Behind the Scenes: Photographing Cocktails

This is my first Behind the Scenes post and it’s on cocktails. I’ve set out to improve my skills photographing these popular libations. I’m not much of a drinker, but I do love the aesthetics associated with the cocktail.

Today, I did a deep dive into the research, using this shoot by Carolyn Fong for Punch Drink as inspiration. I read a few articles, looked at online magazines and consulted some videos on YouTube. I found this video by Khandie Photography a great starting off point. I liked that it was an on location shoot with minimal equipment. Then for a more professional lesson I consulted The Bite Shot. There were a few other videos watched in there, but these were the most helpful.

What started as a fun experiment ended in a head-scratching, technical conundrum. I was able to collect a fair amount of data which I will show below, but as experimentation often does, it left me with more questions than answers.

So, what DID I figure out? HIGHTLIGHTS! Hightlight placement is very important when it comes to cocktail photography. Check out the photos I took below and pay special attention to where the highlights fall.

A Real Life Horror Story: Hard drive failure

It happened again. I plug my external hard drive into my computer and my computer doesn’t recognize the hard drive. Unlike the past two hard drive failures, I am slightly more prepared for this one.

A few weeks prior, I backed up the hard drive to Amazon photos, an amazing service that comes included with your prime account. It offers unlimited photo storage, for no extra charge. ***If you are a photographer with an Amazon prime account, stop reading this and go back up your files.***

Another form of backup are the memory cards from my more recent photoshoots. This was a trick I learned from photographer, Kaye Ford. Always leave your photos on the memory card until the files are backed up and delivered to the client.

Moral of the story, backup your files, always! And back up to a cloud service, because external hard drives just don’t cut it.

Happy Halloween!

More Headshots

In the last few weeks, I’ve taken headshots for two of my friends, Rebecca and Kit. Rebecca is an actress looking for a headshot more true to life than her current headshot. Kit is a massage therapist starting her own business who needed a headshot for her website. Both ladies are very talented and made great models. Take a look!

Tender Napalm

In October I helped my friends film a trailer for a production they put on. The show was called Tender Napalm. You can read more about the play in this article from the Chicago Reader where they used my image and I was not credited. I emailed the paper about the issue, hopefully I hear back from them soon. Below is the uncredited image and a few other images I took that day. Have a look!

Travel Stories: Dubuque, IA

Back in June, my husband and I packed our bags to head to Dubuque, IA for the weekend. As with most of our Midwest travel, this journey was family focused. Brian's cousin Zach was marrying his college girlfriend Emma at Loras College, their alma mater. Brian was to perform a reading in the ceremony.

To our surprise, we both really enjoyed Dubuque. The bed & breakfast where we stayed was in a historic part of the city and steps away from downtown. Check out our summer fun and consider taking a weekend trip to Dubuque.

Wedding Photography: Carolyn + Jim

Last month, my husband’s Grandmother (Carolyn) married her boyfriend Jim. They met a few years back at The Greens, a senior living community where they both reside. Earlier this year, Jim and Carolyn decided to make their relationship a permanent one. They set a wedding date of September 16, 2018. The couple enlisted the help of their neighbors to put together The Greens first-ever wedding celebration. The ceremony was held in the parlor of their senior living community and the bridal party were the couple’s children and grandchildren. All 150 guests were invited to stay for cake and punch after the ceremony. Needless to say, this was quite a special day. Take a look!

Headshots & Hip Pain

Lately, I’ve been struggling with some hefty hip pain. As a result, I haven’t been able to shoot as much as I’d like. Last week, I was able to squeeze in a quick headshot session with my BFF. He needed an updated headshot for an audition coming up. Obvi, he is a great model, thus we had this session done in 15 minutes. Off camera flash and natural light were used. For those wondering, yes, he got a call back. Check out this one shot wonder…

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Food Photography: The Mighty Protein Pancake

Food is quickly becoming one of my favorite subjects to photograph. Lately, I can’t get enough. I’ve been photographing almost everything I cook, even simple endeavours like pancakes.

These particular pancakes are some of my favorite to make because they are quick, flour free and super good for you. Take a look, jot down the recipe and enjoy!


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These pancakes are packed with protein.

Made with nutrient dense ingredients like flax meal, hemp protein powder & chia seeds.

Made with nutrient dense ingredients like flax meal, hemp protein powder & chia seeds.

Flavor comes from ingredients like a ripe banana, cinnamon and vanilla.

Flavor comes from ingredients like a ripe banana, cinnamon and vanilla.

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Recipe below….

Recipe below….

The Mighty Protein Pancake

Ingredients:

  • 1 ripe banana

  • 2 eggs (1 whole egg + 1 egg white)

  • 1 T. Bob’s Redmill Hemp Protien Powder

  • 2 tsp. flax meal

  • 2 tsp. chia seeds

  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract

  • 1/4 tsp. cinnamon

  • 1 tsp. coconut oil (to grease your skillet)

  • salt (optional)

Directions:

  1. Mash ripe banana in mixing bowl. I do this with a fork, since the banana is ripe it should be quick and easy. It’s okay to leave some lumps.

  2. Add the eggs to your mixing bowl. I like to use 1 full egg + 1 egg white. You can easily do 2 full eggs, 2 egg whites or even just 1 egg.

  3. Add the remaining ingredients- hemp powder, flax meal, chia seed, cinnamon, vanilla. Mix until combined.

  4. Grease your skillet with coconut oil and put it on a low heat.

  5. Add your mix to your greased skillet. You can add all of your batter to make a giant pancake or spoon it out to make silver dollar sized pancakes. I like to make mine in a small omelette sized skillet- resulting in a giant pancake.

  6. Cover your skillet for about 3-5 minutes as the pancake cooks. Flip half way through and continue cooking for another minute.

  7. Remove pancake from skillet and top any way you like! I top mine with berries as a healthier alternative to syrup.

  8. ENJOY!

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Did you make these pancakes? Let me know in the comments section below!