NikonGear'23
Images => Critique => Topic started by: Frank Fremerey on December 06, 2015, 10:39:17
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I did some marinated wild boar, a pumpkin soup (Hokkaido) with sweet potatoes, celery and carrots and a fast pesto of ruccola, parmigiano, cashew, fresh garlic and Olive Oil. All very tasty. I also did some preperations for the freezer.
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The pesto looks delicious! Its serving dish looks nice, too, with its Japanese traditional Seigaiha-design pattern. Is "Hokkaido" the name of this pumpkin? It is the name of the northern island of Japanese archipelago where I was born...
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I know the Geography. Yes, in Germany this Punpkin is named after your Nothern part. We like this pumpkin especially because it is very fine and you can use it as a whole
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Frank, strangely the pumpkin named "Hokkaido" is not something commonly seen here in Japan. Neither I or my mother has seen one. ::)
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Just googled. The "Hokkaido" pumpkin came actually from Hokkaido. In the early 90s, a Japanese living in Munich imported the seeds from Hokkaido and planted them with help of an organic farming site there.
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Very nice food pictures, it looks very delicious!
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Just googled. The "Hokkaido" pumpkin came actually from Hokkaido. In the early 90s, a Japanese living in Munich imported the seeds from Hokkaido and planted them with help of an organic farming site there.
Yes, they are very commonly seen in organic markets and as organic food in super markets. They are very tasty, even if you cook then only with a little water, salt, pepper and ginger
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Very nice food pictures, it looks very delicious!
Thank you Jørgen. Yes, the boar was very aromatic and tender. Not often can I purchase such a nice piece of meat. It does not taste of swine at all, more like a perfect Roastbeef.
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between wiping off excessive salivation and changing bibs, Mongo managed to tell you he loves pesto of all origins and that you have some great food images. Any image that makes you virtually taste the food or crave it - is a darn good image !…..and you have managed a few.
It would be nice if you could manage long distance takeaway.
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Thank you Mongo!
Here are some you might have missed because you came late to Bjørns party: http://nikongear.net/revival/index.php?topic=1238.0
I went to a Biofarm a while ago to buy of their 66 kinds of Tomatoes: http://nikongear.net/revival/index.php?topic=1027.0
And of course you might know my website: http://fotokontext.de/produktfotos_lebensmittel_spanische_tapas.html
Cheers, keep salvating and teach me how to sell more food photos!
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Nice Frank. I fear that Mongo and I will be fighting for bites of your meal. FYI- with the addition of a new wine fridge, I have effectively doubled my wine capacity. Next time you're in California you need to explore my collection.
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Add my name to Gary and Mongo's fight as well :) .. The boar looks yummy, so as rest of the dishes. We don't see food photography often in NG. Very refreshing and of-course technically noteworthy.
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Frank, you have a huge following it seems :)
I'd love to try your cooking too!
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Thank you. Yes, we might meet at Photokina and have a bite and a glass in Bonn. We might dine at a friends place who has more space. I just ask for a little financial support, because these ingredients are really expensive ... and the wine too ...
PS: If time allows we can go buy ingredients together and cook and take photos too...
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Nice Frank. I fear that Mongo and I will be fighting for bites of your meal. FYI- with the addition of a new wine fridge, I have effectively doubled my wine capacity. Next time you're in California you need to explore my collection.
California is on the schedule. Makes a lot of sense to meet in preson!
Cheers
Frank
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Thank you Mongo!
Here are some you might have missed because you came late to Bjørns party: http://nikongear.net/revival/index.php?topic=1238.0
I went to a Biofarm a while ago to buy of their 66 kinds of Tomatoes: http://nikongear.net/revival/index.php?topic=1027.0
And of course you might know my website: http://fotokontext.de/produktfotos_lebensmittel_spanische_tapas.html
Cheers, keep salvating and teach me how to seel more food photos!
big thanks for the additional courses Frank.
you have a unique way of delighting us and torturing us at the same time ! It seems there is a frenzy of cooking at your place - great environment.
the image of the skewer was good but the image of the marinated skewer is so much better. Again, it gives it that sumptuous look which kills the viewer with the taste anticipation.
BTW - You have some varieties of tomato that Mongo has never seen - let alone tasted.
thanks for the culinary tour !
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@Mongo: you got some great organic farms and Permaculture farms down under. So you should be able to taste some Biodiversity first hand (or first taste bud?) if you look around a bit. Permaculture was invented in Australia! There are also a lot of CSA-Farms = Farms that live by "Customers" "Subscribing" to their Product near the big cities.
