Summer Sun

The streak of hot and sunny weather continues. Luckily, in early morning and late at night, the temperature cool down a bit.  But during day time, it’s hot and dry. Even in the evening, the “golden light” is still strong and harsh. Well, shouldn’t complaint.  Summer sun doesn’t last long here!

Urban

Chinatown

Colourful Destruction

Structure I

Structure II

Granville Island in Winter

Never got tired of this place.  It’s just a marketplace underneath a bridge, with a semi industrial look.  But it got so much character in it.  In the winter, with less tourists, this place is a bit quieter.  But as it gets warmer later in the day, the hustle and  bustle of the marketplace never die down. 

 

The Art of Making Espresso

The aroma is just irresitible.  The combination of earthiness, fruitiness and nuttiness melt together to form this dark, velvety yet bold syrup. To brew a perfect cup of this dark potion is not an easy task. Start with the type of beans to use, the coarseness of the grind, to the pressure of temping, the time and tempreature of the water. Each and every step has to be meticulously implemented. As a beginner and learner, we embark on the journey to make a perfect cup of espresso. 

Tuscan Vegetables and Bean Soup

Haven’t done food photography for a while. Time is a big problem.  To have the perfect food pictures taken, you have to think about lights, composition, props, backdrops etc. Not to mention you have to do all the chopping, cooking, styling at the same time.  But there is something truly appealing about food photography.  The subject matters are always accessible. They are colourful, with different sizes, shapes and textures.  How you present it is just up to your own creativity. May be these are the reasons that make me want to shoot some food pictures once a while, no matter how time consuming it is.

This time, I would like to try a more clean and simple style, without the use of fancy props.  I also tried to do more close up shots because I don’t have a nice backdrop.  The soup that I made is a very simple and basic vegetable soup.  You can put in whatever vegetables that are in season. The use of parmesan cheese at the end is a very nice touch that boost the flavour to another level.

Recipe adapted from Bon Appétit (October 2003)