a family over; I made pork tips in red wine/balsamic sauce; roasted veggies, etc… By the time we wrangled all the kids to the table and actually sat down, it was everything I could do to just start serving (and chug some wine!). No time for arranging the table (that’s for childless cooks and couples, lol!)
Keep up the delicious work; your post has officially inspired me to up my dinner-photo game.
This is very cool, thanks for the bit of back story.
Hahah keep posting them man, and again in keeping with the porn analogies, it’s about pleasing yourself😆
The very same thing happen to me! We had a family over for supper and I sautéd onions, garlic, mushrooms, red/yellow/orange bell peppers in one pan and chicken breasts in another. Once the veggies were ready I added the chicken and some chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Let that cook together for a bit and then poured it all into a casserole dish, covered with cheddar and broiled in the oven for a few more minutes. I had intended to take a few pics after I took it out of the oven but in the chaos of it all it had made it to the table and was half eaten before I even remembered I wanted to take pics! Ah well, feeding the family comes first I guess haha… This time anyway…
That’s pro advice. Eventually I will try some of that stuff out. I plan on getting a really nice camera eventually too, want to get more into photography at some point, really love it.
Basically, a triple decker egg sandwich. I’ve been wondering how I can add more blueberries/banana slices (or add anything) to my egg sandwiches, and I realized: add another layer. By adding another layer, I was able to just squish the blueberries between two slices of bread, instead of between the eggs & a piece of bread, which gets pretty slippery and everything can slide out real easy. This worked perfectly… hah!
More great pics adarqui! I never would have thought to put bandanas or blueberries on an egg sandwich but now I’ve got to try it. for the glass plate, that looks good.
About those grape leaves a few posts back, so you roll them yourself or buy them?
Yeah that glass plate turned out really nice on that coral/stone “table”. Never thought about that. Will use that again in the future for sure.
Also funny about not thinking about bananas/blueberries on an egg sandwich: that’s why the internets is so cool, just a bunch of brains easily bouncing ideas around. It came out sooooo good, incredible tbh. Try it for sure… Also, i’d go straight for the triple decker approach hah. That bottom “compartment” makes it easier to get the blueberries into the sandwich, otherwise they just fall out everywhere.
I bought those grape leaves from “Whole Foods Fresh Market”.
@FatKidfromFL, any pro-tips on picking out good shrimp?
I got a bag of peeled and de-veined shrimp from the frozen food section of the local grocery store. Defrosting it was a little bit of “fishy” smell, but not really bad. Once cooked though, a couple of pieces did taste downright foul.
I’m thinking from now on to just go with the fresh, not frozen.
Unless you know the fisherman and are buying them right off the boat/dock, you are buying previously-frozen shrimp. Almost every shrimp boat freezes them at-sea, so it’s very uncommon to get truly fresh shrimp. They deteriorate very quickly when fresh, so they are even more likely to be fishy, again, unless you are getting them from the fisherman, in which case: give em a sniff!
I’ve had very little luck buying frozen wild-caught gulf shrimp for the past few years… I don’t know if it’s because of the BP oil spill, or other reasons, but every bag I buy, I swear it will be the last.
Farmed shrimp (from slave-labor in Thailand, but thats a separate issue…) available at Costco have been reliable for me. If you don’t have/shop-at a Costco, you might try a restaurant-supply or food-service store that is open to the public. You are looking for someplace with a high inventory-turnover. Costco is great because if they are nasty, you can return the unused portion and they will generally refund the entire bag. They move so much merchandise that they can’t afford to sell nasty shrimp.
Lastly, the fishy taste will be enhanced by overcooking the shrimp. Always thaw them under cold running water, in a colander, placed in a larger bowl, in the sink. Faucet running 25-50%.
Another triple decker egg sandwich, came out so damn good. Blueberries/raspberries in the bottom layer, banana slices & eggs in the second layer, spanish olive oil on the top piece of bread dripping down, using toasted sourdough rye bread. Oh and cashews thrown around.
.
for the glass plate, that looks good.
