Mocking Bird » Food Photography

Desserts That Look Like Art

Amanda — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 00:15:09 +0000

A delicious surprise birthday dessert. Aren’t they the best kind?

Living In Paris When You Don’t Live In Paris

Amanda — Wed, 25 May 2011 15:00:24 +0000

Oh, how I love having a patisserie and a bakery run by actual French people across the street and down the road. Yes, the bread is to die for, and yes the chocolate croissants are better than any other I’ve tasted before, but for me what I love about these 2 little places are the way they make me feel.

I stand at the counter, eyeing all the beauty behind the glass, pondering which delight to choose, and patiently wait for my turn. I wait for one little thing. One little thing that transports me instantly. “What would you like?” she says in a romantic, oh so Frenchie accent. For in that moment, the sweet French lady carries me to a patisserie in Paris or a boulangerie in Bordeaux. I can pretend for just that moment that I am steps away from the Sacré Cœur and going to head down the hill with my baguette for lunch. Stepping into these places give me so much more than bread and pastries. They give me hope that I will one day get to visit this town that I have loved from afar for so long.

I wrote a little about our village lifestyle on my guest post on sfgirlbybay last week because I just adore having these special places to call my local haunts. But mostly I love living a little bit of Paris if only for a minute.

Food Photography Inspiration

Amanda — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 16:00:11 +0000

Despite my lack of love for food, I am a sucker for food photography. I love looking at it and I love shooting it myself. The textures and colours are really important in making food look good, as well as plenty of natural light. I really love the rich tones all these amazing photographers have in their food photography. Colour, texture and styling all make for instantly delicious looking shots. Every time I see something as inspiring as these photographs, I want to get in the kitchen and cook just so I can shoot! Who cares about the eating part!

Along with these amazing photographers who shoot for magazines, there are some wonderfully inspiring photographers who cook and shoot for food blogs. Here is a sampling of some of my favourite food blogs with gorgeous food photography…

101 Cookbooks … Kiss My Spatula … The Cook’s Atelier … Sunday Suppers … Pictures and Pancakes … Tartelette … Matt Bites … La Tartine Gourmande

Who are your favourite food photographers and bloggers?

Cupcake Awesomeness

Amanda — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 15:00:28 +0000

Choc and Blue Cupcakes

I was supposed to meet him at the bookstore. I made my way through the doors, peering over shelf stacks and bargain tables trying to spot him. He was meandering in the fiction section when he noticed me clutching a box of cupcakes.

Most males would ask if one had been bought for them. Not him. He took one look at the box of cupcakes and instantly made the “camera click” gesture with his fingers. He knows me so well it’s frightening.

Sure, cupcakes are sweet fluffy cake explosions that taste oh so good popped in the mouth, but damn they are made to be photographed. Eating them is just a bonus, right?

I shot these bad boys with my Yashica FX3 camera and Kodak Portra 400NC film. No flash, just natural window light. I was pretty pleased with how they turned out. I’m now offering these prints in the store.

*****

In case you missed it yesterday, I was interviewed on Shutter Sisters. I’ve been following their photography website for quite some time, so I was honoured to be asked. You can read it here.

What’s In Your Kit? with Cannelle et Vanille

Amanda — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 15:00:05 +0000

I was going to wait till next week to post this next interview in the series but seeing as I am off to Hawaii for a week, I thought I’d give you another today.

I am so excited to share my next interview with you as she is another of my favourite photographers. The super talented Aran Goyoaga runs the blog Cannelle et Vanille where she shares 3 fabulous talents; cooking, styling and photography. Her food photography is absolutely stunning and even though all the masterpieces she creates look absolutely scrumptious, I think she could make a bag of dirt look appealing.

Without a doubt Aran’s photography is out of the world pretty because of the light she finds, her magical eye and the way she styles the food. The colours are so vibrant and jump out of the picture and everything looks absolutely delish! Clearly, the combination of photography, cooking and styling make for knock out photos and make Aran one very talented lady.

MB: What is your camera of choice?

Aran: I currently shoot with a Canon 5D Mark II but I shot with the Canon 50D until not very long ago.

MB: Which are your favourite lenses to work with?

Aran: For food photography I love my Canon 100mm macro. I am also experimenting with tilt shift lenses now. When I travel, I shoot with the 24-105mm and the 50mm 1.4.

MB: What do you find are the best lenses to use with food photography?

Aran: I think macros are great because you can get so much detail when you get in close which is great for food. I love the bokeh they give. Tilt shift lenses are also great but I am still experimenting so I cannot give much advice just yet.

MB: Name a camera you just love to have fun with.

Aran: My 3 year old son’s Sony point and shoot. We are very silly with it!

Thank you so much for sharing your favourite equipment with us Aran. I for one look to your photography for inspiration when thinking about shooting food. I just wish I could cook like that!

Please stop on over at Aran’s famous blog Cannelle et Vanille and leave her some blog love. You can see her portfolio site here and add her as a contact on flickr here.

All photography of course owned by and copyright Aran Goyoaga.

What’s In Your Kit? with One Love Photo