I gleaned so many great tips on food and photography from the opening speakers at the IFBC , Todd Coleman and Thierry Rautureau, I could have walked away after that morning session and been perfectly satisfied. But of course I didn’t because I knew I had so much more to learn and so much more great food to taste.
Todd likes to shake things up when it comes to styling food. The next 3 are photos I took from the screen presentation, so they are a little rough, but you’ll get the idea.
Rather than showing the “perfect” looking slice of this red velvet cake, sitting in front of the remains of the pristine frosted cake, displayed upon an elegant cake plate {the typical styling}, he took this knife and “hacked” at it until he achieved a look he liked. The rough cuts on top of a paper and then a contrasting blue plastic plate does somehow make this look more inviting, doesn’t it? He likes the mix of high~end food and low~end vessels. The image does make me want to pick up the knife and cut off a slender little slice {and then sneak back for another later}. He deliberately created that crevasse in the center to have some shadow to contrast the even crumb of the cake.
The image below demonstrates 3 concepts that he finds pleasing including “tonal rhythm”… while none of the containers below match, they all share a silvery patina, which makes them fit well together, filled with various textures of white. He also likes to shoot “soldiers in a row” because he finds repeating rows are pleasing to the eye. And finally, playing with shadows, the creation of shadows and the contrast between light and shadows reflects reality and creates drama.
Another thing he likes to do is to show food in a way that you don’t usually see it. This fresh from the oven pizza pie {below, left} is so delicious that people clearly can’t wait for it to hit the table, they are are using their bare hands to rip off pieces mid-air. Then, on the right below, dried beans look exotically beautiful when displayed in this floral shaped carved wooden ladle.
Photographer and Food Stylist Todd Coleman, co~founder of Delicious Content
was refreshing in his irreverence. He focused his talk on “natural light”, or the lack of it, for food photography, he clarified that natural light usually just isn’t enough. He shared some of his tips for creating more dramatic lighting for photographs. His favorite tools to create proper light and a moody shot? Aluminum foil {yes, from your kitchen drawer} to reflect available light, and flashlights {from the hardware store} taped in place with duct tape.
Another tip, which I was able to put into action recently, was to find/use unusual backgrounds. He talked about his passion for laying plates of food on cement curbs, acknowledging that, of course, eating food off a curb is not appetizing, but there is a visual appeal to that extreme contrast.
That reminded me of something I had found in the remote Ballenas Islands on our 10 hour cruise back to Orcas Island from Desolation Sound last summer, a little relief stop for Arabella.
I was trekking around the island, exploring the rocks and beaches, giving the girl a little privacy, out in the middle of NOWHERE and found this. Clearly, previously a part of a boat {and I do hope that no one was hurt in the process}. This piece had such great patina with the worn turquoise surface and the ledge engulfed with barnacles, I couldn’t leave it behind. Captain Splendid complained, but I insisted on bringing this beauty on board when Arabella and I got back to the boat on the paddle board… though I couldn’t explain exactly why or what I was planning on doing with it.
One more shot from The Ballenas, signs of previous inhabitants.. they carved, or maybe wood burned with a magnifying glass “RESPECT THE FORT”, above this fresh~air abode, and we certainly did.
So when I was shooting this Breakfast bite, I pulled that panel from my office, adjusted the lighting and added a few props,
to create this photo, with which I was quite pleased. The background is softer than black and if you look closely it offers some natural texture, and even an odd barnacle or two.
Thierry Rautureau is a celebrated chef in Seattle, our family always enjoys a trip to his bistro LUC in our neighborhood, where Sunday brunch is especially delicious. He demonstrated some great notions on how to enjoy the end of summer~beginning of fall bounty.
I believe he started out with tomatoes. It sounds as if he cultivates quite a large garden, and he shared one tip I had never heard before in regards to tomatoes… he says that if you have tomato plants that are still holding green tomatoes, you can pull them out by the roots and hang them upside down in a cool, dark space and in a couple of weeks the tomatoes will ripen! I can’t wait to try this.
If you are fortunate enough to have a bounty of tomatoes on your vines he recommends that you sauté them with some olive oil and basil, then puree them and store them in the freezer in zip lock bags to enjoy through the winter months. This base can be blended with goat cheese, chicken broth and/or cream, as well as salt and pepper to create a nice soup that can be served hot or cold. The sautéed tomatoes or can be used to enhance sauces and other dishes with that fresh~from~the~garden flavor.
Here’s a refreshing concoction he blended up and garnished with a sprig of smoke fennel and a nasturtium blossom: fresh watermelon, tarragon, a splash of apple vinegar and soda water. This could be spiked with vodka, white wine or grappa if you’d like. Beautiful and tasty.
Thierry is passionate about the incredible local ingredients we have in the PNW, and one of the true gems we are able to indulge in this time of year are Chanterelle mushrooms. These were the toppers of these yummy crostini’s he whipped up. This man is currently obsessed with harissa, a flavorful pepper, less spicy than cayenne. For these crostini’s he roasted plums and seasoned them with harissa, which he spread on the toasted bread; he topped this combo with sautéed chanterelles and a few leaves of arugula, what a marvelous mix.
Another terrific tip he offered was to pickle freely! He gave his formula for a sweet brine (sorry, I didn’t write it down, it included sugar, but you can google to find a recipe that suits your palette) and said that when you make a brine you should double it to have on hand in the refrigerator. When he finds leftover celery or other vegetables in the refrigerator he puts them in a jar with the brine to be enjoyed the next hour, day, week or month. My favorite tip was to brine any leftover rhubarb from the garden to serve for Thanksgiving dinner in place of cranberry sauce, sounds divine.
Emily I wish so much that I was with you at this event. How fun and enlightening!
xoxo
Karena
The Arts by Karena
Markham Roberts!
I literally just saw this post so I truly hope I didnt copy because I did still life food images today in my post! I was behind in keeping up with my favorite bloggers! I love this post it coincides with mine and the love of art and food and getting inspiration for painting!