How To Tuesday: Photography Composition Part III.
Some subjects cry out for certain camera angles. Not listening to their pleas can result in awkward ill-composed shots that make the viewer feel uneasy.
Today I'm going to talk to you about camera angles specifically popular among food photographers and how they can work for you. I'll start with the safest or easiest angle and move up to the more dynamic or fun angles.
The head on or eye level camera angle is perhaps the most straight forward and basic approach to photographing your subject. I would choose this angle when shooting a scene that is rather plain or simple with very little depth or detail. It creates drama and an undeniable focal point. With the photo of the Cherry Almond White Chocolate Ice Cream I wanted to accentuate the drips and texture of the ice cream. The head on angle makes the viewer feel like the cone is being handed right to them. In the photo of the Focaccia I used this camera angle to emphasize the uniformity as well as the natural flaws in each piece of bread. I also force the viewer to analyze the angles created by the brown paper and the slices.
How To Tuesday: Photography Composition Part II.
Continuing our photography lesson from last week, today I'm going to talk to you about the compositional importance of negative space and leading lines. These two concepts are not exclusive to photography, but prevalent in all visual arts.
When I think of negative space the first thing that pops into mind is a specific painting that I viewed years ago at the Art Gallery of Ontario during a high school field trip. It's called Dancers Practicing at the Barre by Degas. Negative space is defined as the relatively empty space surrounding the subject of focus. In this case the two dancers seem to be shoved into the top right corner and the rest of the space is taken up by blank floor or wall. This might appear curious, but in doing so Degas is enhancing the importance of his subjects and making his composition dynamic. You would think that all that negative space would make the painting unbalanced because all the weight is in the top right corner. In fact the plainness of the wall and floor balance the detail in the figures.
How To Tuesday: Photography Composition Part I.
I had a tasty idea for you today. It had something to do with raspberries, lemons, sugar and lots of it. But as you can see, no raspberries, no lemons and certainly no sugar.
Instead this tuesday I decided to bring you something a little different. Over the past few months I'm not afraid to admit that my photography skills have improved threefold since my humble beginnings with my little point and shoot. It surprises even me sometimes when I compare the vast differences between my old photos and my new ones. Many of you have made such sweet comments about my photos and have expressed an interest in my techniques.
So I thought I would share what I've learned about photography and reveal the tips and tricks behind taking a successful photo. Over the next few weeks I'll turn How To Tuesdays into basic photography tutorials so you too can benefit from my experience. Today let's start simply with composition, more specifically, the rule of thirds.
The rule of thirds is a simple concept to help you achieve an aesthetically pleasing photo composition. Basically you divide the photo into thirds horizontally and vertically so you have 9 equal rectangles. Wherever those lines lay or intersect you should place an area of focus or visual interest.
You can do this one of three ways. You can rely on your eyes and visually divide the shot into thirds. Don't sell your eyes short! You'd be surprised how accurate that method is. Many digital SLR cameras have the option to view the lines for the rule of thirds on the viewfinder. This is really handy and allows you to compose your image live as well as decreasing your need for cropping. Most photo editing software like Photoshop or Lightroom allow you to see the rule of thirds grid while you're cropping your photos. I use a combination of my eyes and cropping depending on the photo and composition.
My photo of the bumblebee is a great example of the rule of thirds. You can see how I started out by cropped the photo in Photoshop. You didn't know how much more there was to that photo did you?
How To Tuesday: Eggcellent.
I know what you're thinking. I know how to boil an egg! Sure, everyone does. It's not really that hard. I'm sure you've boiled more than your fair share of eggs and they've all turned out fine. But then I'm sure you've also had a few batches of eggs that were less than fine.
Maybe the shell stubbornly and inexplicably stuck to the egg so the only way you could peel it off was to brutally mutilate the poor defenseless egg until all that was left was a pile of broken bits of white and yellow.
Or the shells cracked and unsightly half cooked egg goo oozed out into the boiling water to create this amoebas alien egg.
Or you're happy with the shape of the eggs but while preparing deviled eggs for a special occasion you slice into the yolk only to discover it's tinted a rather unappetizing shade of green.
Well I'm here today to make sure that never happens again. I'll help you understand the science behind boiling an egg and I'll reveal to you the little tips and tricks behind the perfect hard boiled egg.
How To Tuesday: Bouquet of Tulips.
When I made my Chocolate Banana Cinnamon Muffins I got a lot of questions about how to make your own tulip baking cups. I described it briefly in the recipe but I thought it would be better if I just showed you.
You can buy tulip baking cups but why bother spending money on something that you can make for next to free? You know I'm all about saving money. Plus sometimes we're human and run out of important stuff like baking cups. It's nice to know we forgetful folk have options. It's just a clever trick to dress up even the plainest muffins.
How To Tuesday: My Sweet Josephine.
After seeing Kristin's friendship bracelet giveaway on Idle Wife, I've hauled out my old bracelet books and thread from when I was a kid. Naturally I've been furiously making all sorts of bracelets. After making six friendship bracelets in two days I decided I needed a new pattern. Following an extensive google session I found these beautiful recycled t-shirt bracelets and vowed to make them my own.
