Good evening!
I thought it would be fun to show you a behind the scenes look at my preparations for Challenge #10 of Project Food Blog.
Sometimes it is fun to see what craziness is ensuing behind the posts. It isn’t always glamorous behind the scenes!
My kitchen wept.
I sustained my energy levels on chocolate chip cookies, Green Monsters, protein bowls, and French Press.
Quotes centered me when I felt frazzled…
![IMG_6112 IMG_6112](/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/IMG_6112_thumb1.jpg)
Santa watched over me in the kitchen…
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Let’s just say that this year I am getting coal in my stocking.
![IMG_5906 IMG_5906](/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/IMG_5906_thumb.jpg)
I didn’t leave the kitchen for over 9 hours on the last baking day. There was not a second to spare.
I ate many meals standing up at the kitchen counter.
![IMG_5913 IMG_5913](/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/IMG_5913_thumb.jpg)
and by meals, I mean whatever scraps were around that were quick!
The night before the challenge #10 photoshoot, I planned the Holiday ‘set’…
One of my goals for my last post in Project Food Blog was to try some new things with photography and really push myself out of my comfort zone.
In the morning (aka: good lighting) I began.
I printed off my photo and put it on the window beside me for inspiration of how I wanted the photos to look.
When I was having a difficult time getting the photos to look a certain way, I looked at the picture to guide me.
![IMG_6124 IMG_6124](/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/IMG_6124_thumb.jpg)
It didn’t really help, but I pretended it did!
After a couple hours of some crazy shooting, I had some decent shots to work with. I had to keep rushing the bars back into the freezer so they didn’t get all soft and melted for the pictures. It was a lot of running back and forth, back and forth. I must have ran 2 miles in my kitchen that morning.
I concluded it was worth skipping a couple workouts for!
I have so much respect for food stylists because it is not easy work. Food doesn’t stay fresh for long (in my case, it melted) so I had to be quick.
For example, I had this candycane sitting in my Peppermint Nog for so long, the candycane dissolved and fell onto the white tablecloth leaving a big red stain.
![IMG_6029 IMG_6029](/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/IMG_6029_thumb.jpg)
It was actually really funny (despite the mess).
I grabbed a handful of candycanes, bulbs, ribbon, and a tree ornament and put it in the background for the props.
![IMG_5968 IMG_5968](/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/IMG_5968_thumb.jpg)
I used square mirrors (from our wedding) to give a beautiful reflection.
I especially loved this one with the Peppermint Nog (it is just 1 glass, reflected 3 times, using three mirrors)
![IMG_5948 IMG_5948](/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/IMG_5948_thumb.jpg)
![IMG_5976 IMG_5976](/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/IMG_5976_thumb.jpg)
One of the props I made was this small red dish filled with marshmallows. In the background it looks like snow and fit in well with the holiday theme!
![IMG_6026 IMG_6026](/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/IMG_6026_thumb.jpg)
This photo below was made using wrapping paper reflected onto the mirror that the bars rested on.
Very fun, but a bit dizzying so it did not make the final cut for my last post.
![IMG_6052 IMG_6052](/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/IMG_6052_thumb.jpg)
My favourite bar to photograph was the Mint Chip Nanaimo Bar shown below. The green really pops and the crushed candycane is gorgeous in a photo.
![IMG_6079 IMG_6079](/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/IMG_6079_thumb.jpg)
I had the most difficult time with the pom-almond bar, so I sprinkled some icing sugar on top and that helped with how it looked in the photo.
I also liked how the three flavours looked all stacked up.
![IMG_6097 IMG_6097](/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/IMG_6097_thumb.jpg)
By the end of it all, I was ready to collapse.
The kitchen table looked like a bomb went off…
![IMG_6115 IMG_6115](/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/IMG_6115_thumb.jpg)
Note:
- The Nutcracker was too creepy to use in the background of the photo (hehe)
- I had to Windex the mirrors a million times from smudges and crumbs
- Wine was opened when I hit publish on my post at 4:30pm on Sunday
- I jammed to music from Eric’s laptop to keep my energy up
- I am a bit crazy
When my post was uploaded, I enjoyed wine. Eric enjoyed beer. I went to bed early and then stared at the ceiling until 3am that night.
Good times.
When it was all said and done, the ‘set’ looked like a depressed reception hall the morning after a wedding…
![IMG_6121 IMG_6121](/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/IMG_6121_thumb.jpg)
I had that strange ‘it is all over’ feeling like I feel after Christmas Day is over.
Only chocolate and candycane stains, crumbs, ribbon, confetti, and a few sad looking decorations were left.
The table partied hard and it looked a bit hung over the next day…
![IMG_6123 IMG_6123](/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/IMG_6123_thumb.jpg)
Here is another behind the scenes shot taken from my challenge #4 shenanigans:
![20101008-IMG_5493 20101008-IMG_5493](/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/20101008-IMG_5493_thumb.jpg)
![20101008-IMG_5487 20101008-IMG_5487](/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/20101008-IMG_5487_thumb.jpg)
Clearly, I did not make as much of a mess back in challenge #4!
