I’m in love with this soup. Insanely easy, endlessly customizable, and on the table in less than 45 minutes (maybe even 30 if you’re really fast!)

Find the recipe at Eating Well. I added a lot more beans and broccoli in relation to the cheese. The beans make it so creamy that you don’t need a lot of cheese.

I’m by no means a food photography expert (I always feel like my pictures are lacking), but I thought you might like to hear a few tips.

First, I place myself next to a window. Use natural light if you can!

Second, I started using a roll of brown kraft paper to provide a nice backdrop.

Third, I usually use automatic focus, but I like to switch to manual focus for shots like this so I can get it just right.

Fourth, don’t shoot too wide! I like really low aperture numbers like 2.2, but when you’re shooting food you want to go closer to 3.5-4.0.

Fifth, this was a very dull day. My first choice would be a cloudy sunny day, so the light is diffused but still nice and bright and soft.

An unedited version of the picture at the top of the post. All of the images in this post are straight-out-of-the-camera unless otherwise noted.

I felt like the above crop was a little tight. So I flipped my camera over and squatted down a little. I think the leave on this one are just behind the focal plane.

It felt a little low, so I squatted a little less.

I felt like it was looking a little boring, so I added in some props. Notice the light is coming in directly to my right, putting me at a 90 degree angle from my light source.

This one ended up being my favorite. I was closer to something like a 45 degree angle and I thought that bringing the subject down closer to the bottom right corner of the frame made it a little more interesting.

An edited version of the above picture. I now think it looks a little green, and so I’ll watch that in the future. It does make the soup and the garnish look extra vibrant though!

As I learn more about what works and what doesn’t with food photography I’ll try to keep sharing my tips with you. We can all dream of having beautiful photos like the Pioneer Woman, right?

 

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