Lara picked this as the most successful photograph I took on Day 3. The photograph is of a Corpse Reviver No. 2 cocktail.

I’ll post the breakfast we enjoyed at Inn at Langley tomorrow, but I must post this week’s photography lesson photos before I forget what I learned!

Those of you who have been following this blog regularly might remember that I’m currently spending two days a week interning with Lara Ferroni of Cook and Eat. For a recent look at what I’ve been learning, click here.

This week, Lara is shooting the last few photos for an absinthe cocktail book that’ll be published next year by Chronicle Books. On Day 3 of my internship, I watched her shoot four different cocktails, and then when she was finished for the day, she let me play around with her equipment and food styling props.

One of the most important lessons I learned on Day 3 was how to create a sense of place. Lara explains that you want the viewer to not only want to drink or eat whatever is in the photograph, but you want to create a mood that makes them want to physically be in the photograph as well. You want the viewer to look at the photo and think: “I’d like to be a part of that scene.”

With this in mind, I shot a series of photos with the last cocktail Lara shot for the absinthe book: a Corpse Reviver No. 2. Earlier that day, I was organizing one of Lara’s prop cabinets, and pulled out a delicate lace handkerchief, just starting to yellow with age. I asked her about it, and she said it was the “something borrowed” her mother lent her on her wedding day. That afternoon, when Lara said I could use her props to style the cocktail, I knew the handkerchief was the perfect thing to include. The lace handkerchief has such an old-fashioned romance about it that just worked with the classic cocktail.

And with the “sense of place” lesson in mind, I thought to myself: What would make me want to pause and long to be a part of the photo? I looked around Lara’s studio and spied a box of biscotti–well now, who can say no to cookies?

I took this photo around 4pm, when the afternoon sun was coming through the velum-taped window was casting a hazy, alluring sort of light. I left the crumbs from the biscotti on the table to give the photo a more undone, natural feel. The chair in the background was something Lara choose earlier in the day–the color of the yellow-green fabric mirrored the color of the drink. When Lara scrolled through the batch of photos I’d taken, she chose this one as her favorite. She also noted that the cherry itself was the best lit in this photo, and she liked how the curve of the stem echoed the curve of the glass.

A second version of the Corpse Reviver No. 2 shot I took. Lara picked this one as her 2nd favorite.

I also found a slightly-wrinkled, ruffled-edged table runner in one of Lara’s cabinets, and set up this shot. When she reviewed the photos, she particularly liked the rough edge, and thought this photograph looked natural and uncontrived (even though, by nature, all food-styled photographs are contrived.) The absinthe spoon to the left doesn’t go with this particular cocktail, but I put it in the photo anyway because I liked the branch detail. To me, the mood in this photo is very different from the next photo I’m going to show you–when I look at this second photo, the mood seems warm and inviting to me, as if the person who’s enjoying the cocktail is expecting a friend to join her very soon.

This is the third shot I took of the Corpse Reviver No. 2.

I particularly liked this 3rd photo, even though I agree it’s missing the charm of the ruffled table runner in the 2nd photo, and the cherry doesn’t look as plump and pretty as it does in the 1st photo. I shifted the bounce for this photo, and there is a little less light in this one. You’ll also notice that the colors are more muted than they are in the 2nd photo. This might seem a little morbid, but I think there’s a certain sadness in this photo: I think of this cocktail being poured by someone who’s brooding over a broken heart, or the passing of someone dear to her. There is no expected guest arriving; there is no joy.

This is the fourth set-up I tried: the worst of the bunch!

For my last photo, I tried using this red and white patterned mat that Lara had tried using in several of her cocktail shots earlier that day. I picked this mat because the red matched the red in the cherry. However, something seemed off in this photo, and after reviewing the photos, Lara told me why: I caught the reflection of the chair in the glass each and every time I shot this particular set-up. I’m including this photo as a lesson on what not to do! (And also, I think the red and white pattern is a little busy on the dark brown table.)

Today (Day 4) of my internship, we wrapped up early because Lara got through all her shots done very quickly, and I left after that because I wanted to post this lesson before I headed out for the evening. Next week, we will be shooting photos of the donut cookbook Lara is writing, which promise to be delicious and fun!

Feel free to critique my photos, and let me know which one you like the best! (Though, I’m quite certain none of you will pick No. 4!)