Merry Christmas and many happy downloads. 

I have only empty section. I use Opera

OK, take two.

Wishing everyone a very happy, loving and safe holiday season, and a New Year full of successful and fulfilling beginnings.

https://youtu.be/p-8xM8L1LWY


@Thijs I love hearing about other countries.

@Pacesetter I hope your Sydney move went well.

@svh I dont think its the C word thats the problem, I think its the V word. Perhaps just let everyone have their own thoughts and opinions about it. To each their own.

@Martha come back :-)

@Leaf Please dont take this thread down.


I love hearing about how Christmas is celebrated around the world. As far as stock is concerned, I think its very relevant and something that agencies often ask for. Christmas during a pandemic is also very topical and something on everyone's minds. It should be documented by none other than stock photographers. Also, when something is concerning you, it helps to discuss it and even just to put it on paper.

Here in Australia, its hit us hard. Sydney is having 3,000 new cases a day, and here in my Capital city, we've gone from having zero cases a month ago to a few hundred new cases a day. This is troubling and on everyone's minds.

Thijs, I am sorry to hear about your family. I hope everyone is safe and recovering. Its going to be Christmas by Zoom, for our extended family. I will be cooking a turkey breast with all the trimmings just for my husband and I, and then Zoom to watch our little nephews open their presents.

Goodwill to everyone.

Love,
Annie

OK, take two.

Wishing everyone a very happy, loving and safe holiday season, and a New Year full of successful and fulfilling beginnings.

https://youtu.be/p-8xM8L1LWY


@Thijs I love hearing about other countries.

@Pacesetter I hope your Sydney move went well.

@svh I dont think its the C word thats the problem, I think its the V word. Perhaps just let everyone have their own thoughts and opinions about it. To each their own.

@Martha come back :-)

@Leaf Please dont take this thread down.


I love hearing about how Christmas is celebrated around the world. As far as stock is concerned, I think its very relevant and something that agencies often ask for. Christmas during a pandemic is also very topical and something on everyone's minds. It should be documented by none other than stock photographers. Also, when something is concerning you, it helps to discuss it and even just to put it on paper.

Here in Australia, its hit us hard. Sydney is having 3,000 new cases a day, and here in my Capital city, we've gone from having zero cases a month ago to a few hundred new cases a day. This is troubling and on everyone's minds.

Thijs, I am sorry to hear about your family. I hope everyone is safe and recovering. Its going to be Christmas by Zoom, for our extended family. I will be cooking a turkey breast with all the trimmings just for my husband and I, and then Zoom to watch our little nephews open their presents.

Goodwill to everyone.

Love,
Annie

Thank you Annie for your good wishes.
I had been following the news in Australia (family in Broadbeach and Brisbane).  Fortunately, we now have zoom.  Nice days!!

Thanks Martha and Thijs ! Merry Christmas Wilm.

So what is everyone cooking/eating for Christmas? For those who dont know me, I'm a chef's daughter and love cooking and sharing recipes.

And before anyone complains that this is not stock related, I will add that Christmas food around the world is a great festive subject. You can even shoot this year's dinner or meal prep, and upload later for next year. Christmas tends to sell all year round anyway. My suggestion is to set up an area beforehand and have all your equipment there ready for a quick shoot before it goes on to the table. Do all your lighting and testing beforehand.  If you don't have indoor lights then use natural light. Push a small table up against a window or door.  Or even place a tablecloth on the floor and shoot as a top-down flatlay. Or even photograph everyone eating and celebrating at the table. If you can get up really high and shoot that top down, then that would be great too. I can just imagine your guests: Whats that big ladder by the table for??   (And don't forget your copy space!! LOL)

OK, so that's the stock side out of the way, what's everyone eating?

We tend to follow the traditional English roast turkey with desserts like plum puddings. But when the weather is too hot, a lot of people have things like seafood and salads. Or BBQs outdoors. I make an ice cream plum pudding (or some sort of ice cream cake) for dessert.

