A Shot In The Dark

Staff photographer Daniel J. Van Ackere lines up a platter of sautéed maple Dijon chicken with parsley and bacon couscous during a photo shoot for recipes to be featured on recipe cards in an upcoming issue of Cook’s Country. Wondering why the lights in the studio are out? Many of our beauty shots are made using only available indirect sunlight (check out the gigantic iridescent panel at right, used to reflect sunlight in any desired direction) and a long exposure (to compensate for the low light level – on a cloudy day, we might leave the shutter open as long as thirty seconds!). The result? A final photograph with a natural quality that is tough to replicate with artificial light.