And now you can too! Because you should. Really.
All you need is...
2 pieces of fabric about 18 x 6 inches
Scissors
Pliers
2 ribbon clamps (found at Michaels)
2 jump rings
1 clasp
How To Tuesday: Means To An End.
We all have them. Bread ends. Stupid, tiny, crusty, thin, burn in the toaster bread ends. But why throw them out like most people when you can use them to make delicious bread crumbs?
And go one step further and make your own seasoned bread crumbs. There are so many options and the best part is you can make it exactly the way you want. Italian, Greek, curry, Herbs de Provence, Thanksgiving. Be creative! The possibilities are endless!
Then why not take it another step further and do your own Shake and Bake? Mind blowing right? All you do is dredge your chicken, pork or fish in flour, then beaten egg, then your bread crumbs seasoned to your liking and bake or pan fry.
Let's start with the bread crumbs and let your imagination go from there.
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees and position a rack in the center. Place your bread ends or slices on a baking sheet and bake them for 20 – 25 minutes. They should be dry and hard but not necessarily toasted. Transfer them to a cooling rack until they're room temperature.
Break the dried bread into chunks and blend it in a food processor until you've reached your desired consistency. You could make it superfine or coarse. It's completely up to you! You can stop now and keep your bread crumbs plain or you can play the flavour game.
Now the fun part! Mix and match your flavours to create the seasoned bread crumbs of your dreams. Here are a few of my favourites to get you started.
How To Tuesday: Pop Goes The Garlic.
There are a few schools of thought on the best way to peel garlic. Some people crush it under a chef's knife. Some people soak the cloves in cold water. Some people just diligently pick away at the skin with their fingernails.
I used to use the latter method until a few months back when I discovered a quick and easy way to peel garlic. I've been doing it this way ever since and been able to avoid messy juice, slippery knife cuts, garlicky fingernails and dirtying another bowl.
Want to know how? Sure you do!
How To Tuesday: Very Vanilla.
It takes a few vanilla beans, a splash of vodka and a heap of patience to make your very own vanilla extract. Considering the price of vanilla extracts and beans I think it's well worth the wait. You get the most out of those pricy beans and definite bang for your buck.
Since starting my vanilla extract I read on the almighty internets that the only way to make a true vanilla extract is to obey the ratio of 6 or even 8 vanilla beans to 1 cup of alcohol. Anything less and you're just making vanilla flavoured vodka. Sigh. Where I buy my vanilla beans they come 2 to a vial for about $4.50 so 6 beans is going to put me back $13.50 and that's only going to be a hair more cost effective than buying it in the store once I go about the business of buying the vodka.
So I leave the choice up to you. If you'd prefer a more potent extract and have a cheaper source for beans then, by all means, stuff six of those suckers in the jar. If you're like me and can't justify the expense then just work with what you've got. You can always splash a little more extract in there for good measure because who doesn't like a little extra vanilla goodness?
All you'll need is...
3 - 6 vanilla beans
1 paring knife or pair of scissors
1 cup vodka
1 airtight jar (preferably dark glass)
Note: Vodka is the preferred alcohol to use when making vanilla extract because it has a neutral flavour and does not impart it's own flavour to the mix. Feel free to use rum, brandy or even gin if you'd rather infuse the extract with a little something extra.
Using your knife or scissors slice each vanilla bean in half lengthwise leaving one end intact to keep the halves connected. Place them in the jar and cover them with the vodka.
Store the jar in a cool dark place for at least 2 months. Make sure to give it a shake every few days to encourage extraction. It can last for years and get better with age just like a fine wine. Enjoy!
How To Tuesday: Chopped.
I gave myself a much needed manicure and set about showing you the easiest, fastest and most efficient way to chop an onion.
First let's talk about knives. I would suggest using a chef's knife or santoku. It's very important to use a knife that you're comfortable with. Not too big, not too small, not too heavy and not too light. Consider yourself the Goldilocks of knives. It's dangerous to use a knife that isn't comfortable in your hand because you can easily cut yourself. I enjoy my set of KitchenAid knives because they are light and solid with an ergonomic handle that fits perfectly in my small hands. Lee prefers his set of Henckels knives because of their heft and large wooden handles that are perfect for his large hands.
Now, there's a sweet spot at the base of the handle that's meant to grip with your thumb and first finger. This is the natural point of balance between the blade and the handle that makes it easy to rock the knife back and forth.
Lop off the end of the onion then turn it on it's end and slice straight through the root leaving you with two equal halves. Peal the skin off the one half and set aside other other.
Make three to four horizontal slices toward the root but not through it. Place it face down and make a few vertical cuts perpendicular to the horizontal ones, making sure to leave the root intact once again.
Pivot the cutting board and, with your fingers curled in for protection from the sharp blade, chop the onion across the vertical cuts. Discard the chunk of root and marvel at your perfectly chopped bits of onion.
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