I have been lazy and unwell over the weekend. Well, mostly Sunday. So meals over this weekend were mostly comfort food, like dal chawal – the everyday yummy yellow dal recipe that I use and use and use again atleast once a week. I also made pepper rasam, lots of it, and it was so good for my sore throat.
After making the dal tadka for our dal chawal on Sunday, I realized that I have never posted the recipe here. In fact, quite a few of my friends, especially those who are abroad, have emailed me asking for basic yellow dal recipe or dal-chawal recipe. It just seemed too simple to post here but I now I know better.
I don’t know why I went yada-yada over the recipe so much because I am not going to post it now 😀 I just wanted to share the pictures I took of the dish and the various angles I tried.
Ok so, first, I transferred the dal to two of my white bowls. I was a bit eager to use my napkin papers from Ikea so I took out the bright blue ones thinking they would make a good combination with the yellow of the dal.
Blegh. How boring is that? Really!
*Rotates the napkin to try a different angle* 
still, very meh. Whatever. The dal looks dull in this one. Not excited at all.
Looks like the napkin has to go. Sigh..
Its definitely an improvement but what’s that bright shot of light from the top left doing in the picture?
*Walks over and closes the window*
*tap tap tap*
Two bowls of dal feels like an overkill. After all its a simple dish so why not go for a simple look?
Hmmm..
Just one bowl, overhead shot, no colours or fancy napkins, nice and comforting, just like the dal. What say?
Hmm.. naah! Too boring. I have done a zillion shots like this, I need more in the picture. Something’s missing!
Last chance with both bowls. Different angle this time and maybe I can blur off the bowl in the background later.
YUCK! No! Two bowls is not an option. Discard idea. Dis-caaaaaaard!!!
*tap tap tap*
Ah! The messy look! I haven’t experimented much with this. How about that? Messy dal! Everyday yellow dal that’s also messy!
Like so.
Hmmm.. not bad. I do like it but don’t feel like this is it. Since I tried the messy look, how about also giving the ‘holier-than-though’ look a shot?
*Quickly licks spoon*
Yumm. Good thing I have another bowl of dal ready.
*Switches bowls, messy for non-messy*
Ah.. that’s nice too. Simple and neat and nice. A little unhappy with the glaring light on the spoon. Quite pleased with the ‘licking job’ though 😉
Ok hold on! What about the ‘bowl-in-bowl’ look? Ahh! That could look good too.
*Rushes to clean the bowl that featured in the messy-look picture*
*Click*
Oooh, nice. Quite classy. The shadows are not too bad. Should I fit in the spoon there? Hmm.. nah! This looks fine. This could work.
*Smiles*
But wait, what about the same thing on my wooden sticks coaster?
Even better! This one wins. Congrats buddy, you get to go on the post. And maybe even to Click – Wood if nothing else works. This would be a lame entry but what the heck! Am feeling adventurous 😉
Which pic(s) did you like, if any?
Do you try out different angles, backgrounds and set ups too? If not, what’s stopping you? Go on, play!
I also have one exercise for you guys. Here’s what you need to do:1. I want you all to pick 5 of your most favourite food blogs, especially the ones you admire for their photography. Make sure you pick food blogs and not food photography blogs.2. Go to their oldest set of posts, using their archives link or something. The longer they have been blogging, the better this would work.3. Look at their first few pictures and be amazed. Be prepared for some serious jaw-drops, in most cases.Moral of the exercise: We all start somewhere. Its okay to take so-so pics initially as long as you have the interest and the determination to learn. Some take their pics and recipes and templates to the next level in a few weeks’ time, some take months and a few, even years. There is no right time or too much time, its all decided by you.
PS: If any of you take a look at my old pics, you’d be quite amazed too 🙂 Not that I am spectacular now, but trust me, you will see a lot of difference!
PPS: I need some ideas for posts in the photography series. Otherwise you are going to be bombarded with posts like this one. Consider yourselves warned!
Wow , nice post ,enjoyed reading and very useful to a newbie.
Enjoyed reading the way you have narrated it all 🙂
You said you were sick when you went about all these pics? I salute your patience & determination and the effort.
really well done.
i still don't know how to fix that light that shines above all my dishes!!!
Gawd, I feel I should start paying you for all this info!!!
You really have a great way of putting information together – thank you 🙂
Cool…I usually take 10 or more pictures in different angles and finally only 1 or 2 satisfies me and sometimes even none! Yup I truely agree photography comes by experience…the more we take the more we learn!
🙂 Such a fun, interesting way to learn and unlearn! I love you for doing this, Nags!-Shreya (posting as anonymous, coz im logged into another account and can't be bothered to change or open in a different browser etc..)
LOL @ first comment and ur reply! Nice post,by the way!
Mouth watering dish
really well done.
i still don't know how to fix that light that shines above all my dishes!!!
Mouth watering dish
I regularly follow your tips and started trying on it too,sure my pics are far better now Thanks for sharing and expecting more too
thank you so much Renuka akka 🙂
Hey Nags, I can relate to this post so well …… I am not a good photographer and always have struggle deciding how to capture the best pic of the dish …… I am learning slowly …. and specially from your blog 😀 ….. lovely way of expressing what was going in your mind 🙂
-Ashima
And ya, I just have a basic camera..so pls help me keeping that in mind
Many many thanks to you for all these food photography lessons..specially the one of editing with Picasa..my hubby too noted a slight difference in my photographs as compared to the earlier ones..but I have a major problem..I usually experiment dishes for dinner and by the time I am ready to click the dish, it is dark outside and the pics dont come out good..tried putting light with picasa, but it never matches to the pics taken during day time..Can u please post on how to take good pics even when there is no natural lighting ?? I would be very grateful to you
It was a fun read:) I love how you played with all sorts of styling to take the best shot. By the way, I liked the one before the last. With two plates on top of each other. You are right about first pics on every blog being so-so:) We all begin from somewhere. True.
