Cutting Board Photo Contest – behind the scenes

CuttingBoard.com challenged bloggers and food photo fanatics to enter a photo in their #CutTheCheese2017 Contest that showcases a charcuterie/meat and/or cheese presentation on a cutting board.  Three things I love: photos, meat and cheese.  I had fun planning this shot that is “me” on a cutting board.

Arizona’s my home, so the ingredients are all Southwest inspired.  Jalapeno Cheese Curds, a sharp Mahon cheese, thin sliced jamon, spicy chorizo, Arizona grown dates, peppers, limes, cilantro, pickled red onions and jalapenos.  If I named this nosh board, it would be the Desert Rose.

And the roses?  Magenta is my favorite color and flowers express femininity.  After all, you know me and the bold lip colors <3

And finally, it’s a party.  The multiple plates and multiple glasses show my love of feeding a group, hosting company and never needing a reason to celebrate.

The best photos tell a specific, unique story, so here’s my best for Boos!

Want to know how I shot it?  Here’s the behind-the-scenes shot:

You can see that I used both natural and LED light to get the even lighting across the image.  Because there are so many windows and the whole studio is white, the room naturally has good even diffused light, even when not positioned near a window.  It’s especially nice in the mid morning.  But, I wanted a bit more shadow and intensity, so that’s where the LED comes in.  I positioned it in the upper right corner of the image so that it would cast slight right downward shadows.  I’m all about playing the angles.

You can also see in the far right that I’ve got a rolling rack draped with a white sheet.  That helps cut the direct glare coming from the window on the far right since it’s a west facing window.

I also used my trusty c-stand to position the camera several feet above the table top surface.  And the surface?  It’s reclaimed from Ryan’s old desk that he doesn’t need anymore and was originally purchased at IKEA.

You can also see that I’ve got my computer next to the workspace.  Since the camera is on the c-stand, I can’t see the LCD screen or through the viewfinder.  The computer is tethered via wifi to my camera enabling me to see the image and make small adjustments before hitting the shutter.

Pretty fun stuff, right? The kids thought they hit the after-school snack jackpot when they got home.  That was the best part.

Want to know more about how I do my food photography?  Check out my YouTube channel, The Bite Shot!

Now that I shared my charcuterie board, what would be on yours?  Leave a comment and let us know!