I love champagne. And macaroons? Forget it. I could eat those all day, every day. Cannoli’s? I’m in heaven. The beautiful hues of different colored macaroons, champagne in various modern glasses, and the perfect roundness of a cannoli made for the ideal setting at my home studio. This behind-the-scenes post from my Macaroons, cannolis, and champagne shoot gives you a little insight into what goes into making a food photoshoot happen.
I recently bought a new Sigma Art 24-70mm lens, and I couldn’t be happier with it. It’s one of the best lenses in my kit and results in the most stunning photos time after time.
The Sigma Art series is a game-changer for photographers because of its ability to create phenomenally sharp images, even when wide open. The innovative optical design is responsible for the clarity and crispness of the images produced by this lens, making it a must-have for any photographer looking to take their work to the next level.
This lens creates such beautiful bokeh, allowing me to focus on just one area of my food photos and blur everything else. This also creates extra depth in my images, which gives them a more dynamic quality. The great thing about this lens is its versatility—its focal range makes it easy to shoot wide shots and close-ups.
I found some champagne flutes from Crate & Barrell that had the most fun shape. They were perfect for the project. I used coconut macaroons and arranged them in a circle on the table. The color palette was inspired by classic Italian desserts and added so much dimension to the photo.
I also included cannoli’s in the shot because of their amazing texture and shape. When I was editing the photos, I brought down the exposure level to show off the texture of the desserts.
Coconut macaroons are one of my favorite treats because they’re both delicate and rich in flavor. They’ve got a lovely, soft texture, but their shape is sturdy enough to stand on its own, and it’s just begging for you to play with it. The first step to photographing them is finding the background that allows them to do that—that’s where the color comes in.
The other thing that makes coconut macaroons so fun to photograph is that they’re always just a little bit imperfect. There are always cracks in their tops, which allows you to show off their interior colors as well as their exterior ones. I like to use lighting that highlights those imperfections and plays up the contrast between their colors.
I think mixing hard light with soft and dramatic shadows adds a lot of depth, which is something that’s really important to me. I was particularly inspired by Rembrandt’s lighting and the harsh effects of a polaroid flash. But I wanted to take that concept and apply it to my own style. I think the effect is really clear in this Macaroons, cannolis, and champagne shot, especially since I’m using soft, rounded food as my subject.
Overall, I had a great time shooting these macaroons, cannolis, and champagne. The colors are rich and bold, the textures are fun and fresh, and the whole experience made me want to go to Italy.
Macaroons, cannoli’s, and champagne are great no matter what kind of shoot you’re doing. But if you want to make an image pop with fun colors and textures, this is your go-to combo for sure! Thanks for reading about this fun behind the scenes shoot. If you’d like to read more behind the scenes posts check out my other posts.
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