Martha, I suppose because you have turkey for Thanksgiving, Americans dont tend to have that again for Christmas? And Thijs, Wilm and others - what do Europeans have?

Thanks Martha and Thijs ! Merry Christmas Wilm.

So what is everyone cooking/eating for Christmas? For those who dont know me, I'm a chef's daughter and love cooking and sharing recipes.

And before anyone complains that this is not stock related, I will add that Christmas food around the world is a great festive subject. You can even shoot this year's dinner or meal prep, and upload later for next year. Christmas tends to sell all year round anyway. My suggestion is to set up an area beforehand and have all your equipment there ready for a quick shoot before it goes on to the table. Do all your lighting and testing beforehand.  If you don't have indoor lights then use natural light. Push a small table up against a window or door.  Or even place a tablecloth on the floor and shoot as a top-down flatlay. Or even photograph everyone eating and celebrating at the table. If you can get up really high and shoot that top down, then that would be great too. I can just imagine your guests: Whats that big ladder by the table for??   (And don't forget your copy space!! LOL)

OK, so that's the stock side out of the way, what's everyone eating?

We tend to follow the traditional English roast turkey with desserts like plum puddings. But when the weather is too hot, a lot of people have things like seafood and salads. Or BBQs outdoors. I make an ice cream plum pudding (or some sort of ice cream cake) for dessert.

Martha, I suppose because you have turkey for Thanksgiving, Americans dont tend to have that again for Christmas? And Thijs, Wilm and others - what do Europeans have?

Annie,

I have to smile a little. Do you know Asterix & Obelix? There's a short dialogue when the two of them are on their way to England in a boat together with Asterix's cousin.

"Do you often have fog like this here?"
"My goodness, no, only when it's not raining!"

There is always a grain of truth in every humorous stereotypical statement.

It's much the same here in winter. At 9am it starts to get "light" (if it's not cloudy, because then we have only twilight all day) and by 4pm it's dark again. It's raining or, as is currently the case, it's freezing cold. One would freeze in the grass at the BBQ, so this alternative does not offer itself here. You would have to cut your beer out of the ice block and suck it as ice cubes.... 

We have raclette. The whole table is full of bowls. Very finely sliced beef tenderloin, pork tenderloin, chicken breast tenderloin, bacon, corn, green onions, herb butter, peppers, champignons, potatoes, raclette cheese, marinated prawns (with olive oil, garlic, honey, cognac, a few dashes of Worcester sauce, thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper). Served with water and Chilean "Montes" Cabernet Sauvignon - no Rosemount Estate this time ;-). This usually lasts a couple of hours. Yummy!

On the second day we have crispy baked duck in orange sauce with almond croquettes and red cabbage. As an appetizer there are slices of white bread fried in garlic butter, topped with blanched red cabbage, small orange slices and freshly shaved Parmegiano reggiano.

My daughter will make a tofu dish to go with it instead of the meat because she is vegetarian.

For dessert there is stratiatella and caramel ice cream with amaretto.

Enjoy the Christmas holidays! All the best for you too!

Making a turkey on the kettle grill, at least starting it on the grill for the flavor. I shot that last year and it has sold in small numbers. Champagne, shrimp dip (top secret Mom's family recipe) Pumpkin pie, stuffing, some kind of inspired vegetable, like steamed squash? Just the two of us, which is just dandy. Packers play in the afternoon, while I'm cooking. Basic and simple... probably a fire in the pellet stove for a cozy evening.

Holiday Shrimp Spread  for Crackers

1/2 pound shrimp - fine chopped

1 t fine minced onion or scallions
1 t minced celery
1 t minced green pepper
1 t chopped parsley
1/2 t grated lemon rind or
1 t lemon juice (or both)
1/4 t salt
1/4 t ground pepper
1 dash of Tabasco

1/4 C  Hellmann�s Real Mayonnaise

Let sit overnight in a covered crock in the refrigerator.

