29 Apr
Broccoli Soup
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?
Also:
I'm a farm-raised almost-crunchy stroller-pushing picture-taking lifestyle-blog-writing gastronomy-obsessed divine-seeking thrift-store-combing cheese-inhaling pavement-pounding laughter-sprinkling lover of individuality and taking chances.
I love taking photos of food, so I enjoyed this little instructional immensely. But soups and things always fog up my lens! (I just have a little Canon Elph, so I have to get close to my subject if I want a macro shot.)
1Thanks for posting the link to the soup! I follow the food blog and I am always curious where your recipes come from. I’m excited to try it!
2One of my favorite soups my mom made growing up was Broccoli soup. When I first got married I made it and my husband refused to eat it. I have since learned as adventurous of an eater he is, he still will shy away from most vegetables =( I now make it and freeze it portioned out and eat it when he is either not around or there are not enough leftovers for the both of us. I so wish he would realize how yummy this soup is
3I love when you share photography tips! They are so helpful. I try to shoot photos of the finished products in my living room where there’s lots of natural light. I have trouble in my kitchen where the lighting is fluorescent and not so pretty…can’t seem to get the right white balance there. Right now I’m working on a post about my latest cooking adventure. I think you’ll see what I mean.
On a different note, my husband loves broccoli soup. Just a few weeks ago we were talking about how we’ve never made it at home. We’ll have to try this recipe!
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