lighting chicken after a vacation

[redbourn]

Just got back from a week in the UK and the prices there are horrendous.

Three times what everything costs me in Portugal.

Did my first photo since I got back and am obviously still struggling with the lighting.

Italian Chicken With Eggplant And Basil

Serves 4

Prep time 10 min
Cook time 40 min
Total time 1hr

4 chicken thighs and legs, skin on, bone in - around 2lb, 900g total
3 medium sized eggplants (aubergine), cubed - about 4.5lb, 2kg
1.5 cups dry white wine
1 cup water or more if needed when checking last ten minutes
1 medium medium chopped onion
5 cloves garlic, chopped finely
Olive oil, but not extra virgin
About 2 cups of basil leaves.
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Wash and dry the chicken pieces well.
Season with salt and pepper on skin side.
Heat oil over med-med-high heat in a pan large enough to hold all the chicken pieces without crowding.
The oil should be about 1/4", .6 cm deep - you will need this for the eggplant.
Add chicken skin side down and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Don’t turn chicken over until the first side is browned. If it is still sticking to the pan, it’s not browned yet!
Both sides should take about 10-12 minutes total.
When chicken is well browned on both sides, remove and set it aside.
Lower heat to med-low and add eggplant.
At first it will soak up all the oil, but will later release it.
Stir until eggplant has browned, sprinkle with salt and pepper, add ononion and garlic, and stir.
After 3 minutes, add chicken and wine and allow to simmer for 2 minutes.
Scrape any browned bits of chicken to release them, then add the water and stir well.
Add about 10 basil leaves, stir and cover pan. Turn heat down to a simmer, cover, and finish cooking the chicken.
* If you don't have a lid then use aluminum foil or a baking sheet.
After 10 minutes, stir but still leave chicken skin side up and simmer for 10 minutes more.
Don’t worry if some of the eggplant falls apart as it will become a part of the sauce.
When chicken is done, add basil leaves, stir and serve, maybe with pasta.
When juices run clear or internal temperature is 160°F, 71°C
If you are going to reheat it and serve it later, add the fresh basil just before serving.

 

[Nevermore1]

Looks and sounds good

Sent from my SM-N915T using Tapatalk

 

[redbourn]

Does the original photo look too yellow ?

I'm away from home for two days and just downloaded the same image from Facebook.

Using my laptop and don't have Spyder software here but I think it's set up within reasonable limits.

Do you like these colors better?

 

[chuasam]

The color still seems off

 

[redbourn]

The color still seems off

I think so to and imagine that the lighting was the problem.

Any ideas what to do next time so that I don't make the same mistake again?

Thanks.

 

[chuasam]

my breakfast with a point and shoot camera.
My advice is to bump up your ISO to as high as you can comfortably go and use ambient light.

 

[redbourn]

my breakfast with a point and shoot camera.
My advice is to bump up your ISO to as high as you can comfortably go and use ambient light.

Something that I've learned here in the last few months is that point and shoot and many phone photos produce good but not great or memorable shots.

Your photo is nice but is it great?

No it isn't, and I'm not attacking you, because I am going through the same thing.

I can shoot very good photos with natural window light but the photos still need reflectors to make them stand out.

This photo was just a snapshot on my phone and steam was coming from the food.

Is it interesting ?

Maybe.

But is it a great photo?

No, it definitely isn't.

Going to add the contents to a pie.

Thanks for posting.

 

[redbourn]

Bottom line is, as I learned here is that because of the relatively higher and higher of quality of cellphones and point and shoot, is that for photos to really stand out that lighting and reflectors must be used.

Natural lighting with a phone can look very good, but will look flat without reflected light.

And it will soon be possible to adjust f stops on cellphones using an oil and water technique.

Will Smart-Phones Soon Been Using Liquid Lenses? - Latest Hi-tech Info