This summer has definitely been a “mixed bag” of surprises.  A few weeks ago I actually threw a light cotton blanket on the bed…that’s a first for a Sydney summer!

What I have been enjoying are the cloud formations that form in  the evenings.  They have provided a spectacular backdrop for our famous harbour and Opera House.  Great for a spot of photography!

Enjoy the weekend everyone.  Take care and have fun!  I’ll see you next week with a few more recipes.

Cheers

P.S If any camera buffs are curious these were taken witha Fuji X100.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

Thank you for commenting.

Thank you for everything.

Enjoy the holiday season.  Be safe, drink wisely and DO EAT!

All the best for 2012.

Just the other day I was invited to enjoy a pre holiday, summer barbecue with old and new friends. My good friends Mark and Gary have this wonderful house located in the inner city area of Sydney.

Their place was recently renovated and I just couldn’t resist sharing some snaps with you. Their abode is an oasis of cool greens, calming whites and stylish simplicity. I love their open design kitchen with its huge windows and stepping into their “back yard” is like entering a five star tropical retreat.

Being “foodies” they planned a gastronomical journey for our taste buds. We started off with smoked trout blinis, washed down with Bombay Sapphire gin and tonics.

Once the “barbie” was fired up we sampled a selection of chipolata sausages and perfectly cooked sirloin steaks with chermoula. This was washed down with a cool, Argentinian Malbec.

All this was accompanied by buttered spuds and a selection of salads which included grilled vegetable, orzo and feta and heirloom tomatoes with green beans.

Finally we finished off with Mark’s steamed Xmas pudding and a strawberry cloud cake that I brought along. (recipe will be in the next post).

Simple and unpretentious. Good food and good company. What else can one ask for?

Actually I do have one other question. If you live in Sydney can you please tell me where summer is?

I don’t think I’ve ever told you that my favourite colour is blue.  It’s practically three-quarters of my wardrobe! I was obsessed with it as a child.  Baby blue, sky blue, dark blue…everything was blue!

So when I saw this deep blue, ornate, plate recently, I couldn’t resist.  Remember my post on food and prop styling for food bloggers?  I explained in that post that it was important to determine a particular mood for a scene.  The plate did it for me.  The next thing you know, I’m bringing all my blue props out and cooking with blueberries!

 I made a blueberry cake that I took to a friend’s dinner party recently.  The recipe is exactly the same as this dried fig torte.  Instead of topping the cake with dried figs, top it with blueberries.  Or any other fruit for that matter…it’s a great recipe.

When I photographed the blueberry cake I wanted to break up the whole blue mood by adding a few new coloured bowls and plates.  Look at the fire engine red plate (another great $3 find at Target!). It adds a whole new dimension to the picture.

Incidentally, all the cake shots (and only the cake shots) were photographed on my iPhone 4s.  That little pocket wonder never ceases to impress. The other shot of the blueberries in the bowl was another experimental, lonely type of shot.  Again, I went for a blue theme and cooled the white balance slightly to give it a colder feel.

The final shot is a new ingredient to my pantry.  Quinoa flakes.  I love regular quinoa and was curious to see what quinoa flakes would taste like for breakfast.  I cooked them similar to a porridge and topped them with honey, freshly sliced bananas and cinnamon.  Mmmmm…I have a new breakfast companion.

When I photographed this set up, my white balance was on a different setting and gave the picture a completely different feel.  I love the golden warmth and hues in this shot.  To me it brings a “homey” kind of feeling.  Sometimes your mistakes turn out to be blessings (I’m sure we’ve all heard that before).

I hope you enjoyed my little “blue inspired” blog post.  I’m sure everyone is gearing up for the holiday season ahead.  Take it easy and don’t rush in those department stores!  Take care and enjoy your weekend.  See you all next week.

It’s great to be posting pics again for this “Photo Friday” feature.  These shots were taken on a recent trip to Singapore.  When you have views like these you kind of get obsessed about taking photos all the time.  If you are curious these were taken with the new iPhone 4s.  Not bad for a little camera on a phone.  I have applied a few effects to the top two but it wasn’t major.  All in all I’m impressed!

Take care and enjoy the weekend.  I’ll be back next week with a few recipes. Cheers!

This post is an extension of the Food Styling Masterclass I recently held at the 2nd annual Australian Food and Drink Blogger’s Conference.  Thank you to all who participated and thank you for putting up with my rambling.  I had a great time! This blog post is a little long-ish but I hope you enjoy reading my thoughts on this topic.

