Several Servings

It's time to feature another of My Lovely Assistant's recent cookie creations here on the old blog.  This tasty creation was initially supposed to be one huge cookie, but she decided to break it up into several individual sized portions instead.  Probably a good idea since in its originally planned size, it would have never fit into this jar.  The jar is kind of a key element for me since I always struggle with finding a way to present the things she cooks.  As soon as I saw the jar, I was reminded of a photograph that I took of some candies coming out of a jar that was placed on its side.  It worked for the candy, so I was pretty sure that it would work for the cookies as well.  The idea for the first photograph, taken at f/4, 1/250sec, ISO 100 at 32mm, was stolen from something that I saw on the internet, but I added my own little touch by placing one of the cookies outside of the jar, leaning against it.  The second photograph, seen below and taken at f/5.6, 1/250sec, ISO 100 at 24mm, was the repeat of my candy photograph from a few years back.  Both photographs were taken by bouncing some flash off of the ceiling to get better lighting.  As for the cookie itself, it's a buckwheat and molasses mix, with sunflower seeds, coconut shavings, raisins, walnut pieces and chocolate chips all mixed together.  Tasty and good for me.

Tasty Boost Of Energy

My Lovely Assistant, as it has well been noted on these pages, enjoys creating in the kitchen.  She recently came home with a new cookbook full of cookie ideas.  When My Lovely Assistant gets to work in the kitchen, it often inspires me to grab my gear and try to get a little creative as well.  Food Photography has always been a subject that mystifies me, though I think that over the past few years I have gotten better at it.  Thankfully, My Lovely Assistant is a whiz in the kitchen, which means that there is often a selection of tasty treats around that I can practice shooting.  It also means lots of snacks as well.  These cookies, called Énergie de fer, were a mix of peanut butter and molasses, with some apple sauce, date puree and some nuts and seeds tossed into the mix.  To make the photograph, I piled a bunch of them together, got out my white background, put the cookies on a little pan holder which was made by my mother and shot everything using a new flash that was given to me by my brother.  As you can see, I kept the whole production in the family.  The photograph was shot at f/8, 1/160sec, ISO 100 at 30mm.  There were a few more of these that were created, so expect to see them up here as well as I continue to collect photographs for her first cookbook.

Snow Coated

Some people can be attracted to stranger things.  For instance, as I have mentioned here in the past, I've always liked seeing things covered with a little coat of snow.  Trees and benches are my favourites, and this past week we had a little dusting of some of the white stuff.  Just enough to give this bench a little cover-up, but so thick that the separations on the back of the bench created some nice snow ripples.  It's maybe not everyone's idea of an interesting photograph, but since this is my blog, I get to put up the things that interest my eyes.  The photograph was taken at f/10, 1/125sec, ISO 100 at 45mm.  Spring snow tends to work the best for these kinds of photographs as it is a little more wet and more apt to sticking to surfaces.  There's nothing like a fresh coat of snow to make things look nice and fresh.

Another Blast Of Winter

We're into the month of March so it can be said that we've rounded the final corner of Winter and Spring will soon be upon us.  However, as I have learned over the years, there is always one last storm before the seasons officially change.  With that in mind, here's another photographic blast of Arctic air.  Taken back in January, the ice fog completely covered the St. Lawrence River.  I stood in the snow for a few minutes waiting for a break in the fog so that I could see the structure of the Victoria Bridge.  My timing worked out as the winds picked up a little bit, and let the bridge peak out from behind the fog.  As an added bonus, the clouds cleared out a little bit as well, giving me a nice blue sky.  The photograph was taken at f/16, 1/1250sec, ISO 100 at 70mm as the temperature outside got even colder with the wind that cleared out the fog and made this photograph possible.

Different Points Of View

From time to time, I like to put up two similar photographs and showing some little differences.  The photographs you see below are the latest example.  I took them during one of the winter Fire On Ice fireworks shows that happen down at the Old Port of Montreal.  You can see some of the other photographs that I took of that set by following this link.  Since I was shooting the fireworks from across the river and I wanted to make sure to get as much of the fireworks and the downtown buildings into the shot as possible, I was using a wide angle lens, knowing that some cropping would have to be done later.  This year, there was a new element in the landscape as a large Ferris Wheel was added to the Old Port.  While cropping, I wanted to keep the image tight, but I also wanted to get the wheel into my final image as well.  If I want to look with a more objective eye, I think that the first photograph is probably the better final image because everything looks nice and tight, compared to the large open space in the top right hand side of the second photograph.  However, there's also a part of me that prefers the second photograph because more of the wheel and city can be seen.  The photograph was taken at f/16, 13sec, ISO 100 at 32mm and cropped to 24" x 36", though to include more of the city in the second.  I still like both of them which makes it a good thing that this is my blog since I get to put both up.  Feel free to decide among yourselves.

Change Of Weather

I actually wasn't planning on posting this photograph today.  I had planned on putting up one of the photographs that I had taken while on my frozen January walk.  But, it was such a nice day outside, by some of your standards, that I felt you all might not appreciate getting plunged right back into the freezer.  Since they say that the customer is always right, I decided to bring out a warmer photograph of my own.  This one, taken at f/7.1, 1/100sec, ISO 100 at 24mm, was captured while My Lovely Assistant and I had been on vacation in Tadoussac.  It was early September, but it had been a warm end of Summer so there was still much greenery to be scene.  I took the photograph while we were taking a little hike on one of the many nature trails.  One of those times when she tried to kill me with long walks and high climbs, but that also sometimes lead to nice photographs like this one.  The kind that make surviving those outings worth while.  So, enjoy the warmer weather that is upon us while I begin to check and make sure that the air conditioning will be ready for the coming months.

Red Feathered Friend

Sometimes I have good luck talking to my little furry or feathered friends.  I'll tell them that I'm just trying to take their photograph and mean no harm, all the while hoping that no other two legged members of my species are watching and wondering just what I'm doing.  Often times it works, and my wild subject will stay still and allow me to get a nice shot.  Such wasn't the case with this little guy.  I originally found him sitting in the show as you see here.  The photograph was taken at f/9, 1/320sec, ISO 100 at 70mm.  I tried to follow him around for a better shot, but every time I got close, he'd fly off.  Not very far, staying close enough to tease me into thinking I still had a chance to get a photograph.  I'd get close and then he'd jump off and fly away again.  At least all of the moving kept me warm.