April Oven Spring

Happy April! I’m sorry if you missed this newsletter last month! I skipped posting in March as I was without a kitchen for all of January and February, so March content wasn’t ready enough in advance to talk about what was coming. I’ve managed to get far enough ahead to share the coming month’s recipes early. Additionally, I’ve shared some photography tips at the end of this post instead of baking tips.. but don’t worry, it’s about photographing your food!

This month is all about sweet and savory. Starting off with a sweet and salty cookie, but then alternating sweet recipes with savory. Baking is a balance and being able to bake both sides of the coin will help broaden your repertoire.

Here’s what’s coming this month:

1.  Big Bakery Style Peanut Butter Cookies - OMG. If you are a peanut butter lover - or even if you’re not.. these cookies are SO good. They are chewy and not dry at all. Even though they are big cookies, you won’t want to share them with anyone!

2. Chocolate Malt Tart - I started working on this recipe three years ago! It’s finally here. Dark chocolate shortbread crust, chocolate malt filling made from a diplomat cream.

3. Pesto Garlic Knots - Soft and a little doughy, with pesto in the dough and topping, but of course with garlic butter too.

4. Orange Cardamom Loaf - If you’ve never had these two flavors together, you’re missing out and should make this one as soon as possible. A quick bread loaf with orange zest infused into the sugar, buttermilk and ground cardamom.

5. Ranch Fantail Rolls - A fantail roll is really just a fancy looking dinner roll. Sort of like a pull apart loaf, it’s got layers of goodness sandwiched between each section.

Taking Better Food Photos with a Phone

Maybe you’re not a food photographer, but maybe you’re a baker or a foodie or someone who just wants your photos to be a little bit better. While it’s true I don’t use my phone for my blog or Instagram photos, that doesn’t mean you can’t take nice photos of your food with one. Honestly, many of these tips translate to just taking better photos with your phone because an important rule of photography is use what’s available and the tools you have.

1. Lighting is important! If you’ve ever seen a beautiful photo and wondered what the special sauce was (metaphorically - literally it’s probably some kind of aioli if we’re talking food), it’s probably good light. Good light can take an okay photo and make it dynamic and stunning. I know you probably have ordinary spots in your home or yard that you see everyday and think nothing of, except maybe when sun rays are beaming through early in the morning or the evening warm light is making it glowy.
   
   If possible, a nice big window is going to be your friend at home. Find a spot - or make one by using a side table or clearing off a counter space and put your food near the window. Many food photographers rely on window light before they invest in artificial light. I often still use this trick when I film things with my iPhone.

   
   Be aware that there are different types of light and they will produce different types of images. Hard light, when the sun is streaming in (and probably casting streaks of sunlight that look like your windows on the floor) will create dramatic and contrasty images while cloudy days will produce soft even light. Neither is wrong or better, but it will help inform your choices of what type of window or door to use.
   
   If your camera is making the image too dark or too bright, you can slide your finger up or down the focal box to change the overall exposure.
   

2. Find your angle. While it’s true that a top down photo - often called a flat lay in the food photography world but simply means your camera is directly above your subject - is often the most ubiquitous and obvious choice, it’s not the only one.
   
   The other two common angles are a 45 degree angle image and a straight on one. 45 degree is exactly what it sounds like and similar to your eye vantage point when sitting or standing next to a table or counter. Straight on is you are going to be level with the food, right in front of it. This angle is most likely not going to work well in a restaurant unless you’re perhaps on a patio with a nice view behind you. Be aware of what’s in the background.
   

3. Choose your focus. The camera is going to decide what it thinks is the focal point, and maybe it’s right but maybe it’s not. Tap the screen to make sure it’s focusing exactly where you want it to: the star of the show. Whatever is the main dish is what you should be focusing on, unless you’re doing a close up of a detail. You can hold down on that little square to lock the focus as well. Being aware of what is in the frame other than the food can help as well, eliminate distractions that might draw the eye away from your subject.
   

4. Extra details. Little things like flowers in a vase, ingredients on the table, hands holding glasses to cheers, or a hand reaching to grab a cookie can add a more human element. Sometimes this adds a little life or interest to a photo that might otherwise be flat. As beautiful as a food might be, food is often about connection and the addition of the subject (even when they are faceless) can bring a lot to the table.
   

5. Keep it clean. This last one seems silly and a no brainer but wiping your camera lenses off before taking a photo is really going to help prevent a photo that looks off. I have a toddler and I’ve had many photos turn out not quite as sharp or great as they could have been because little fingerprints are all over the lens.

Is there a recipe you’d love to see on the blog or something you can’t work out on an existing recipe? Let me know! Until next month, happy baking!