Down By the Lake

For the photo series 'Take Tuesday' this week's theme is Water. I decided to go the nautical route so took a walk down to the waterfront. Did you know Toronto is on the edge of a big lake, Lake Ontario, and if you were so inclined you could sail from the city all the way to the Atlantic Ocean?

Wondering how that paragraph would sound in Pirate Speak? I thought so ...

For t' photo series 'Take Tuesday', co-hosted by Shakti and Nicole, this week's theme be Water. I decided t' go t' nautical route so took a walk down t' t' waterfore. Did you know Toronto be on t' edge o' a big lake, Lake Ontario, and if you were so inclined you could sail from t' city all t' way t' t' Atlantic Ocean?

You can talk like a pirate too. Go here for a handy translator.

All Night Art Show : Nuit Blanche 2012

c="http://www.loulou.to/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/university-avenue-at-night.jpg" alt="" title="university-avenue-at-night" width="640" height="480" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-11663">I, like many Toronto dwellers, spent a large part of today in bed. That's because we were up much of last night, exploring the fantastic art experience that was Nuit Blanche 2012.Started in Paris in 2002, this all-night contemporary art show began being held in Toronto in 2006, making it the first North American city to participate in this event. These days it is held in 25 cities around the world, with a goal to bring art to the masses in public spaces, all for free.Our event featured 159 exhibits, located all around the downtown area of the city. Way too many things for anyone to see in the 12 hours, (from 7pm on Saturday to 7am on Sunday), that it runs, but I did my best to see as many things as I could.In previous years, Nick and I have gone out around midnight but found that the streets were very crowded and it was hard to have a good look at the more popular exhibits. So this year we decided to have a nap and then get up and go out in the middle of the night. Well, only one of us ended up actually getting up and going out at 4am in the morning, and since I am the one writing this, you can guess which of us that was! Of course, Nick made sure I was certain that I was ok about going out on my own before he decided to stay home, and I pulled on a warm sweater and out into the night I went.And I am so glad that I did, because it was really good and so neat to be out on the streets at that time of night. I walked over to the Zone that was closest to our place and found it easy to see a lot of stuff because streets were closed to cars so you could cross anywhere and because the whole thing was very well organized. Also the large crowds of people had thrown in the towel by this time. That is not to say that there weren't enough people out to make it fun (and safe), because there were. I managed to cover most of two Zones, ending up at the square in front of our city hall, just in time to see one last exhibit before the sun came up and the whole thing was over.(These first two pieces were made out of icing!)

Eddie the Shadow Caster

The boycat has really taken a shining to the old utility lamp we clipped up in our office after one of our lamps broke. He actually follows the beam around when we readjust it. We were thinking maybe he's going for the heat, but it's not really very cool here yet.

That thought brings to mind something I read recently about a cat-person buying a heating pad specifically for their pet during the winter. This just might be the winter of the incredibly pampered cat in our home. Whenever we do something to spoil him we tell ourselves that he is getting old. Which he is. Not sure how old because we found him but we have had him for at least 10 years. Banish the thought.

Food Friday : Photographing Food

Long before I ever had a camera of my own, or permission to use my dad's, I remember checking a book out of the library that was odd for a kid. It was all about the art of photographing food, and I poured over those pictures and read it cover to cover. This was before blogging existed and was geared towards people who wanted to be professionals, photographing images for cookbooks and advertizing, and dealt with studio lighting situations.

One specific thing I recall reading is that food stylists would use scoops of lard instead of ice-cream in dessert shots, because ice-cream would melt in no time flat under the hot lamps. I also remember a tip about reflected light and how too much gloss could come out looking greasy.

Anyway, fast forward to a time when I actually have a reason to be taking pictures of food. Over the past year I have been publishing a food related post here every week so have photographed a lot of food, and will admit that in that category there have been far more out-takes than in any other photographic situation. Because simply put, the food must look appetizing in order to be effective in a food post. And that is not always easy to achieve.

I have learned that when photographing food for recipes, an artistic approach is not always the best because people want to see how you made the recipe and what the food will look like on their dining tables, and not in some funky creative lighting situation! I have also learned that with food, micro close-up photography is not the best approach. Some foods just don't look very good really close-up.

We don't eat much meat, but did have a bbq last summer with meat-eaters as guests, and I recall that I couldn't use any of the pictures of the meal because cooked steak, especially medium rare, has no business being photographed and posted on a blog! Sure we've all seen some delicious looking pictures of cooked steak, but I dare say that they were probably taken by pros.

Oh yeah, I just remembered another point from that book ... professional shots of meat often involved making grill marks with burnt wooden skewers and a quick zap with a welding torch!

Another thing about photographing food for a blog entry is that the food is prepared to actually be eaten. Usually the pictures have to be taken very quickly so the meal can hit the table while it's still hot. And by the time you review the images after you're finished eating, there is no chance to re-shoot as the subject is all gone! I admit to going back and revising some older posts with better pictures taken at another time, when we made the same dish again. I also have a list in my mind of posts I want to rephotograph but haven't gotten around to yet. (ummm, delicious banana bread that looks like it was shot in a 1970s tavern might be on that list!)

By posting these pictures along with this particular discussion, I am in no way implying that they are perfect examples of food photography. Rather, these photos are a collection of food related images that I have taken over the summer, that may not have been appropriate to illustrate a recipe, but that I liked. In them the food is more of a prop, used to try to make a pretty picture.

Out and About : Shopping in Chinatown