Permaculture is all about Biodiversity in Agricuture, building deep soils, finding companion plants and animals that protect each other to save on Agro-Chemistry and create nutricious food.
I love food photography, but I am not good on the business side (yet), so I fight to stay alive, although I got great product.
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Frank
I got a watery mouth fro looking at your pictures and reading the comments
Very nicely done!
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Thank you all. I really want to have more well paying customers
in that field. A very joyful occupation shooting food.
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Thank you all. I really want to have more well paying customers
in that field. A very joyful occupation shooting food.
The LA Times had a staff of studio photographers and an in-house studio for portraits and food. They always ate the food they shot. The 'Food' photogs were all fat and happy.
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yea, well fed, but never fed up .. *ggg*
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Today I made filled peppers. Very tasty, medium expensive. lots of work.
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continued #1:
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continued #2 --> 35mm f=1.4@1.4
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continued #1:
I'd eat those Peppers Frank
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Colin. They were very tasty. It is a good idea to put fresh peppermint into the meat/rice/onion filling.
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Oh...looks very yummy!
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Too bad computers don't transmit odors...(at least at the moment !)
Anyway, images only make me hungry... :)
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Today I underestimated the time it takes to prepare meat wraps.
Will now go to computer to develop the pictures
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Yummy.... I have never tasted wild board -yet- The pesto looks ummmmmm...
Look at your last post, you almost said: makes sense to meet in prison! :) :) :)
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Filled peppers...ummmm again. Specially like, as a picture, the #9 in the series with the two colorful peppers in the foreground.
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So meat wraps: fine cut beef plus bacon plus pepper, salt and mustard as the hull, then green onions, Cornicons and Zuccini cuts for a filling
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Today It was a bright day, sunny outside, so I did not do any light setup, just my D600 with the 1.4/35 AiS as documentary tools.
As this is in the "Critique" part of the forum plese be detailed on what you like and what you do not like and why and and what I could possibly change to make it better.
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Love the 1.4/35 AiS!!!!
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I like the pictures.
Some are not, however, at their sharpest level, due the lack of DOF, or perhaps motion blur if you hand held your camera. I understand it's not easy to use all this gear while you are cooking ! ;)
That said, I am not sure I would produce something as such as nice job, and I just tried to comment it as you required some piece of critique.
By the way, I am wondering what is the liquid you are using in the pan with the meat wrapping : Guinness, vegetable stock or white wine, or German beer ?
Brussels sprouts are very appetizing :P
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Some are not, however, at their sharpest level, due the lack of DOF, or perhaps motion blur if you hand held your camera. I understand it's not easy to use all this gear while you are cooking ! ;)
By the way, I am wondering what is the liquid you are using in the pan with the meat wrapping : Guinness, vegetable stock or white wine, or German beer ?
First question:
There are many different levels at which I shoot food.
(Some people say I do eat nothing without having taken a photo of it first but that is not true.)
Professionally I use my Sinar Monorail with two different 120mm Apochromatic lenses
If I want to shoot fast I just take one of my cameras and a lens
If I have some more time, I do a light setup and tripod, Mirror up and live View focussing
Sometimes I even use my phone
The series of 13 Feb 16 suffers from the fact that I used the JPEGs. I did not take the time to do a proper RAW development which would certainly add much.
The series of 16 Feb 16 is taken with the MF 1.4/35mm without a tripod and often at wide apertures. Sometimes it seems difficult to decide how much bokeh a shot can bare to be nice & tasty
More hints appreciated.
Second Question:
The Meat Wraps are cooked for 60 to 90 Minutes in Red Wine, beef found, green Onions and fresh herbs. After the cooking I put the fluid through a sieve, sort out all hard parts and ground it with a magic hand mixer. That is what you see on the picture of the finished product. Very intense flavour space.
The Brusselsprouts are cooked with Salt, Sugar, Pepper and Anis
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Thanks for these detailed pieces of information.
Do you use a digital sensor with your Sinar ? I mean a 4x5'' one or do you just adapt a 35mm camera
Sometimes it seems difficult to decide how much bokeh a shot can bare to be nice & tasty
That's very true.
I think the 35mm works very well for this purpose. So I have decided to use my Zeiss 35mm f/2 FZ2 for the next culinary shots. :)
I will probably preheat the lens to avoid any annoying condensation when shooting inside a pan... ::)
About the second question, I noticed the red wine bottle waiting and the jug of stock but I wasn't sure as the frothy sauce is rather pale. (I know that any blended sauce gets paler though).
Cheers, Francis.
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Currently I use the D600 as digiback but I like to replace it with
a Sony because I win 37.5mm - 16mm flange distance.