PS: If you receive a message about me unsubscribing from you blog, do not worry:) I am just redirecting the blog updates to my other email address.
Nice post Nags. esp love the commentary 🙂
Cheers,
Siri
This was a well written post Nags, I have been a silent reader of all your photography related posts 🙂 I guess we all learn to take better pics over time, right? Don’t remind me of the pics in the waaay old posts….I can only wince when I see them 😀 I’m glad that’s a bygone phase!
Awww, this makes me feel so much better about my photography so far, and gives me additional ideas! I always seem to hesitate to give myself so many different angles, because the food is getting cold, but practice makes perfect. Your persistence paid off, your pictures are great!
Thats a cool post nags…way to go!
loved this post and loving ur series, i love the second last one just before u put the wooden mat below. I cant stop smiling reading the first comment and ur reply. its so sweet
Nice post nags. A simple dhall and a great post..
play with the white balance in your camera to remove the bluish cast if you can. or overexpose a bit.
I love the classy picture.Good to hear you are feeling better, here my daughter is sick too , she is off from school for 3 days.
You do put lot of time for taking pictures.
When it is a baking i tend to put more time for taking pictures, when it is lunch dishes, it is making the dish, clicking few pictures really fast and then to thetable.
One person who has gone from a normal photographer to a personwho take super wonderful photos is Meeta, she has indeed achieved a lot in the years.
LOL, i have licked so many spoons and bowls before getting the right shots 😉 i usually click minimum 10 pics with different angles. the best ones are about 45 deg from your eye level as they give u 3-dimensional pics. but sometime its the ones that taken right from top that gets full marks 🙂 so it’s very important to experiment with angles (u should see me bending over with awkward poses when i take pics) but i don’t experiment much with backgrouds. just some bright coloured cloth or plants or flowers with some table mats and that’s it. i usually go for contrasting colours. i know, its time i started experimenting but by then i get so hungry and i dont care much abt backdrops 🙂
and yeah, we all get better as time goes. my first pics were taken with 2 or 3mp camcorder. and then moved to 4pg cam. so cam, experience, etc etc counts 🙂
agan, good tutotial nags. u r doing a social service for all us food bloggers 🙂
I have been so busy for the 3 days, feel like I have been hit by a truck too! 😀
I love the last photo. Yeah, sometimes, less is more.
Great post nags!!!
Thanks you, thank you, thanks you Nags ! Your’re a real sweetheart sharing all this, and so much patience !! You’ve truly been a big inspiration. I at least try to take better pics now, though I am never as successful. The day I think any pic of mine has ‘it’, will positively dedicate it to u 🙂
😀
I know what you mean here, but a lot of the time I would do all this and more, take a zillion pictures and still not have that “one”! 🙁
I liked the last two. I’m not an expert or anything but something struck me. If you had taken the picture at a slightly lower angle, I am thinking the bowl-in-bowl would have shown up better, perhaps? Just a suggestion.
hahahaaa… I do the same thing-take a gazzillion pictures till its stone cold, forcing J to reheat it! You asked for ideas for the photography series, I have one, have you seen the pictures in http://www.monsoonspice.com/2009/03/paneer-matar-parathas-frozen-food.html? How does one take pics like that? With everything from raita to paratha stack and paratha on the table with the pickles and salad?? I have tried and failed miserably. Help on this area would be greatly appreciated :). Oh Yea, your last pic rocks!
Nags, you have much patience..Appreciate your effort on writing food photography basics.I loved the seventh picture here.
Sorry for not commenting regularly, know, it is difficult to find time nowadays.But would check your posts.. 🙂
funny intersting post,useful info:)thanks for sharing nags!!
🙂 Such a fun, interesting way to learn and unlearn! I love you for doing this, Nags!-Shreya (posting as anonymous, coz im logged into another account and can’t be bothered to change or open in a different browser etc..)
that was a nice post…u r rite the last pic was the best!!
i even use dupatta’s as background in many pictures instead of napkins…
so much of good info to learn
this is a lovely post… loved your commentary for each picture 🙂
I loved loved loved loved this post. It was SO much fun!
And I love what you did with that idea of yours. Smart woman 😉
wow.. there are so many angles in which we can take pics right.. i too made pepper rasam as my hubby is also sick.
Gawd, I feel I should start paying you for all this info!!!
You really have a great way of putting information together – thank you 🙂
Loved this post soooooo much..Its like learning with fun!The last pic is my fav too 🙂
LOL @ first comment and ur reply! Nice post,by the way!
Nandu – I love you 😀 Thanks so much!
Cool…I usually take 10 or more pictures in different angles and finally only 1 or 2 satisfies me and sometimes even none! Yup I truely agree photography comes by experience…the more we take the more we learn!
If anyone else feels like Koshy girl above, let me know, I am more than willing to accept ‘donations’ that would go into my shoes fund. Of course, you also get my eternal gratitude 😉