I know it has once again, been a hot moment. I've been trying all sorts of different meds and work has been crazy and I've been trying to work on building up and filling up rather than expending what little energy I have on creative efforts.
That said, I enjoyed the TWO series of photos I shot for the Food Art Project's August Challenge: inspired by Nikki Astwood of Revised Edition Styling.
The first, pretty prescriptive of a riff, was a series of late-summer cocktails on this deliciously decadent remnant fabric... like a mystic topaz lamé. Insanity. I tried Bombay's Bramble gin for the first time and, while it made the prep easier, seemed to lack some of the tartness I prefer from using fresh blackberries to make a syrup.
The second, and the flashier of the two, was an Aperol Negroni (my inner-Italian is aghast at trying such a sin). For this one, I was intending to infuse the liquor with anise flavor to try and add some herbal notes alongside the Aperol. I can't say I nailed it just yet, but hey, it took a pretty picture with the star anise and dehydrated grapefruits and oranges.
What I learned from this (because I want to start closing the loop on what I'm learning from these things):
styling photos with lots of items is harder than I expect it to be, especially when including organic elements.
Ice from my fridge is not the most attractive, but I can't seem to even make distilled cubes freeze clear
Condensation on glass in Texas weather is absolutely unavoidable
I really need a more robust photo flat-lay setup!
Color is not the worst, just really hard to manage and balance
