Hello! Long time no see!

If someone told me a year ago that I would be doing test shoots for food photography, I wouldn’t have believed them. (I wouldn’t have ruled it out either, especially since a year ago I most likely had bloodshot eyes and high blood pressure from my 14th hour of staring at AutoCAD.)

A year ago, I would’ve asked that person-from-the-future what the heck a “test shoot” even was!

Until recently, my photography has been mostly candid and opportunistic. Lately, I began to refine my repertoire to include studio work and high-end lighting and retouching. It’s been a fast-paced process (with a few bumps along the way) but I’m glad to say that test shoots are now a regular part of my life. Not only is it a great way to learn through trial and error, but the results also help increase a client’s trust.

This test shoot was an incredibly fun to create. It started when I saw a cousin’s Facebook photo of her garden’s goodies and I was instantly jealous of her squash blossoms. The days following, I scoured the NYC message boards and found myself at the Union Square Green Market and waiting in line for squash blossoms.

Not wanting the flowers to wilt, I set up a shoot straightaway even though I didn’t know the exact look I wanted. What resulted from this spur-of-the-moment styling and shooting was something not quite HDR…more like chiaroscuro with its detail and texture  showing where it wouldn’t normally have it. I especially like how the lighting envelopes the texture of the petals and the linen napkin…something I plan on experimenting further. There’s a lot more that I could do with it but that’s why it’s called a test shoot.

Anyway, this was a lengthy post but I thought you’d appreciate knowing why I’m not posting as often these days. If you’re interested on hearing more about the photoshoot process, let me know…I’d be happy to make more posts about it!