Once again, we find ourselves on the cusp of a new season as days grow longer, and baby birds appear in gardens and trees.  Both spotted towhees and house finches taking flying lessons and doing ungainly landings this week, with wings shaking and mouths wide open waiting to be fed, were definitely smile-worthy.  In the human realm, students are graduating high school and college, and families are preparing for summer vacations. With the unofficial start of summer a week from today on Memorial Day, it was time for a challenge and continuing photography education, and appropriate to feature some freshness for a relaxing evening, in the form of a taco bowl and a nice red wine.   

food setup - taco bowl 1 2026

Unless you are seated at a restaurant or are dining with friends and family in private homes, as a photographer, you will be responsible for the setup and display, and food preparation to make the photo shoot work.  Which means that planning and timing are crucial to bringing the "show" together.  You have read here many times that light is everything.  It absolutely is, but in the case of food photography, timing is equally important. And frequently, nature has something to do with that timing.  When I decided to do a meal setup with nods to The New York Times, Sunset Magazine as well as Williams Sonoma catalog, I knew that time of day would be crucial.  Shooting in the space I planned to use with natural light knocked out almost every time slot until the late afternoon hours.  Conditions would be either a bit dark or much too bright for decent shooting.  So, I watched the light throughout the day while planning on how to "dress the table".  Although after 5 p.m. it was still bright, wispy clouds traced across the western sky, helping with the conditions.  The wind had calmed some as well which kept the tablecloth from whipping up.  It made me think, once again, how difficult it is for producers of television and movies in high Southwestern climates to tame the light and other environmental conditions.   

food setup - taco bowl 3 2026

I have also become accustomed to shooting low and across tables in order to capture the subject at hand with fewer extraneous items in the shot.  You also get bonus isometrics in the form of squats! 

We are very lucky to have a Farmers' Market that is open for growing season, and to have a wide variety of vegetables for salads and grilling.  They just taste better straight from the farm.  No doubt you will be seeing veggies on a regular basis as I lurk around the Railyard in the Santa Fe Market staring through the lens at exceptional specimens.
 

Thanks to sous chef Fred, and to Jean & Sam, Tim A., Pauli, Terry T., Victoria, Catherine, Steve, and Marilyn G. for writing about last week's blog.  

until next Monday,

DB

a passion for the image©