As with the Washing Line Series, some of the Kitchen Scales images work better than others. Raw Sausages might be great as an advertisement in a butchers but not so desirable on a kitchen calendar perhaps. One comment I have received is that, while technically good, the Scales series does not demonstrate the same level of quirkiness as seen in my other still life work.

As with all sets of photographs they develop and mature with each addition and adapt to criticism and feedback. Some work, others don’t. I’m hoping this ice-cream image brings back a little of the quirkiness; it’s the latest addition to the series.

It took a few attempts to get it right. Initially, I was after an ice-cream cone that you get from the vans at the seaside. A highly whipped soft ice cream which, obviously, has to have a flake in it. I don’t live near the sea and I haven’t seen a van in town like, ever. So an attempt was made using whipped double cream piped into place as an attempt to replicate the soft waves seen in the originals.

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I wasn’t sure it worked. A talented photography friend agreed and put their finger right on it; the cream doesn’t look wet enough. Looking at it today it just resembles shaving foam rather than ice cream! I resorted to ‘normal’ ice cream, the actual stuff, a soft scoop from the local supermarket. ‘Wetness’ was there, important as it needed to look slightly melted, for drips.

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The next issue my friend pointed out in the second image was the size/scale of the flake. It’s huge and looks like it is just there propping up the cone. In a real ‘99’ the flake is half-sized. At this point, the cone and its contents had been consumed and the set-up cleaned. Really liked the arrangement of the ice cream and its drip though and lacking time to restyle the whole still life I resorted to a little play in photoshop.

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Another flake was chopped in half and photographed on the scales at pretty much the same angle as the original. Photoshop was then used to mask out the old one. I don’t think you can tell.

Some good comments received over this image. It is available as a print on Etsy.

Now I just have to ensure the level of ‘quirkiness’ is maintained.

Yesterday I described my EBay spree on acquiring several different vintage scales. I had five on the shelves and, in fact, had already used each in a photo. This number would give me plenty of options for the series of images I had planned. I even checked EBay to ensure I had no further bids that would result in more such scales arriving.

Then two more were delivered.

I had no idea I had been so extravagant (aka reckless). Am I really the only person with an interest in these things that no one else bid on them?

The first to be delivered was a nice little creamy yellow number. Not certain the dish is original but it matters not. (The Comet Scales I used for the doughnut shot is obviously missing its plastic tray. But this doesn’t matter as it would obscure the contents inside I think).

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Latest New Scales - perfect size, lovely cream colour.

It is the second new set of scales I am having problems with. I seem to have underestimated its size. The tray is more like a coal-scuttle! I imagine it was used for scooping large quantities of flour or seeds or something. But it is huge. I have no idea how I am going to be able to utilise it in a photo!

I could drill a hole in the back of the tray and use it as a plant holder. But this rather defeats the point of buying it…

The photos below are all unprocessed. I’ve included one of my little studio for those who enjoy seeing ‘behind the scenes’. One moan, however - the sender of the red scales used a huge amount of packing tape and stuck it directly to the scales. On peeling, even gently, the tape removed the gorgeous red paint.

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Since establishing my little studio I have over the years accumulated a multitude of backdrops purchased from a variety of different companies. I have also made my own. Initially, they were limited in size just 4’ square which really limited the options available, experience now teaches me!

Now I’m all for large size backdrops, really intended for portraiture, rather than for still life which is my main studio output.

Unlike many I love playing around in photoshop, dropping in different backdrops or textural overlays, for example, to give a multitude of options to release the final ‘vision’ in the resultant image. Of course, the advantage of physical over digital backgrounds is the ease and immediacy. You hang it and shot; that’s it.

My photo style dictates that I general buy abstract backdrops rather than say, brick wall or room type affairs. One company that I have purchased several abstracts from is Kate Backdrops. They are relatively cheap and offer several abstract type hangings that suited me fine.

When they approached me to offer a couple of backdrops for testing, and for writing about (hence this blog post) I thought I would go for something different. A change in backdrop might keep the creative juices flowing, I thought.

I picked ZJ-J14430-D-1 and ZJ-HJ14916-E-1. The latter is described as a Dark Brown Retro Door, the first as Retro Classical Court Style Warm Colour.

I thought the ‘court style’ with a pedestal of flowers and a great sweep of draped curtains might fit my ‘old master’ style of cocktail images rather nicely. While the Door would add some interesting ‘recognisable’ architectural shapes while keeping the old master style vibe going.

First out the bag was the Door. A quick iron to remove the folds and a hang and I was away. My initial thought was the print had a rather muddy green colour cast to it. Rather than a door, it depicted two wall roundels and a picture frame; at least to me.

The colour cast wasn’t an issue in the final image (The Beauty Beneath Cocktail). Hardly noticeable at all. Once I realised I needed to set the still life up quite close to the backdrop (rather than trying to get the whole frame and roundels in the shot, as you would probably see with a portrait) everything worked out fine. Looking forward to using this backdrop again. Its size should allow its shapes and features to be positioned to give multiple variations.

The Classical Court backdrop I was less impressed with. The print was very undefined (blurry) and was in a different orientation to the Door (being 1.5mx2.2m rather than 2.2mx1.5m) something I didn’t notice on ordering. With this one, I am wondering if I should have selected a 1mx1.5m, so perhaps the image would be crisper and more of those sweeping folds would appear in the image.

The resulting image (Tipperary No.2 Cocktail) makes the backdrop look more abstract than perhaps I was intending, and it’s a bit dark too. So I have included an overexposed test shot, below, to show more of the backdrop in the final setup. More practice and experimentation required with this backdrop I think, to bring out its full potential.

As I mention I have long used Kate Backdrops as a source of affordable backdrops and will continue to use them for future projects (they are far, far easier to iron out any creases than my homemade backdrops made from dyed dust sheets for a start!).

Only two images taken so far, reproduced below, with the still life setup for both at the same distance from the backdrop (about 60cm/2feet). The backdrop images, taken from the Kate Backdrops website are shown for comparison.

Disclosure – Kate Backdrops allowed me to select two from their range and sent them to me for free. No other incentive was offered, and the opinions are my own.

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Not sure the room really warrants the grandiose title of ‘studio’. It’s small, barely enough room to walk around once the computer and desk plus prop shelving unit, small shooting table and back drop stand are in place. In reality it’s a second bedroom with a tiny window.

Concentrating on cocktail and wine still life images means I have a large collection of glassware, cocktail shakers and so on. Which doesn’t leave much room for different tables which I find are much required to keep the creativity alive.

Looking at the cocktail.collection Instagram feed might give the impression of many different tables but it is simply a collection of various wooden tops paired with false legs and draw fronts. Some tops are literally just two planks of wood nailed together. Even the draws for these tables are false with glued on handles.

Why the need for such a setup? Why not just use the plethora of backdrops designed for food photographers?

Well my style at the moment draws from the 16th/17th century old master style of art. These are practically all setup on tables. The opportunity of having different setups available, without resorting to the cost of buying and storing different tables, aids my creativity no end.

The central table the sets are built on is just 34” square.

The photos below show one such table setup with the resulting photograph showing the final result.

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