Things A Photographer Can Do While Cooking

My Fellow Santa Elves,


Sometimes photographers find picture ideas in the strangest of places. If you are new to shooting or even a "seasoned pro" as they say, finding new ideas is sometimes jut a kitchen sink away. I was cooking some grub the other night (not something I am good at) and found myself with an itch to snap something while I waited for the oven to finish doing it’s thing. I have this mirror that is shaped in a sorta convex way that I knew would be cool but finding something to place on top of the mirror eluded me. As it just so happens, I had some blank CD’s sitting on the cabinet and knowing that light refracts in mysterious ways from CD’s, I figured it would be worth trying to make something cool. Placing the mirror over the sink and the CD on top I was then all set to sink or swim (no pun of course). The first pic was nothing more than one of the discs being doused with water. I liked what I saw but some came off as “too easy”. So the next dilemma was to find a fluid that would seriously alter the landscape and or texture of the image. Ahhhh, nothing finer than good ole transmission fluid. I have had this bottle of fluid for at least 4 years just sitting in my utility closet and I am not about to try and give you the why behind that. So with one hand holding the fluid and the other hand holding a water bottle, I commenced a royal dousing of the CD. The rest is history. My point to all this really eludes me except to say that sometimes the coolest things to snap are sitting there right in front of us. We only have to let ourselves think beyond the subject and then simply add our given creative touch to the mix. This concept applies to people and everything else we shoot as well. So, even when you think an idea is “lame” or “stupid” know this, nobody has to see you fail (except for weddings) and if it comes out cool, you end up looking smarter than you really are. Ok, you are probably really smart! You can send my Christmas gift now if you like.


Creating Oil Spills in Kitchens,

Lance