Of all the elements required to get that “perfect shot”, I personally believe food styling is the most important one.  You might have the world’s tastiest dish in front of you, use the best camera and have great lighting but all that won’t mean anything unless you organise those elements in a manner ready for the camera. I’m not going to lie.  I still find food (and prop) styling a tad frustrating.  I often have to think a lot more about this part.  Not everyone will feel this way though.  Some people are naturals and quite adept at putting food on a plate, adding a few props and voila! they have their perfect scene!

A few years ago I was asked to work on a cook book shoot as an assistant on set to the food stylist.  The food stylist in this case was not only in charge of making the food look good for the camera, she also had to organise the props.  There were over 500 of them!  Plates, cutlery, fabrics, backdrops.  You name it she had it.  It was here I picked up a lot of ideas regarding props and more importantly how she styled the food.  Being a novice at this I wasn’t sure what to expect.  I sort of expected to see motor oil and glue on the set but there was none to be found!  Once the chef had prepared his signature dish and plated it on the chosen plate she “arranged” it beautifully.  A few ingredients were moved here and there and, some garnishes were casually arranged and that was it.  Between takes she used a pastry brush to brush some of the natural cooking juices on the food and once the photographer was happy we all sat down and ate the subject with lots of joy! I was totally in awe.  It was all so natural and no faking whatsoever.

Over the last few years I’ve learnt a lot online especially through reading other blogs and being particularly active on Flickr.  I’ve made a few friends through this passion and it was great to receive feedback about what was and wasn’t working.  I like to think I developed my style mostly by “accident”.  And this is what I encourage you to do.  Work on your own style and practice as much as you can.  I’m not particularly fond of following a set formula on food and prop styling.  I don’t like to be “shoeboxed” into a particular approach.  There a lot of “evangelists” out there who say that you “need to do this…” etc… My approach is different.  I say break all the rules and have some fun in the process.  However, having said all that, I’m going to present a few “casual guidelines” that I like to follow.  These have been developed after experimenting for a few years.  And these are no way set in stone.  Expand on these and if you learn something new in the process…pass it on! Every little bit helps.

Once you have the chosen dish in mind, I think it’s important to firstly determine what scene/mood you are after. Ask yourself a series of questions.

• Vintage
• Modern
• Combination of both?
• Rustic
• Just plain simple (no props-just a cooked dish)

Step back and again ask yourself.

• Does the dish fit in with those guidelines?
• Do the colours work well or is there a clash?
• Is there any or not enough texture?
• How will my lighting set up affect the final shot?

Again-run through a mini checklist as you plan the dish and determine how each of these factors will contribute to that all important picture on your blog.

FOOD STYLING

In this part of my post I’ll cover the different types of scenarios you may encounter when prepping a dish and want to take it to the next level.

If you haven’t already noticed we actually have some “props” at our disposal. I’m talking about “natural props” i.e. food. These can include:

In this scene, I've used sprinkles of flour to add to the "messiness"

• Herbs and spices
• Fruits (sliced or whole)
• Crumbs from baked goods, sliced bread etc…
• Flours, sugars etc…
• I sometimes like to use natural enhancers to give the food a little shine. (this is particularly applicable if I’ve “strayed” a little!). I use those little pump bottles they sell at pharmacies for travel and fill them with a natural sugar syrup (that I’ve made myself) or olive oil. A little spray here and there can add just that right amount of “star quality” to a dish. Just don’t over do it and saturate the food!  If you think that’s cheating, well all I can advise you is don’t use it and work faster!  LOL!

The scene on the right shows a lot going on. quite busy...but I like it. The one on the left didn't work for me with all the cutlery. Again, a personal choice.

Another "busy" set up scene

•  Enhance a dish by creating a detailed scene. Whilst I am a big believer of “less is more” I often find myself adding other bits and pieces to a picture to tell a story. For eg if you’re baking a cake perhaps you can add to the story by showing some cream and a cup of coffee just before it’s being served. You could also add a second plate with a cut piece of cake. I like to call this “adding and subtracting”. (high tech isn’t it?). I’ll add a whole heap of elements to a scene and then play around with what works and doesn’t work. Nine times out of ten (and due to my perfectionist nature) I’ll take stuff away. I sit back and ask myself “is this balanced?”. What can I take away from here that won’t take away from the scene?  It’s all a process of elimination and fun too!  (just don’t harp on it too much.  Remember we want to have fun with this…not turn it into a science experiment!).

The darker background and the coloured plate combined with the very orange carrot mash allowed the meat to shine.

•  Boring, “beige” meat dishes are not fun to style. They often need a little help with nice props and sometimes a pop of colour. I’m lucky I like to cook my meat to a medium/rare temperature…this way I can show that juicy, ruby red, cooked flesh when I shoot it. I always brush some of the cooking juices from the meat onto the meat itself. Again, I’m not relying on any “unusual” additives here. Just the plain ol’ cooking juices. And whilst you have your meat here how about adding some wonderful sides to add to the scene!  Veggies, salads and starches help make your protein stand out. In this roast rack of lamb dish, notice the intensity of the orange in the carrot and dill mash. It brings the scene to a whole new level.

