After the last shot that ran—Styled Chicken & Dumplings—I am so glad Michael asked for this roasted chicken shot that I just took on Monday. Every Monday Michael serves a roasted chicken, and when this came out of the oven, I decided we should quickly shoot it because;
1: He talks about roasted chicken a lot and we can't keep running the same photo (even if David Lebovitz loves it). 2: It just looked so beautiful and 3: My lights were all set up.
Michael let me get two frames off before he whisked it away. You can see Michael's hand towel on the handle because he had no intention of letting it go. Flash-flash, and away he went to carve away on his Boos cutting board.
I turned off my camera and lights and called the kids into dinner. Really. No fussing, no styling and no propping. We didn't even need a trivet because I had a slate tile on the table already from an earlier shoot that day.
And, most importantly, it was divine. Thanks Michael, you make a mean Monday's roasted chicken.
Now Donna you tell me that isn't the best photo...no, I'll tell you: you don't need to "style" with your eye...I would have thought at Blog Camp it would be you who would have done seminars.
How could a stylist get those gravy bubbles to sheen?
What, no resting?
All of your photographs make me hungry; I think this one is at least as effective as the styled one. That one may have been more, hm, magazine-cover beautiful, sure... and the subtlety of texture was really lovely... but this one - the simplicity of it matches the rustic aura I associate with "roast chicken."
Both photos make my mouth water. The styled chicken & dumplings photo made me want to eat; this one also makes me want to cook.
Thank you!
Now that's what I'm talking about! A quick click click and then tuck in! The best kind of food photography. It looks absolutely delicious.
There's something so wonderful about a week night roast chicken - it feels like a proper treat! Hope you enjoyed it.
That's one sexy bird! Beautiful shot, Donna. I'm thinking the weekly chicken dinner is not a bad idea. Would love some more ideas on what to do with leftovers.
ok re-reading and it loses its comprehension when I read the first line back: it should have said with an eye like you have for taking pictures you don't need to 'style' anything...
To VT—Yes—unfortunately the bird gets plenty of resting time because It's a given with our kids that it usually takes 2-3 calls before they grace us with their presence. Imagine if we served frozen dinners!
I think I see some steam coming off the bird and of course, the bubbles in the pan so I can tell that it is one hot bird... I've been thinking of using a small hand fan to push back the steam from down shots (where I'm not looking to photograph the steam) maybe even a small cutting board (also use as a fill card) Are you using a tripod? I don't too often but I wish I did sometimes....