clareparsons

cream cheese and toffee cupcakes

Apr, 2014

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+43

Awards

People's Choice in Dessert dreams Photo Challenge

People's Choice in Home Made Photo Challenge

Superb Composition

Peer Award

Superior Skill

All Star

Jaw Dropping

Outstanding Creativity

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Behind The Lens

Location

I took this photo at my best friend's house! She was catering the desserts to a wedding I was photographing. It was SO hard not to dive in and eat them all! The toffee crumble on top was home made and I couldn't stop nibbling on them!

Time

This was really early in the afternoon and the day was really cloudy. It's always so cozy in her house in the afternoon, because she bakes all morning. Her house always has the faintest scent of snicker doodles and apple pies...

Lighting

My friend's kitchen is the quintessential baker's kitchen. It's large and painted a light lavender with these lovely old fashioned white curtains that have little yellow daisies embroidered on them. The light can be pretty extreme on summer afternoons in Montana, so I slid the curtains across the windows and they were the perfect filter to diffuse the bright light.

Equipment

I just used my Nikon D600 and a standard 50mm f/1.2 Lens... No flash, just ambient light!

Inspiration

I was really keeping my eye out for exquisitely subtle color contrasts! It's easy to see the blatant contrasts of color when dealing with night photography and neon signs and such, but to find the understated, elegant differences is much more challenging for me. I loved the gentle teal cupcake papers coming through the white translucent wrapping. It was such a lovely, faint distinction next to the warmth of the cream cheese frosting and the earthy tones of the toffee crumble. (And, who doesn't love cupcakes?)

Editing

There wasn't much to do with this photo. I bumped up the contrast slightly and the saturation just enough so the lens saw exactly what I saw. It was one of those photos that felt like I had truly "captured" a little treasure for my collection.

In my camera bag

I carry a rucksack-style camera bag that is canvas and doesn't draw attention. I always have my Nikon D600 and an old Nikon F 35mm. There's an old tin with a spare ciggy in it in the back pocket, and ancient light meter, in case my digital goes out for some odd reason and three lenses. My 50mm f/1.2 Lens

Feedback

I really like using the elements around me, instead of a tripod, if it works. For this photo, she had an old round piece of wood sitting in front of the cupcakes, so I set my camera on that to steady my hand. I really take my time with macro-type shots because I think my eyesight isn't quite right with objects that are close up. I take three deep breaths, and I never click the shutter on the inhale, only the exhale, on the third breath. The best advice I ever got was from a professor of mine... slow down. Slow WAY down.

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clareparsons

clareparsons

cream cheese and toffee cupcakes

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow clareparsons

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