I tether the camera. Light is most important. I use lots of
98% RAL converter bulbs, equivalent of 16.500 Watts of
classical incadescent bulbs. Plus a calibrated RAW converter
like Photo Ninja with Color Checker.
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The wine, the herbs and the onions are cooked with the beefy
fluid for 90 minutes. The blending process makes green onions
look like white foam. That explains the color.
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I recommend the 4.0/200mm Micro Nikkor for the purpose too.
See the above linked Gaspacho thread.
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Concerning detail rendering I will post some 100% crops later. Sometimes downsizing or display issues of the forum software change the impression. It help to right click .... show image ... sometimes
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Frank, i have made some images of food taken with the Zeiss 35mm f/2.
I don't know where to post them, as this thread is your Critique thread ?
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Post them to a new thread. Like.
Francis Foodies ....
Whatever.
post them to Critique if you want words as answers
post them to Recent Work if you want mostly pictures as answers
Cheers
Frank
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Hi Frank, I'm only viewing this on a tablet so won't comment on the photography.
But I'm fascinated by the food and, as I scrolled through the sequence, began to get quite hungry!
So I'm curious on a couple of matters, which are (literally) a matter of personal taste:
- In some of the later images, it looks like the lower parts of the "joint" have been kept moist by the cooking liquid, but the upper parts seem darker, maybe starting to lose their moistness. Was that the case and what was the texture & taste like?
- I like Brussels sprouts much more now than when I was younger. These look like they would be quite soft - is that how you prefer them?
I usually either cook them by steaming, or by stir-frying them. This obviously does not get them so tender, and with the latter you have a fully cooked exterior (often caramelised) whilst the centre of some is still slightly al-dente.
Bit above all, I would have loved to had a chance to sample the finished results. Especially seeing the care & attention that went into the preparation. This photographic record would really help any chef wanting to try out this dish.
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Thank you Colin for your kind words, esp. as I see how wonderful you prepare and light your food shots.
I was not aware that I have developed my own style after 11 years into the food shooting business.
I see a lot of so called food shots where food looks like ... whatever but not tasty and edible, more like lego or modeling clay, also the colors are all off due to improper lighting etc.
That is why I deviated from with principles like: what you see is edible and will be eaten, the colors shall loook like colors in daylight, very balanced or in a warm tone that does fit the mood.
To come to the Brussel sprouts: I cooked them cross cut in a juis of fresh tomatoes and ginger with a bit of curry, salt, sugar for many yeras, because I did not like the style of my grandparents where they are coocked to death and served in a hot cream sauce. Today, I peel the outer skin and cut them in half because they absorb the sauce better. My juis is simplified currently: I take Anis, Sugar, Salt, pepper and red onions sometims.
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Frank are you cooking electrically? Thats a gourmet no-no,
you need real fire 8)
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Frank are you cooking electrically? Thats a gourmet no-no,
you need real fire 8)
In my old flat I had flames, but I am not a Gourmet anyway. At best I cook soul food that makes my wife and children and friends happy.
That is all.
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At best I cook soul food that makes my wife and children and friends happy.
I agree. Food for both the body and soul is a real treat nowadays.
And if it brings your friends & family genuine enjoyment, what's not to like?!
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To come to the Brussel sprouts: I cooked them cross cut in a juis of fresh tomatoes and ginger with a bit of curry, salt, sugar for many yeras, because I did not like the style of my grandparents where they are cooked to death.... My juis is simplified currently: I take Anis, Sugar, Salt, pepper and red onions sometims.
Wow, now I *really* want to taste this dish Frank!
And as for how your grandparents liked to cook them, yes I think that's how that generation wee taught.
The Meat Wraps are cooked for 60 to 90 Minutes in Red Wine...... Very intense flavour space.
Ok, I'm no longer concerned whether the meat had dried out...I think it will be tender. Right now the ingredients you've used just make me want to taste this!
I think this also shows that, no matter how good a photo is, it can only tell part of the story.
So what have you got lined up to cook for us this weekend?
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Hi Colin, sorry for the late answer.
The meat in this dish is always a bit dried out, yes. That is why it is served with a lot of very tasty sauce and juicy sprouts or other veggies.
I cook nearly every day, but I very rarely have time to shoot, esp more than just some snapshots.
When I cook I need 100% of the time to cook.
When I shoot/cook I might need 150% of the time, including lighting etc. Today I prepare Goulash, Hungarian style.
There are only some snaps for documentation, no "food photography".
I should probably get a PC-Nikkor to make these spontaeous snaps better, very probably the current PC 45mm
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Today I had some calf chops with rice and veggies...
