Shutter Sisters

the beauty of food

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Food. We all interact with it every day. It fills and nourishes our bodies and (usually!) tastes good.

 

But beyond fuel and taste, food has a powerful aesthetic that, over the past few years, I’ve come to appreciate. Food is beautiful. I’ll admit, before I had a food blog I didn’t think much about how food looked. Sure, once in a while I noticed that something I was eating was beautiful. But that usually happened at a fancy restaurant, when the edibles were dressed to the nines.

 

Taking photos of food day in and day out has helped me develop an appreciation for the inherent, natural beauty of food. Chopping brown onions makes me happy, despite the tears. A bowl of blueberries stops me in my tracks. And pastries lining the windows of Paris? Ooo la la!

 

As I’ve contemplated my experience photographing food, I’ve realized it’s had an impact on all of my photography. I now look at life through a macro lens. To capture the essence of the food I photograph, I have to really focus on the details. This focus has expanded to other photos I take, no matter the subject. Portraits of my kids tend to be close-ups. I naturally gravitate to details, a candle rather than the whole cathedral. I see the world in a different way, with a smaller yet somehow larger perspective. Yes, I need to remind myself occasionally to step back and take in the whole picture, but I like this new view of the world that my daily photographic study of food has inspired.

 

Does the aesthetic of food inspire you? Do you like to capture the smallest of details with your lens?

 

 Pictures and words courtesy of Honorary Sister/Guest Blogger Jane Maynard of  This Week for Dinner.

Comments

  17. I just had fun exploring your website – lots of fun recipies and great photos – will be checking it often!
    As for me – I just started attempting more food photos – mostly using the macro setting on my G9 – with the thought that I will attempt putting together a cookbook of family favorites for my two married daughters. I have been learning just how hard it is to get a good food photo…for example while trying to get a pic of these cooking veggies the lens would keep getting steamed up! It’s fun learning tho!
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/22733432@N08/3047470899/

  19. I love taking photos of food but don’t post many. I’m on my way out of town so since time is of the essence, I’d love to share two that I have put up at Flickr. Yes, I love taking photos close up though I don’t have a macro lens — I too love the details and getting up close.

    In my food and drink set I struggled picking just one but here is one that is a little different:
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/27458974@N00/2409479922/

    Even cool drinks get my attention:
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/27458974@N00/2526114468/

    Have a wonderful weekend — I’m hopefully off to the city this weekend — hooray!! First time in a year!

  21. The blue in the middle.
    A dessert to die for:
    every day add 1 or 2 oz. fresh frozen blueberries to yoplait
    mountain bluer=berry yogurt as you eat it for dessert and
    old age will never find your eyes wanting. and that is only
    the tip of a healthberg.

  24. Hi Jane! What fun to see your work on the Shutter Sisters blog! Your photos are gorgeous! I hope you’re doing well.

  27. thank you all for your nice words! I was so excited to post here today knowing the shutter sister love would pour freely! 🙂 I’ve enjoyed looking at all of your photos, thank you for sharing! so much creativity in the world…it’s awesome.

    keep it coming!

  30. Oh yes I agree. I also look at the details rather than the large picture. Maybe its a photography evolution thing lol.
    I don’t have a macro lens…yet. But I’m dying to get one. I love the photo’s of small details. Funny thing we went food shopping today and on the way to the car I picked an orangeyred berry off a tree. Then I looked at it and thought..Nahh it won’t show up. So I tossed it. I bought raspberrys and blackberrys last week and hubby asked me "Why did you buy those…to take a picture of them"? LOL but he was right. I posted them on my flickr =)

    Now I will return with some photo’s hopefully. This is a great topic!

  31. Ok I dug around my pile of photos and came up with this one. I think it Might be a bit differant than all the others lol.

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/jodyangel/3048340117/

    But that was PreCanon days. Here are some of my fav things to eat =)
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/jodyangel/3049187784/
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/jodyangel/3048348427/
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/jodyangel/3044609122/
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/jodyangel/3030020753/
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/jodyangel/3030873404/

  37. Lovely pics ladies, I’m hungry now! Here’s my contribution – from the local market round the corner.

    http://flickr.com/photos/26239056@N05/2951035441/

    Years ago I used to work as an assistant food stylist in New York – I’ve forgotten how lovely it is to take pics of yummy things… Thanks for the reminder – time for me to start snapping again!

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