A Rustic Reverie: Apples for Jam and Food Photography

Lately, I’ve been reading cookbooks like they were trashy romance novels. I mean, who cares about burning loins when you could whip up an apple stuffed pork loin roast , and Danielle Steele can just keep those heaving bosoms, thank you very much, I’m lusting after sparkling ginger chip cookies.

One of my favorite cookbooks of late is Apples for Jam, by Tessa Kiros. Seriously, who could resist this cover? Just look at those red shoes! Red shoes are one of my obsessions, so any thoughts of not judging books by their covers just flew right out the window when I saw this. And thankfully I wasn’t disappointed. Apples to Jam is one of the most gorgeous cookbooks you’ll find. When I was finished flipping through the book, there were about 50 post-its sticking out where I’d marked recipes I wanted to try. Like meringue with strawberries and chocolate or vanilla cake or honey cake! Can you tell my sweet tooth rules the roost around here?

As yummy and delectable as all this sounds, the main thing that sets this book apart from similar cookbooks is the photography. Using whimsical props, gorgeous color (I forgot to mention that the entire organizational premise of the recipes is based on color, how cool is that?), and super close-ups and interesting angles, Tessa Kiros not only has me itching to tie on my apron and get in the kitchen, but also encourages me to get better acquainted with my camera.

Food styling and still-life photography is not something I ever gave a lot of thought to before I started frequenting cooking blogs. After seeing such pretty pictures as this, or this, or this, I thought, well, that looks like fun, I'll give it a whirl. Well, turns out, taking a good picture of food is definitely not as easy as it looks. I quickly discovered that there is a true art form to it, as well as a lot of technical know how (about lighting, shutter speeds, etc.) that I didn’t have a clue about. Not to mention the infinite possibilities in Photoshop, about which I only know the tip of the iceberg. Well, I still don’t have a clue, but it’s something I’d like to explore. I know there are oodles of online tutorials, or maybe I might even take a spring semester class at our local community college. And, ever the bookworm, here are a few books on the subject I’m thinking about ordering: