Different Perspectives
When I first saw this photograph, I wished I could reach inside of it and pick up the eggs. I wanted to feel their weight in the palm of my hand. Run my fingers across their mottled shells. Part of me wanted to tap one egg swiftly on the edge of a mixing bowl just to see what was inside. My other half hoped that they were still sitting on a table somewhere. Untouched.
These eggs where photographed by my friend and colleague at Organic Gardening, Christa Neu, who generously agreed to be the first guest photographer on DigginFood! On Mondays, I will be posting photos of food taken by a series of guest photographers. Each post will include the photos and some short commentary from the photographer.
I’m really excited for this new feature and can’t wait to see where it leads. My hope is that the pictures widen your perspective on food, inspire you in the kitchen and garden, introduce you to talented photographers, and make you smile.
Now a word from Christa on quail eggs:
I’d never eaten quail eggs before, but I bought them because I thought they’d make a pretty photo prop. Quail eggs have more delicate shells than chicken eggs, and I didn’t get through the shoot without some casualties. It let me learn two things, the inside of the shells are blue, and you barely have to tap quail eggs to crack them open. I used my remaining 7 eggs to make a fluffy delicious omlette.
Bizarrely, while I was buying my quail eggs in Pennsylvania, my friend Angel was gravitating to quail eggs in Rhode Island, and for the same reason. Soon we had people photographing quail eggs in Boston and Brooklyn, too—a “same object” photo assignment reminiscent of our Syracuse University days. That project is on hiatus now, but if you want to see more quail egg photos, you can check out what Angel, Robyn and Matt shot here, here, and here.
You can see more of Christa’s work on her blog, c neu photo, and in the pages of Organic Gardening.
what pretty pics of quail’s eggs!
as a child growing up in SE Asia, we often use these as little hard boiled eggs and pair them up with cocktail sausages for an appetizer
thanks for fond memories!
February 2nd, 2009 at 4:05 pmvery lovely. I’ve enjoyed quail eggs with sushi. Delicious!
February 2nd, 2009 at 8:19 pmThey’re absolutely lovely! What do they taste like?
February 3rd, 2009 at 7:40 amI am particularly fond of the picture of the broken, stacked shells. Lovely! But you could probably take a picture of a cat box and it would be poetry!
February 3rd, 2009 at 8:12 amthanks everyone–
February 3rd, 2009 at 8:56 amto me quail eggs taste pretty close to chicken eggs, but they make a slightly fluffier omlette…unless you’re like my brother and whip up your omlettes in the blender or the food processor.
Absolutely gorgeous! Christa, your ability to get just the right depth of field, focus, and light on these eggshells is just brilliant! You make it look so easy, but I know it takes tremendous talent and sensitivity to get these kind of shots. Hats off to you.
Darlene
February 3rd, 2009 at 9:19 amBeautiful shells..
February 3rd, 2009 at 9:35 amso dreamy Christa … big fan
February 3rd, 2009 at 10:00 amThose are gorgeous, and unbroken resemble mottled chocolate. Delicious.
February 3rd, 2009 at 12:20 pmI am so glad you love the pictures as much as I do. Just wait until you see what Christa has in store for you next week (she’s providing food shots for February!).
February 3rd, 2009 at 1:03 pmWhat a good egg you are. Har, har, har.
February 3rd, 2009 at 4:08 pmWho ever thought eggs would make such great photo opps, I guess that is why you are the pro,
Exquisite! Beautiful photos.
February 3rd, 2009 at 6:02 pm[...] hope you enjoy this second installment in the new food photography series! Be sure to take note of Christa’s hints below for capturing such pretty pictures and her [...]
February 9th, 2009 at 9:37 am[...] styling and attention to details and it has been an absolute pleasure to share her photos of quail eggs, pears, and salt with you these past few weeks. I hope you’ll continue to follow her work on her [...]
February 23rd, 2009 at 8:40 pm