i really like food

food photography, that is! I could pretty much photograph food being prepared, cooking and served everyday - especially when I get to eat it...My latest food photography gig was at Piedmont Restaurant, located in Durham, NC. It is a super hip restaurant. Romantic. Even the wall color and pendant lighting were hip and cool. Here is what it looks like on the outside: Above is my take on the beet salad. It was so beautiful and red when I cut into the beet. Below is the fritter.And the chef? SUPER cool. He is from Portland, Oregon, has dreadlocks, and makes a seriously mean fritter. And my friend Darby (who bartends)? She makes a mean virgin blueberry spritzer. I had two because they were DELICIOUS. even their cappuccino photographs well. and it was d i v i n e.

cranberry orange cheesecake

This is how my mother-in-law makes Thanksgiving dessert. Delicious. A hint of orange zest, an oreo crust. Crazy good.

BLTs are yummy

After shooting headshots at Wachovia Securities this morning, I was famished, so I decided that a Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato sandwich was just the ticket. I bought fabulous nine-grain bread from the bakery, and Krogered the rest. (I didn't photograph it, but I made a single slice of peanut butter toast from the end of the loaf. YUMMY.)And here I am photographing MYSELF in my pur water filter. I love how distorted these are. Nice expression, danielle. Now I am carbed out and ready for a nap.

mostly cherries! fruit photography.

one of the things that i love about my new(old)house is the light. the light in the kitchen is dim but fabulous. the light in the sunroom/porch is perfectly diffused (because of the screens) - this lets me photograph items such as food, without much effort. and it makes me really happy. This image of summer cherries was taken on the porch. on my lime green wicker coffee table.
I call this image "sliced" - it reminds me of the tv show DEXTER, my favorite new serial killer. I am on episode 10 now. IT IS SO GOOD. I *heart* DEXTER.
Here is proof that slippery hands mixed with gravity and lack of balance is NEVER good. it was either the fruit bowl or the camera that got dropped. Camera wins EVERY time. Hopefully a magazine like Food and Wine, Bon Appetit, Cooking Light, Real Simple (because i ADORE their photography) or Cottage Living will email me and say how much they adore my fruit photography and how they want me to shoot an article for them. I am totally ready!

food photography

This weekend was awesome! I shot birthday parties for 2 magazines - and it was rather fun. I am most happy with the images of the food especially due to my new Canon 85mm 1.8 lens.

My friend Joanna asked me how to create these images where the stuff in the front is in focus and the the back is blurry. It is called Depth of Field and happens when your aperture is a small number and the focus is at the front. This shot is 2.5 so the food at the end of the tray is nice and blown out. Magazines typically like food to be shot like this.



Also, I finally framed my 20x30 black and white photograph print titled "patiently waiting" of the young couple kissing on a path at Duke Gardens. My halls are a light tan, but the end walls are this luscious red. The image fits JUST right!