This post was so much fun to write!
I wanted to give you a behind-the-scenes look at some of the most famous photos you might recognize from my website before they’d been cropped for the blog. Hope you enjoy reading this post as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Peanut Butter Buckeye Brownies
I’m embarrassed to tell you the purple you see in the picture above is actually Method cleaning spray. Photoshoots can make a mess, so I like to clean everything before ants discover the chocolate feast. In this case, I think the purple is kind of pretty… but obviously not very appetizing!
A few years ago, this was one of THE most popular photos circulating around pinterest. It looks quite different from the cropped version, don’t you think?
So much going on with this photo… I don’t even know where to look first. As I’ve become more skilled in photography, I’ve learned to take up the whole frame with my shot; therefore the more recent “behind the scenes” photos usually need much less cropping than in the distracting picture above. (Buying a macro lens also helped.)
Flourless Chocolate Lace Cookies
They look so tiny in comparison to the cropped version!
Mocha Chocolate Oatmeal “No Bake” Cookies
Could I possibly get any further away??
Shiny background courtesy of tin foil. I used the tin foil trick in many of my older photos when I wanted to add a little shine. Finally, I invested in a giant reflector, meaning no more funny tin foil outtakes.
Once again with the tin foil. A self-taught photographer, I admit to having developed quite a few unconventional tricks over the years. Hey, but they work! (The frozen yogurt also happens to be sitting on a flattened Whole Foods grocery bag, giving new meaning to the idea of recycling grocery bags.)
Do you recognize this picture? It’s simply an uncropped photo of the famous cookie dough dip.
When I lived in Texas, beautiful light often shone through the living room window, so it’s where I set up many of my photoshoots (as seen in the above photo and in the five below). Sadly, my apartment in DC is not nearly as well-lit.
Healthy Starbucks Frappuccinos
For any given photoshoot, I’ll take anywhere from 20-100 pictures from many different angles. I like options.
Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Cookies
Using glasses—as in the picture above—or any shiny surface to reflect light is another trick I use often.
Homemade Pumpkin Peanut Butter Cups
A more perfect example of why I needed a macro lens could not exist.
German Chocolate Cake In A Mug
The reflection from the glass table was later cropped out.
Using a placemat and a paper napkin from Party City as a backdrop. I’ve also been known to use scarves, pot holders, tee shirts, cardstock, fabric scraps purchased from Jo-Ann for about a dollar each, or even my jacket—whatever happens to be lying around during the photoshoot.
For more funny behind-the-scenes pictures:
Thanks for sharing. It is great to see how other bloggers set up their shots. I liked the reflection of the cake in the glass table. 🙂
I love this photo montage! It’s so cool to see all the recipes in one place. You put so much effort into it all, but it’s a total labor of love and all the lucky readers get to benefit! <3
Jill
wow, that’s a lot of photos! your photos always look great, and i rarely think about all the time and effort that must go into them. you kill it…and everything you make looks delicioussss.
Thanks for sharing with us. I think it makes your desserts seem a lot more real and helps me not feel as bad when the outcome of my baking doesnt look exactly like the photos in your recipe 🙂
http://www.southernfolly.com
This is amazing! I can totally relate to using scarves, Party City napkins, and deconstructed brown paper bags in the past…I guess we all do and it’s not as weird as we think!!
Ha ha. I’ve done some of the same things to get my photos to look a certain way. Cool to see I’m not the only one. I love how you are so open with your readers.
Haha, I couldn’t agree more with the post! My friends always think I’m crazy for what I do (and don’t allow them to do i.e. eat) while I’m taking pictures for the blog
Lol, this was great!
I actually love this post. For a new food blogger like me, I picked up on a few tips and tricks that you’ve used. I’m certainly going to input that foil trick in my next shoot! I never seem to get enough light in my house.. grrr. What is a macro lens? Sound like a good investment, what benefits did you get from having one?
Google Canon macro 100mm lens and it will explain. It gets close-ups.
Your uncropped pictures still look a hecka lot better than my edited ones! Lol 🙂