Soda crackers are best

Wilm, sounds almost like we planned our dinner together, except we prefer red wine  . Raclette seems to have caught on in Germany in recent years.

I wish everyone here a relaxing Christmas and a happy new year.

Hi Ralf,

I suspect you got confused by the "sauvignon" and were thinking of a sauvignon blanc. It is a red wine - the Montes Cabernet Sauvignon. Certainly not a Mouton or Petrus, but it has a very good price-quality ratio.

I wish you a nice Christmas with delicious food too!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Very cute pic!

Oh, wow! Look at all the wonderful food ideas. Yum !

Martha, Beef Wellington sounds fantastic.

Wilm, I have heard of raclette before but thank you for your mouth-watering description. I would love to photograph something like that. Would make a great flatlay. And yes - the Rosemount wine! I forgot. We were supposed to 'share' that when I reached 100k DLs on SS this year. I was so busy and distracted at the time that I never posted it to SS forum.

Of course, Rosemount Estates is here in my home state, but Wilm - because our winery industry here is one of our big exports, I am always interested to hear how much you would pay for a bottle of that wine overseas?

Pete - thanks for the shrimp recipe!! Yum. We would call them prawns here - and do you remember the old Australian 'put a shrimp on the barbie' tourism ads with Paul Hogan??

https://youtu.be/95OovSKEtfs

Hello Annie,

the Rosemount Estate Shiraz is about $8 here, the Cabernet Sauvignon is $9.

But for you to just hide the 100,000 downloads is outrageous! You can't be that busy that you forget to post that! 

Congratulations on this well-deserved milestone! Super! 

You are cordially invited for raclette. And of course, feel free to take pictures. The tabletop is brand new and makes a very nice background. And: It's not far. Only 12,000 kilometers! We have a guest room for you...

Quote from: Wilm on December 23, 2021, 17:23

Quote from: Annie on December 23, 2021, 14:33

Oh, wow! Look at all the wonderful food ideas. Yum !

Martha, Beef Wellington sounds fantastic.

Wilm, I have heard of raclette before but thank you for your mouth-watering description. I would love to photograph something like that. Would make a great flatlay. And yes - the Rosemount wine! I forgot. We were supposed to 'share' that when I reached 100k DLs on SS this year. I was so busy and distracted at the time that I never posted it to SS forum.

Of course, Rosemount Estates is here in my home state, but Wilm - because our winery industry here is one of our big exports, I am always interested to hear how much you would pay for a bottle of that wine overseas?

Pete - thanks for the shrimp recipe!! Yum. We would call them prawns here - and do you remember the old Australian 'put a shrimp on the barbie' tourism ads with Paul Hogan??

https://youtu.be/95OovSKEtfs

Hello Annie,

the Rosemount Estate Shiraz is about $8 here, the Cabernet Sauvignon is $9.

But for you to just hide the 100,000 downloads is outrageous! You can't be that busy that you forget to post that! 

Congratulations on this well-deserved milestone! Super! 

You are cordially invited for raclette. And of course, feel free to take pictures. The tabletop is brand new and makes a very nice background. And: It's not far. Only 12,000 kilometers! We have a guest room for you...

Oh, thanks Wilm. Wouldn't that be wonderful if we could share the raclette. Thanks for the offer of the guestroom!! 

That's not bad for the Rosemount. Our most expensive export wine, often bought by collectors, is our Penfolds Grange - starting at around $900 AUD (!!) a bottle. If you ever see that around, please let me know the price if possible?

https://www.danmurphys.com.au/product/DM_529926/penfolds-grange-2012

So funny I have a 2016 Penfolds St Henri Shiraz bottle on my self in that real fancy box. I got it as a gift for Xmas in 2016. I think they got it for around $500 to $600.

@Pacesetter I hope your Sydney move went well.

Love,
Annie

Thankyou Annie, yes the move to Sydney did go well. Was a tiring experience but all very well worth it. Have a lovely Christmas