A simple shot of a baby barramundi in a fry pan

•  Fish/seafood. I like to photograph raw fish.  There I said it. Call it freaky but I find whole fish in its raw state quite fascinating as a subject for the camera. If you’re cooking it whole, consider using a griddle pan to get those lovely char grill marks on the flesh. It always adds a nice bit of drama. For fish fillets, well, there isn’t much excitement there. Consider adding a few natural props (as we discussed above) to help it along.

Sprinkle to your heart’s content! The zest and sugar give this flat cake a nice “lift”

Icing sugar hides a lot of things! The oozing jam was accidental but def helped the scene!

•  Baked goods. I’m always dressing up cakes. There is so much to choose from here. You can add ganache, sprinkles, chocolate curls, buttercream, cream, fruits, sugar (in its many forms) and zest. Play around to your hearts content and get super creative. As a general rule I like to cut into cakes and photograph them from an angle. If you bake a batch of your best muffins, take a bite!  Nothing says “mmmmmm” like seeing a bitten muffin/biscuit/cupcake. It adds a great sense of drama too.

•  Salads. I like to build my salads bit by bit, allowing for each of the ingredients to be shown. It’s ok to “maneuver” the salad ingredients around to get that perfect shot. (I like to use baby tongs for this, not tweezers).

My process for adding to a scene and garnishing the soup. N.B. I never blogged about this. I didn’t feel it.

Consider creating a "lonely" shot. Notice the cream really stands out in all those darker, rich colours

•  Soups. These generally have flat surfaces. I like to lift that flat surface by adding a garnish related to the dish. Swirl in some cream, garnish with chopped herbs, drizzle some dark green olive oil or top with little toasts.  Maybe you can add a few herbs around the scene.  For chunkier soups, I like to first add my chunky ingredients and then ladle in some of the liquid.  This way I can create a scene by showing what’s actually in the soup.

The shot on the left is quite simple with a simple garnish of basil The one on the right has loads of drama with a busy scene and Parmesan sprinkles

The rice dish on the left is quite simple...notice no garnish etc...! The one on the right is being eaten into and we can see specks of the green garnish.

•  Pastas/rice. Again, you have a whole range of options here. Lift the pasta dish by adding sauce, sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese on top and around the dish. I often tend to do this to create a little drama. Other times, I like to eat half my dish and then photograph it!  (very quickly, mind you!). Like I did in the above shot of my pearl barley risotto.

•  Out of time/too tired for any styling. If you just want to cook and quickly photograph your dish without worrying about “styling” I have some some friendly advice for you too. Consider adding “something” (related to the dish…of course!) to the background of your scene to “bulk” it up a little. For eg if you cooked a nice lasagna and you’re serving it up, think about adding a glass of wine or a salad in the background. If you don’t have any of those or choose not to serve those then perhaps you could place the tray (the one you cooked it in) in the background. Have fun and experiment a little. You never know. You may just choose to cross over to the dark side of food styling!  LOL!

 PROP STYLING

Part of my white collection!

 My best advice here would be to say “be wary”. Prop styling can be addictive. In the early stages I couldn’t walk past a homewares shop without stepping in to “have a look”.  Before I knew it I had walked away with a single one of everything!!!  These days I’m a lot more reserved, plus I already have a huge amount of props. Apart from the modern stuff, I’m always on the lookout for vintage inspired gear. Flea markets, garage sales and opportunity/goodwill shops are great places for adding that “last one piece” to the collection. I even stop by and “help myself” when people are clearing rubbish from their houses. I’m definitely a believer of the old saying that “one mans trash is another mans treasure”. And remember you don’t have to purchase whole sets of anything. Most items I own are single pieces from larger collections.

you can never have enough!

Recently I took to painting old beaten up boards to give them a “lived in look”. Personally, I found this experiment a little frustrating because I don’t have the painting skills of a decorator. Also, I found the paint to be quite expensive!  To sum it up, I just like to mix and match my props from a variety of sources. I’m often combining modern pieces with vintage and depending on the scene I might include a cloth. Again, these single cloths are single purchases I’ve made of napkins, kitchen towels or fabric off cuts from op shops.  If you want to build a collection I advise you to take baby steps. Start small and add slowly.  This will also prevent you from making impulse purchases like I used to do!

I hope you’ve enjoyed my casual guide to food and prop styling for food bloggers. Like I said to the participants of the class, play around and experiment. The more you practice, the better you will be at creating that perfect scene in your head come to life. And most importantly, have fun. I’m all for serious learning but sometimes in this crazy, mad world it’s good to take a step back and have a little giggle.

