Salmonberry Globes

Salmonberry Globes

ALAK08D-622

August 29, 2008

The work for my MS was on wild Alaskan berries, their chemistry and health-promoting properties.  So, I was lucky enough to head out to some of the wilds of Alaska, some crazy places that are way off the beaten track.  Or any track, in some cases; a few of them were accessible only by plane or boat.  But this is one of the species we were after: the salmonberry (also known as cloudberry, Rubus spectabilis) is related to the raspberry that we know down in the lower 48, but less sweet.  They were juicy berries, and this image, captured during the fall harvest, is a good example of their cream-colored flesh.  Enjoy.
 

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens:Nikon 105mm f/2.8 macro

Focal length: 105 mm

Exposure: 1/200 f/3.8 ISO 400

Post-processing: Toning and curves adjustment in PS4

Fall Apple Chicken Diptych

Fall Apple Chicken Diptych

FOOD11D-84_dip

October 1, 2011

To wrap up this week of food delights, which has been really rewarding for me (and I will probably return to this theme again in the future), we go to the newest creation out of my kitchen.  Fall conjures up, to me, ovens, squash, and apples.  While there are no squash in this scene, I took the apples and chicken and combined them, roasting it in the oven with the sliced apples to give it a great flavor.  The chicken and apples also had cinnamon, which gave the dish an almost Middle Eastern flavor.  Were I to include apricots and raisins in lieu of apples, then it would be Moroccan in nature.  As it was, however, it was delish.

The image itself was combined as a diptych, a before and after scene.  I like the ingredients all laid out before hand, showing them off in their raw quality, and then contrasting it with the browned, complete dish at the end.  Both images had a sort of Lomo-esque look applied to them before finally constructing the image.  Enjoy!

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 18-135 f/3.5-5.6

Focal length:  var.

Exposure: var. ISO 400

Post-processing: Tone adjusted with PS 4 and LR 1.4, final assembly of diptych created in PS 4.

Crispy, Cheesy Pie

Crispy, Cheesy Pie

COLO09D-93

December 27, 2009

Continuing on with the food trend, today comes from one of my favorite pizza places.  In the world of pizza, the champion still remains Zachary's in Oakland/Berkeley, and that one cannot be upset so far.  However, a close second comes from Colorado, and BeauJo's pizza is dynamite.  The sweet honey wheat crust, piled with whatever you want.  It is a special kind of pizza, and exceedingly tasty, and thus it graces the blog today (and because I'm jones-in for a good piece o' pie right about now).  Enjoy

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 50 f/1.4

Focal length: 50 mm

Exposure: 1/80 sec @ f/1.4 ISO 400

Post-processing: Tone adjusted with LR 1.4

Bhutan Yak Cheese

Bhutan Yak Cheese

BHUT10D-165

November 19, 2010

It is inevitable, that as you travel you are taken outside your comfort zone, and exposed to new experiences that you've not encountered before.  Frequently this is in the form of food, as there is a variety across the globe that Americans can only wonder at (and watch in the form of increasingly popular food-travel shows).  This image today encapsulates that.  In Bhutan, a common snack is a dried form of yak's cheese.  These bricks are about the consistence of a large gum eraser, or what an eraser would taste like were I to chew on one.  And you cannot really chew and swallow it; rather, you let the digestive enzymes in your mouth go to work on the cheese, and it slowly disintegrates in your mouth.  It has a salty tang to its flavor, and lasts a long while.  I kept mine in my mouth for the better part of a 3 hour car ride, and it was still barely half gone before I gave it up in favor of lunch.  Still, it was an experience, to be sure.  Enjoy.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 18-135 f/3.5-5.6

Focal length: 44 mm

Exposure: 1/400 @ f/4.8 ISO 400

Post-processing: Tone adjusted with LR 1.4

Sour Cream Baked Goodness

Sour Cream Baked Goodness

FOOD11D-25

March 12, 2011

Continuing on the food theme this week are these sour-cream cookies.  Cute little drops of dough have a tang to them, and topped with a Mexican chocolate buttercream, with hints of cayenne, cinnamon, and vanilla.  They are delicious.  Enjoy.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 105 f/2.8 micro

Focal length: 105 mm

Exposure: 3.6 sec @ f/5.6 ISO 100

Post-processing: Tone adjusted with LR 1.4

Peach Globes

Peach Globes

FOOD10D-3

July 21, 2010

For some reason, as fall approaches, I get the urge to cook.  Maybe it is the changing weather, the coolness of the day makes me feel like turning on an oven (though I do a fair bit of grilling in the summertime), or maybe it is lower light levels.  Who knows.  But whatever the reason, this weekend I hit the kitchen hard, and thus this week I'll be digging out photos, some old, some new, of food.  Some that I've made, some that I've traveled to find, some that have found me.  While this blog has been primarily nature photography, which is one of my over-riding passions, I cannot deny that I have a powerful attachment to food and cooking and food.  

To kick off the week, we have these peaches.  Southern peaches are a summer fruit, and there is no better flavor than fresh peaches.  Well, perhaps grilled and slathered over ice cream.  That's pretty darn good too.  These three, even a year later, I remember as probably the best peaches that I've ever had.  Soft, juicy, with a bright flavor that burst in your mouth.  And hopefully this photo does them some justice.  Enjoy.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 105 f/2.8 micro

Focal length: 105 mm

Exposure: 1/8 sec @ f/3.2 ISO 100

Post-processing: Tone adjusted with LR 1.4