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Today I filles some veggies with their original content and miced meat ....
1) get rid of the original content
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2) reduce original content and meat together with salt, parseley & pepper
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3) fill
4) et voliá
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Delicious, Frank!
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Thank you my dear!
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Makes me feeling hungry. 😋
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Yes me too - all of Frank's food shots seem to have that effect on me.
Tell me Frank, is cooking a dark room replacement for you, or has it always been an interest of yours? ;D ;D
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I always loved to cook and cooking is THE method for me to obtain tasty and allergen-free food.
When I was 19 There were two futures I saw for me: professional dancer or professional cook.
The I had to learn that my biological clock is not tuned to either job description. I can easily get up at 4 in the morning and work till noon, the rest (siesta) and throw in some hours in the afternoon.
Work at evenings nights does not fit me. This is my worst time. I can sit and drink and talk and laugh. That is it. Nice but not good for a dancer or cook.
So I decided to become science writer and photographer plus I started - through a turn of fate - to manage real estate property, which I am very good at it seems.
A row of assignements starting in 2005 brought me to shooting food professionally. I do not like most of the "haute couture" food shots, so I developed a natural look, working with real edible food, aiming at saliva production of potential customers, which works well.
http://fotokontext.de/fotokontext_aktuell_emailversion.pdf
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Great pics in that link Frank
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Delicious food and great photography, Frank!
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Thank you. Hope to shoot more in my kitchen. And I want to find a way to get better colors in my setup from the D500
I am also lusting for an 85PC as a shorter alternative to the 200 Micro Ai-S.
All pictures are taken with the 200 on my D600 workhorse.
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I very much like your food pictures in this thread. Make me really hungry!
Have you tried to color calibrate the D500 with the XRITE color checker passport?
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Of course. First thing I did. Yet the trouble is not in the colors it is in the grain ... the roughness ... the structure.
no problem with NX-D.
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My experience is too that the Adobe RAW converter isn't giving the best possible results neither with Nikon nor with Fuji files.
I've had good results from Iridient (Mac only) and Photo Ninja (not optimal for retina displays).
Iridient may come out with a Windows implementation soon though.
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You are making me hungry, Frank! :D
What time is dinner again?? lol
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Andrew. You are always welcome to my house.
Just drop me a line and I will care for you and your family.
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And if it is only a simple egg for breakfast like it was today for me....
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I love German Roggenbrot!
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Me too. Esp warm from the frying pan in very good olive oil with fresh herbs sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
Try to discuss that with a Frenchman. No chance.
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on 6 July the food was much more elaborated, but the photo was not...
roasted potatoes
roasted chicken
mixed veggies (yellow peppers and red tomatoes)
Good nicght
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Me too. Esp warm from the frying pan in very good olive oil with fresh herbs sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
Try to discuss that with a Frenchman. No chance.
I love the Roggenbrot as it is, uncooked. I would rather stay away from this particular discussion. :)
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I love the Roggenbrot as it is, uncooked. I would rather stay away from this particular discussion. :)
Toasted is also good.
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Toasted is also good.
I realize that the sour flavor is gone when it is toasted, right?
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It can be sour at times. It can be sweet or it can be neutral.
this depends on the preparation.
Sauerteigbrot can be mildly sour or it can be very sour
Slow cooking bread that lives in the oven for up to 48 hours can be very sweet like Pumpernickel
Special ferments are available that fulfil all the functions of Sauerteig but do work in a more basic environment
I toast is to make it drier. It can be very wet at times and holds humidity for a long time.
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marinated pumpkin from the stove. The marinade ist sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, etheric oils of thyme and sage plus fresh rosemary leaves and garlic cloves ... all dissolved in olive oil
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'This is my first Octopus preparation', I thought. Opening the package I saw this were two smaller Octopussy.
And they looked me in the eye. Strange feeling. Had to get my camera to show my ambivalence.
In the end I produced a very tasty yellow Curry from them. Enjoy the pictures!
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'This is my first Octopus preparation', I thought. Opening the package I saw this were two smaller Octopussy.
And they looked me in the eye. Strange feeling. Had to get my camera to show my ambivalence.
In the end I produced a very tasty yellow curry from them. Enjoy the pictures!
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'This is my first Octopus preparation', I thought. Opening the package I saw this were two smaller Octopussy.
And they looked me in the eye. Strange feeling. Had to get my camera to show my ambivalence.
In the end I produced a very tasty yellow Curry from them. Enjoy the pictures!
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And next....
Frank re-enacts the making of Alien !