Ok, maybe I did…
![20101008-IMG_4920 20101008-IMG_4920](/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/20101008-IMG_4920_thumb.jpg)
And for fun, a photo timeline of the seasonal changes during the contest…
Challenge #1…
![20100924-IMG_8630 20100924-IMG_8630](/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/20100924-IMG_8630_thumb.jpg)
Challenge #2…
![20100925-IMG_3262 20100925-IMG_3262](/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/20100925-IMG_3262_thumb.jpg)
Challenge #4…
![20101006-IMG_4396 20101006-IMG_4396](/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/20101006-IMG_4396_thumb.jpg)
Challenge #5…
![20101017-IMG_7320 20101017-IMG_7320](/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/20101017-IMG_7320_thumb.jpg)
Challenge #6…
![20101024-IMG_9169 20101024-IMG_9169](/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/20101024-IMG_9169_thumb.jpg)
Challenge #7…(bye bye leaves!)
![20101027-IMG_9185 20101027-IMG_9185](/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/20101027-IMG_9185_thumb.jpg)
Challenge #8…(another big change)
![20101013-IMG_5971 20101013-IMG_5971](/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/20101013-IMG_5971_thumb.jpg)
Challenge #9…(ahh!)
![IMG_5175 IMG_5175](/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/IMG_5175_thumb1.jpg)
And finally this is what it looked like for Challenge #10…! It has been a long journey.
![IMG_6127 IMG_6127](/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/IMG_6127_thumb.jpg)
It was a crazy few months, but I truly had a blast along the way and I hope to keep pushing myself out of my comfort zone and using new skills in new ways. If there is anything this contest has shown me it is that this is truly what makes me happy. Sometimes it takes a few wrong turns to figure it out, so never lose hope if you are currently struggling with a career choice. If you keep following your passions, they will never lead you astray!
I spent 7 years in university pursuing something that ultimately did not make me happy (research) and I had to figure it out the hard way. That is a tough pill to swallow, but sometimes we just don’t know until we experience it first hand. For the longest time I had so much guilt about not enjoying what I was doing, but what I realized is that life is too short to beat myself up. We all make decisions that might not work out for us.
No one has all the answers and sometimes we have to admit to ourselves that something isn’t right for us so we can create a new path and start a new journey!
The beauty of life is not in being perfect or never failing, but in learning from our decisions and following our hearts. If you are doing this, you are moving forward.
Keep on truckin’ on.
‘Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.’~Ralph Waldo Emerson
This was a very interesting post — to see and learn some of the presentation techniques (your photos are beautiful) and to see how the season changed over the duration of the challenge. It’s been quite a long haul.
Once again, I am floored by the amount of time and energy you poured into this challenge (and your blog in general)! Hats off to you. Your blog has quickly become my favorite.
I was so impressed with your set up—thanks for showing us the behind the scenes! Gosh you are incredible. No matter what the outcome on Friday you know you are a star!
Loved reading (and seeing) your retrospective of your challenges! Esspec loved the changing seasons (I can’t believe it’s almost Christmas!!!).
I can completely relate to your last bit especially – I’m in my third year of university right now and I KNOW I don’t want to do what I’m majoring in, yet I feel like I’m too deep in now to get out. So here I am, truckin’ along, and I have NO IDEA what will come once I’m done my last semester – but I’m excited to find out! ;)
izzyy
xoxo
Even before seeing this post – it is so evident how much work you’ve put into this project, but it’s fun to see all the behind the scenes.
I love all your attention to detail! After you win, you should have Eric treat you to a home cooked meal & dessert :)
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: your pictures blow me away every single time. Thanks for sharing your tips and tricks.
Wowsers! Looks like you put a lot into this! I’ve been voting for you and I hope you win sister. Keep pluggin
I love this post. Thank you for showing how you make the food blog “magic”! So inspiring. :-)
This post makes me smile so big. I don’t hate my major, but it’s not something I see myself doing in the long run. I’ve been tossing ideas of career paths around but haven’t settled on anything yet…in any case, it’s wonderful to see someone that was successful doing what they love. Good luck- fingers crossed for you!!
Even your messes turn out pretty in pictures. What a fun post :)
i love the behind the scenes pictures and how you put it all together. its a HUGE part of it isn’t it! its nice to see that you get a little messy and crazy in the kitchen too!
Wow this is amazing! I never really thought about the amount of work that went into your photographs. Now I see what makes them so precious :) Keep it up!
What a lovely post :) I especially like the seasons changing. I’m rooting for you, girl!
I loooove this post! I was laughing when you showed the kitchen table & said it looked like a bomb had gone off :D ahahaha. All your hard work definitely paid off, keep it up!
I have to admit I especially loved this post. I feel like a photographer failure sometimes for my badly lit shots when I don’t have leftovers for the next day’s light, so it helps to know that you’re not just pointing and shooting for your awesome photos. Great work!
I def have to work to get the shots…takes a long time and many, many photos! You are not alone :)
Hahahaha! This post was so REAL and amazing! We all view our blog friends as being so ‘perfect’ all the time and it is great to see the ‘behind the scenes’ and see the mess that goes along with it.
The moral of the story is cute….keep on going!
I think I would have drank the whole bottle of wine! You are going to win this girl!
xxoo
Good luck!! All of your pictures turned out awesome!!!!!!!!!
it’s so obvious how hard you worked…you’ve earned every single one of you reader’s choice awards and passes to the next level :)
Hi Angela,
I’ve just stumbled upon your blog, and am loving every single post! It seems we have similar backgrounds (academic) and a love for raw and vegan cuisine; and we are also Canadian gals! I love your advice about creating a new path and journey for ourselves – very inspiring! Lovely photo work as well. I look forward to reading more of your inspiring posts :)
This is a great post and I am so happy for you! :)