Hey All, first I want to say sorry for disappearing for a while. I've been in a photography slump (mainly because we've been working a lot and I haven't had time : ) and I'm not so good at talking without pictures. I'm sorry, but it's the kind of gal I am. Kind of like one of those people who can't talk without their hands. I do that too. Must be the Italian in me. Oh wait, I'm not Italian ... hmm ...

Okay, back to the point. I was taking pictures of an orange this morning that I used in a delicious smoothie (and if you hang in there, I promise a bonus entry of the smoothie :) The reason I was taking a picture of the orange is that I am using food pictures to decorate my kitchen. How fun, right?

Back to the orange and creative photography. When I say creative photography I don't mean creative angles or all the awesome things you get when you google "creative photography", but more out-of-the-box-solvant-thinking.

How to get the shot you want without compromising what you want.

Sadly, this is not always possible. BUT in most cases it is. All you have to do is think outside the box a little.

My problem: I wanted a full view of the sliced, juicy orange and a blurred background (in this case my table). But even at a 1.8 f-stop, this was the best I could get with the orange sitting on the table:

Stats: 50mm 1/500 at f/1.8, ISO 200

I mean, comm'on - that just looks like an orange sitting on a table. Which is what it is, but the point of creative photography is that you can create an illusion. I wanted the table blurry. So what was the next option? Well, I tried angling the orange, like this:

Stats: 50mm 1/500 at f/1.8, ISO 200

While this shot is better, and I do like it, I still wanted a full view of the slice. I was still compromising what I wanted if I stopped there.

(If you look closely you can see a small leaf that I used to prop the orange at that angle - a small example of getting what you want)

So what was the solution? Well, basically I need to bring the orange closer to me so that the table would blur out at a distance. The distance didn't need to be much, things will blur quickly at 1.8 f, but how could I do that without holding it in my hand?

Any ideas? What would you do?

I'll tell you what I did: I grabbed a glass.

And I got what I wanted. I didn't compromise.

With a little bit of thought and effort, your photography doesn't have to compromise either.

Have a wonderful day!

xoxo Emily
 

P.S. The Smoothie:

Super Citrus Smoothie
adapted from Sunset Magazine

Here’s what you’ll need for one big smoothie:
A juicer
A blender
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
the juice of 1/2 a grapefruit
1/2 cup fresh orange or tangerine juice
2 tablespoons honey heaping
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1 frozen banana (they blend better when frozen)
1/2 cup ice cubes

In a blender, combine juices, yogurt, and honey. Blend for a few seconds. Add the ice cubes and blend until smooth. This recipe makes one giant smoothie. Yumtown.

My version: Only add 2 tbsp of Greek yogurt and substitute the rest with orange or peach yogurt (or a mix!). And I just leave the ice out - the frozen banana is enough, besides I like it more potent : ) Enjoy!