IrinaPhotography

Time for Sweetness!

Canon EOS 6D

settings

Aperture f/2.8 ISO 200 Shutter 1/125 Focal Length 100/1

upload_date

Nov, 2017

Views

2294

Likes

+332

Awards

Chatter Award

Zenith Award

Creative Winter Award

Contest Finalist in Food On The Table Photo Contest

People's Choice in Looks Delicious Photo Contest

Contest Finalist in Looks Delicious Photo Contest

Peer Award

+644

Absolute Masterpiece

+23

Top Choice

+18

Superb Composition

+12

Outstanding Creativity

+10

Magnificent Capture

Superior Skill

All Star

Virtuoso

Emotions

Impressed

Happy

Top Ranks

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken in my own kitchen in my home in Chicago. I am a self taught photographer and with a assistance of my friend, Nina who is a baker, we were into a Creative Mood to challenge each each other and create an artistic food photography photo. We wanted to create a nice, natural setting environment and demonstrate that any great desert and photograph could be made anywhere as long as you put effort in it, even in our own kitchen!

Time

I remember that we started putting the dessert together in the early afternoon. My goal was to create a step by step photos of how this amazing dessert was created. Daylight was an important setting as it is natural light and then it adds to the"home kitchen setting". It was quite interesting how everything comes together and I learned a lot about the baking, melting the chocolate and entire decorating process. With every step of the way, the shots were becoming more and more delicious and we all couldn't wait to try the final product. This shot was one of the final images. I had a number of beautifully positioned shots of the whole dessert but I decided to take a small piece out of with with the spoon to show the inside layers and to relate the impatience for us waiting to try this sweetness and instantly it became my most favorite image of all. Interestingly enough,as this was a relatively small dessert, I knew it may look lonely so I added the other two servings in the back to serve as background and I think this added to the flavor of a home cooked dessert - as all home cooked deserts are made to share with friends and family!

Lighting

As mentioned above, I wanted to create a natural vibe in a sunny, daylight settings and I didn't want to add or focus on darker backgrounds or too much contrast or shadows. However, as the day got gloomier, in order to keep my ISO down, I added an Alien Bee as a filler light on the right, at the lowest possible power and a soft box which I used to diffuse the light. I really wanted to keep the natural vibe of daylight for the purpose of this shot. I also had a black board on the left to create a bit of a darker shadow in order for the dessert to look more three dimensional.

Equipment

This was shot with Canon 6D camera, at shutter speed of 1/125, aperture 2.8, ISO 200 with a Canon 100 mm 2.8 lens. I added an Alien Bee Light (as filler light) and a soft box. I wanted to keep the ISO down and still have some nice highlights, this is why I added the Alien Bee Light. I also wanted to bring the attention to the inside of the dessert and the potential bite so I went down to f/2.8 to exclude anything in the background and narrow down the viewing eye to the details.

Inspiration

In the past few years, I have challenged myself to exercise more, to sleep more, to spend more time my family and friends. My primary goal is to be happier, to feel better and to be healthier. This is when food photography started appeal to me more and more as I realized that food is a huge part of who we are, food is a huge part of our society and we can pass on a strong message to all people through food. I started this food project to raise awareness that we all can eat and live healthier! Home cooked meal is amazing when is created with love in our own kitchens. Even the desserts, they still can be made with simple, clean, real ingredients and they can taste a lot better than any prepacked dessert sitting on a shelf in a store. My friend and an amazing baker, Nina Lalova-Toncheva shares the same values when it comes to food and I knew she would be the right partner in this project. She created the most delicious, simple and great looking chocolate mousse brownie dessert topped with fruits. She created small pieces vs. one big cake with a clear message - little portions (especially when it comes to dessert) are preferable because we should be careful how much we put in our tummies if we would like to be strong and healthy. In addition, this way there were more than enough small desserts to share with friends and family when we invite them to dinner. Lastly, as each dessert was decorated differently, we had the freedom to create and decorate each dessert with fruits only, white chocolate pieces only or a mixture of both to express that everything in this world should have its own flavor and uniqueness.

Editing

Yes, I did. I touched up some of the contract and clarity in Lightroom to draw more attention to the details, including the imperfections. I also cropped it down a bit to exclude any extra empty space which only would have taken away from the attention to the details in the dessert.

In my camera bag

I absolutely love my Canon 6D. I have used for a few years and it continues to impress me even more! Three of my favorite lens never leave my bag - the Canon 100 mm f/2.8, Canon 85mm f/1.8 and Canon 70-200mm f/2.8. I feel if I have these three in my bag, I am all set for any occasion - from macro and food to people's portraits. I also love my Canon 25-105 mm f/4 for any landscape photography. I love this little kit lens which I bought together with the Canon 6D Body. I try to keep it simple and I always try to find the right angle, the right light and then I adjust for which lens I need to use. Often times, when I have photographed in a low light, I have picked my portrait 85 mm f/1.8 over 100 mm f/2.8 to do a macro shot at f/2 or f/1.8 because I knew that I don't want to increase the ISO or lower the shutter speed. This way I still produced the outcome I wanted to, despite the fact that I used the portrait lens vs. the macro lens. The idea is to create and do it well, how you do it is another story. We are all different and create in our own way to produce beautiful photographs!

Feedback

There are a few things to remember when it comes to a food photography project and art. Food is a livable thing - it moves, it melts and it dries. When one is aiming to produce beautiful product, quick action is necessary. Chocolate melts fast and pastries and desserts need to be kept in the fridge until you are ready to press the snap button. Start small, position it right, pick your small plates, props and so on wisely. You can buy paper backdrops or you can create your own from a local craft store. You can go out and find a few small plates or even, open your own kitchen cabinets to find the right plate. The beauty is in the details! Be ready to try a few times, change a few backgrounds, change a few props around your subject. Add flowers, make into a seasonal theme or keep it simple. I personally liked the shot which showed the details of the inside layers on the dessert above, although there were a number of beautiful shots with the dessert presented as a whole. I left the spoon in for a reason to create this "I am about to eat you" effect. It is fun! If the dessert speaks to you and you want to eat it when you see the image on the back of your camera, then you have nailed it. Food needs to look fresh and yummy! There are no rules when it comes to creativity! If you love food photography, cook something delicious or pick your favorite veggies or fruits and start creating, it is hard work but it is fun! And then you get to eat and share!

See more amazing photos, follow IrinaPhotography

IrinaPhotography

IrinaPhotography

Time for Sweetness!

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow IrinaPhotography

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