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And next....
Frank re-enacts the making of Alien !
If you have mixed feelings viewing this it is intended, I had mixed feelings and tried to express this ambiguity...
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It’s fascinating and ingenious Frank.
Also, I’ve had some curried seafood but never octopus :)
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Frank, If I ever decide to prepare octopus, now I know what to expect.
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Frank, If I ever decide to prepare octopus, now I know what to expect.
I guess I will not eat octopus anymore. Brains and hearts and arms and eyes ... Alien with humanoid features, .....
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I have eaten octopus, part of a birthday treat many years ago, I do remember I didn't enjoy it.
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Maitre de cuisine, next project an illustrated cookbook, Frank.
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Definitely, hell is the place where the Germans are the cooks 😂
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Definitely, hell is the place where the Germans are the cooks 😂
ask Francis (rosko) about hell, he is a professional French Chef...
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Did you beat them up (the octopuses)? In my own experience, if you don't beat them (once dead of course), they are too rubber like in consistence when fried or even boiled (as in a curry) ! We have a lot of dishes with them in south of France, but the best would be the squid salad 8)
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I have just re-read this thread from the beginning and have thoroughly enjoyed your beautiful, atmospheric and almost aromatic photographs.
They are far richer in colour, texture and the arrangement of the different ingredients than most of the food photography which we see.
Your description of the ingredients and the preparation of the various dishes is also fascinating.
I have eaten Octopus and much enjoyed it but I too would have found it hard to cook those creatures once they had looked me in the eye like yours did!
But, at that stage, what else could you do but proceed with the cooking — but only after you had taken their portraits?!!
:)
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Kalamari is a big dish in the Greek cuisine. Popular here in Melbourne with our Greek community; also salted squid.
Jaques comment about the need to beat the flesh is most accurate - as is the rubbery nature of the flesh if you don't beat/tenderise the flesh before marianating and cooking.
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I have just re-read this thread from the beginning and have thoroughly enjoyed your beautiful, atmospheric and almost aromatic photographs.
They are far richer in colour, texture and the arrangement of the different ingredients than most of the food photography which we see.
Your description of the ingredients and the preparation of the various dishes is also fascinating.
I have eaten Octopus and much enjoyed it but I too would have found it hard to cook those creatures once they had looked me in the eye like yours did!
But, at that stage, what else could you do but proceed with the cooking — but only after you had taken their portraits?!!
:)
Thank you Ann. That is just how I feel about these pictures and this is what makes my customers happ too...
As soon as I have more time I will distribute 1500 of these to aquire new food photo customers...
http://fotokontext.de/fotokontext_aktuell_emailversion.pdf
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Pancake galore 18 03 2019
So: Which aperture & which perspective do you like best?
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Tasteful :)
I prefer the first one. Wide open?
Personally I would have put them all on the wood shelf, that red/pink is pretty distracting.
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Tasteful :)
I prefer the first one. Wide open?
Personally I would have put them all on the wood shelf, that red/pink is pretty distracting.
interesting thought. I really wanted the pink in my frame. I chose it from a lot of options.
The first one is at f/1.4
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Ah, you wanted the pink. But it does not really interact with the syrup I guess?
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Ah, you wanted the pink. But it does not really interact with the syrup I guess?
A matter of taste and association. I associated "American" and pink plastic fits that story or an American flag...
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Think early "Pioneering, woodsy America" perhaps?
Not McDonalds's plastic America.
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I love the griddle cakes but the pink platter less so.
("Pancakes" in my book are ultra-thin and almost lacey!)
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Think early "Pioneering, woodsy America" perhaps?
Not McDonalds's plastic America.
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I love the griddle cakes but the pink platter less so.
("Pancakes" in my book are ultra-thin and almost lacey!)
Love to hear from you, Ann.
I have been in America once for 14 days.
These are the first homemade pancakes in my life.
And I cooked them just the way I know them: thick and small.
French are ultra thin and huge.
German are huge and thick.
Are there different styles of pancakes in America?
How would you decorate them?
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I actually love all kinds of pancakes/griddle cakes/drop-scones, crepes (whatever people want to call them!) and yours do look delicious —as those who were lucky enough to eat them would probably agree?!
Waffles, made with the same kind of batter, are pretty good too — and so is good maple syrup.
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The second one keeps the higher[better, IMO] perspective but shows more in focus[better, IMO] than the first shot. The pink surface doesn't bother me at all, but the horizontal lines in the background are already distracting in soft focus, and are even more distracting when sharper.
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Thank you, Keith, Ann, John for the suggestions. I will try a 18th century story next time!!!