Back in January 2009 I posted a recipe for Rugelach, my favorite cookie! I still cannot understand how cream cheese, that brick of gooey, plastic-y cheese I do not like eating turns cheesecakes and cookies into sublime desserts I adore… But, anyway, this post is about photography. Those were the photos I took back then:
Last Friday I baked Rugelach again. I was actually a bit worried how they will turn out because my mind was wondering and I didn’t focus on what I was doing and used a whole egg when I should have used only the egg yolk. The dough was more wet and sticky than my fingers remembered but it took me a while to realized the reason why. After being baked, they turned out a bit flatter but just as good as I remembered. They are still my #1 on the cookie list.
And these are the current photos:
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So, what different?
I think the big difference is due to the camera (Canon Rebel XS) and the lens (recently, I mostly use a 60 mm).
I am also using a tripod again 
I think I did learn how to “see” but I still don’t fuss too much with styling. I rarely use a prop other then a fork, and occasionally a knife. I bought some props in the past year but I haven’t used them much. As much is it can be a lot of fun, I just don’t have the time to play for too long. So I’m still stuck with putting the food on the plate and trying to find the best angle.
I now limit most of my posts to those where I can shoot during day time or on evenings when there is still some natural light. I haven’t used artificial lights since I bought my camera and learned how to use the aperture mode (Only lately I learned about Manual mode).
I know, I know, I should pay more attention to reflection on the plate, like in this photo below:
… still haven’t replaced the red sheers with white ones nor did I tape more paper on the windows. I can be lazy sometimes…
What’s next? Recently I became fascinated with darker photos, with more black and other dramatic colors.
I would like to experiment more with black, like in this photo:
Need to buy black reflector/card board…
Tags : cookie, Food, photography, recipe, Rugelach
Categories : Food Photography
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9 Comments
Anne
February 28th, 2010 at 18:59
I definitely see a difference! Wow. At that food styling workshop last week Delores Custer mentioned that black is “the new black” for backgrounds (and that all-white background is going out?) I don’t know about white backgrounds ever going out of style–like classic white plates never go out of style. But black is really cool with food, I agree! Dramatic & brings out new details in the food. Thank you for sharing before and after! That was cool.
.-= Anne´s last blog ..100 Days of Salad =-.
Amanda
February 28th, 2010 at 20:21
LOVE the pictures!! But honestly… the before wasnt bad at all!! Very good in fact! But this is a great way to learn… thank you!
Blessings-
Amanda
Sharon
February 28th, 2010 at 22:21
Yummy!!!! Are there any leftovers?….
Linda
March 1st, 2010 at 00:29
Hi, I just love your photography lesson. I am struggling with glare and all the same things. Because of you I bought a tripod. Now if I could only make the food earyly enough in the day to shoot in the daylight..
.-= Linda´s last blog ..Go East Young Women =-.
kat
March 1st, 2010 at 06:44
Love the new pics! You are really coming along with your photos. I wish I had more patience for it…*sigh*
Simone (junglefrog)
March 2nd, 2010 at 00:21
What a difference Nurit! I think it is so funny to go back to older shots and compair them with todays… In fact I was planning to do a post of a pasta dish I completely messed up about one or two years ago in terms of styling the plate and then taking a dreadful photo of it. I might not succeed as I still need to make the pasta this afternoon and then shoot it, but it will be interesting to see if I can improve on the original (which quite frankly can’t get much worse!) If it all turns out I will write a post about it too…
.-= Simone (junglefrog)´s last blog ..Daring Bakers february 2010; Tiramisu =-.
PicnicIdeas (Chen)
March 3rd, 2010 at 11:11
The second time the Rugelach indeed look more flat.
By the way i’m crazy about these cookies as well
.-= PicnicIdeas (Chen)´s last blog ..Picnic Food Recipes to Grill =-.
Kitchen Butterfly
March 6th, 2010 at 08:05
The beauty is the constant and unending improvement with photos. After a while you realise what angle to take the photos from, what colours work together and how to plate/style the food. It may not all be perfect but….we inch and edge closer by the day. And this is when I say…I so want a DSLRRRRRRRR
Adrienne
April 14th, 2010 at 07:47
This is a really great post to show your progress. I hope that one day I will be able to similarly compare my novice photos from today to my stellar ones of the future
.-= Adrienne´s last blog ..Seattle Food Writing Workshop =-.