26 May 2012

Ingredients

processed_wm_kirsten_052612_0042


About This Photo:
Aperture: f/5.0
Exposure: 1/50
Focal Length: 50mm
ISO: 1000
Lens: 50mm f/1.4

Every day, I make myself  green smoothie. The components will vary, but lately I'm digging on pineapple, lime, Fuji apple, stevia, and spinach (all combined with ice and water in the VitaMix, of course). Even when the cutting board is a bit of a mess (like this), I think the yellows and greens are so pretty -- especially with a turquoise cutting mat as a backdrop. For me, this translates to serious visual yum!

I tried shooting this setup from so many angles: getting down on the counter at eye level, shooting from above, and from either side. I think the only thing I didn't try was shooting from underneath. I think I like this angle and set-up the best, though I might have changed my mind if you ask me tomorrow.

I used a smaller aperture (f/5.0) than I typically do for this shot because food photo don't do well with a lot of bokeh. I bumped up the ISO to compensate so I wouldn't have to compromise on my shutter speed. One of the actions I took in post-processing was to use a cross-processing effect -- in my opinion, this really makes greens (as wells as yellows and blues) pop.

And now it makes me want another green smoothie.

* * *

Lessons Learned or Affirmed:

  • Experiment, experiment, experiment (angles, lighting, settings, compositions, etc). I'm posting one photo that I like. There were about three that were contender's for tonight's post out of the 45 or so that I took. Yeah. 45, and I got two or three that I really liked. Welcome to photography!
  • Don't neglect the post-processing. Post-processing might not be able to take a photo from good to great, but it can make it look much more polished and enjoyable to look at. The actions I took for this photo were few and very simple, but made it took what I had and made it a little bit better. Take a look at the before and after:

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