Thanks for reading!

My apologies for not getting out some recipes this week.  I have been incredibly busy photographing for a few projects and time just slipped by.  Last time, I showed you the Andes and this time I want to share some aerial pictures of the Hindu Kush.  Again, I cannot repeat myself how beautiful it is to gaze at Mother Nature’s work.  I hope you enjoy these!

Take care and I’ll see you next week.  I promise.

Cheers!

I spoke to some friends yesterday who said they were doing a “no carb” diet. I am always amazed when I hear that people remove certain foods from their diets purposefully. I’m not saying you need to eat “everything” but I think balance is good.  And when it comes to carbs and me, we have a great relationship. Especially pasta. I like to make at least one pasta dish a week. It might be good ol’ spaghetti and meatballs, a non traditional pastitsio or even a simple orzo salad.

Today I ventured into classic Italian territory. I whipped up an orecchiette with broccolini. I saw these cute orecchiette at the gourmet section on special and I stocked up!  I know there are a number of versions of this dish utilising broccolini and I have pretty much kept it the way I learnt it. The only thing I omitted is the canned anchovies because I had run out. Don’t forget them in the recipe!  They add a beautiful saltiness and balance out the pungent garlic and spicy chili. I also like to use a good extra virgin olive oil. It’s essential in this dish and I adore how it emulsified with the pasta water and brings everything together. You could also garnish the dish with some toasted sourdough breadcrumbs or some Parmigiano Reggiano (no green cans please!). Now why on earth would you NOT want to eat this????

In other news I just wanted to inform you that I am featured this week as a “Featured Foodie” on the SBS TV website. I am interviewed and asked a few questions about food and my thoughts on blogging, cooking and my food philosophy. Head on over and take a look. And to finish off the gloating, SBS are about to release their new food magazine entitled Feast.  It’s out on August the 1st and they feature Souvlaki For The Soul in one of their sections. What an honour!  I went to the launch of the magazine last night and received an advanced copy and it’s very impressive. “Feast” aims to bring real food stories from real people. I think they’ve really managed to capture the essence that is multicultural Australia, so check it out!

Enjoy your weekend folks and I’ll be back next week with a few surprises.

I posted a photo of this spaghetti dish on Flickr yesterday.  It’s your basic “spag bol” (however let’s call it a lamb ragu) made with lamb mince instead of beef or a combination of pork and veal.  I didn’t want to bore everyone with another basic spaghetti dish on the blog.  However, I did want to share how I photographed this shot.  This post was especially written for Anh and Xiaolu who  were curious about my set up over this dish.  I recently purchased a set of Elinchrom lights and I am happy to say that I have been experimenting with artificial lights for food photography in the last few weeks.  One of my goals this year was to learn food photography with artificial lights.  It’s been a tremendous learning curve and at times quite frustrating.  I ‘m trying to get my head around that I’m not using natural light! The more I play around with these artificial lights the more I am enjoying it.  The fear initially was quite strong but like anything I’m enjoying the challenge.  As a matter of fact it’s been quite refreshing not to have to set up everything in the room with the biggest window!  I think if you challenge yourself enough you can achieve anything.

My love of shooting on darker backgrounds has definitely not gone away.  I’m finding with artificial lights I can control the mood a lot more rather than having to rely on Mother Nature.  Again, I haven’t given up on photographing with natural light.  It still remains as my favourite way to photograph and capture food.  The photograph of the lamb ragu was set up in my lounge room.  I used a softbox to cover the lights and I pointed them away from the food-they are placed on the right hand side of the set up.  The lights faced a large white wall about 6 feet away from the picture set up and I had switched them to their lowest power setting (which for the Elinchrom’s is 2.0).  I’m finding with artificial lights there’s a lot of moving around and adjusting the power settings before you find the desired “sweet spot” and effect you’re after. (this has been my experience!). On the left hand side of the set up I used a piece of black foamcore to enhance the darkness and mood.  The rest was a little post processing in Lightroom to tidy up the picture. My next experiment will be photographing “white on white” using artificial lights.

In the mean time please enjoy another picture of a simple pasta dish.  Spaghetti with a tomato sauce.  My “go-to” dish for those nights when I can’t be bothered cooking anything too laborious.  This was photographed in all natural light.  I was after a straight forward , stark, plain pasta shot.  In the end it doesn’t matter what lighting you use.  I have always said it’s important to understand how the light affects your subject and what you want to achieve.  I often say “it’s all good”.  And it is.  I hope you enjoy your weekend and I’ll see you around the blog next week with a few more recipes.

If you prefer a simpler way to use artificial lights check out these Lowel Ego Lights. They do a great job.