Chocolate Chip
Baked After Dark Homemade Cookies
Omaha, NE
Aug, 2018Views
670
Likes
Awards
Contest Finalist in The Photojournalist Photo Contest
Community Choice Award
Contest Finalist in Around The Kitchen Photo Contest
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Outstanding Creativity
Superb Composition
All Star
Top Choice
Virtuoso
Emotions
Impressed
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Behind The Lens
Location
This image was taken in my mother's new bakery, Baked After Dark. I have been a portrait photographer for the last four years but have recently taken an interest in baking alongside my mom. When we needed images for our marketing materials I jumped at the chance to learn all about food photography.Time
Being that we are a late night bakery, I do all of my baking and shooting in the mid afternoon. We have great natural light in the office during the afternoon. I've never been a early riser, this works well for me.Lighting
During my research, I realized that if I wanted my food to look amazing that I would need to utilize natural light. I personally believe that artificial lighting in food takes away the home cooked feeling that so many love. By using a natural light source that is comparable to what you would have in your own kitchen, you get a better feeling from the finished image.Equipment
This was such an easy set up! I shoot with a Nikon D610 and used my Nikon 50mm 1.8 for this shot. I set up a tray table parallel to my window light source and used white poster board and tinfoil to bounce the light to my liking. The background is an old, burned cookie sheet and crinkled parchment paper for texture.Inspiration
My mother inspired me, of course! I am so proud of her and the bakery. Her cookies are absolutely delicious and needed to be shown off!Editing
I did very minimal post processing on this shot. A slight bump in exposure, enhanced the blacks and clarity, and final cropping. I wanted to keep the image as realistic as possible. I hate getting something that looks nothing like the images on advertisements, especially when it comes to food.In my camera bag
My gear bag always has my Nikon D610 with a backup battery and charger, a Nikon 50mm f/1.8, a Nikon 28-70mm f/3.5, and my 55-200mm f/4. I also have two Yongnuo YN560 iv and a Gary Fong Lightsphere.Feedback
You don't need a fancy set up or equipment to explore food photography! My favorite places to buy props for food work are thrift stores and garage sales, the older the better! Bouncing or blocking light can be done with 99 cent poster board and aluminum foil and natural light is free. Watching food bloggers is a great way to learn food styling and get ideas for setting up your own portable food studio.
