Can 'o Cannelini

Can 'o Cannelini - student project

I did this project last week and finally post-processed the photos. 

My storyboard was just a list of ~10 potential shots, with barely any sketches. It was still a good idea to list it all out.

This was the first time I cooked this dish (straight out of a recipe book) so I had to also plan the steps for cooking in addition to the photographry.

Setup: Kitchen table top. I barely have any interesting props, not even table cloths. Diffused sunlight from floor-to-ceiling window, and a circular silver/white reflector on the other side. Time to cook and photograph - 5 hours!!

Can 'o Cannelini - image 1 - student project

This is actually photoshopped. There weren't enough cannelinni beans for both the bowl and the can, so I composited two photos. (I'm new to photoshop so this was hard). 

Can 'o Cannelini - image 2 - student project

I wish this was more in focus. I took a lot of these shots, and I liked the swirl in the steam on this one.

Can 'o Cannelini - image 3 - student project

The tomatoes were beautiful! I have a couple of awesome shots of this setup from different angles, and it was hard to choose one from the lot.

Can 'o Cannelini - image 4 - student project

The spinach was not sufficiently fresh-looking unfortunately, so this out-of-focus one works the best. I was wearing a red shirt while shooting this (doh) so I had to remove some red reflection in the tap.

Can 'o Cannelini - image 5 - student project

The spatula is actually delicately hanging off of a cutlery holder. I liked this shot angle because of the 3D effect in the oil.

Can 'o Cannelini - image 6 - student project

This was the fried bread put in the blender. I'm not sure if I got that message through.

Can 'o Cannelini - image 7 - student project

The first time I shot this, I forgot to include the fork and spoon (and wine). So this is actually the leftovers the next day. And that's not really wine :)

Thanks Leela for the videos!

The recipe is pretty involved. From the Five-a-day cookbook. Here goes:

8oz cannellini beans, soaked overnight

4 tbsp olive oil

1 slice white bread

1 onion chopped

3-4 tomatoes, peeled and chopped

pinch of paprika

1 lb spinach

1 garlic clove halved

salt and ground black pepper


1) Drain beans, place in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to boil and boil rapidly for 10 mins. Cover and simmer for 1 hour until tender. Drain.


2) Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a frying pan and fry the bread until golden brown.


3) Fry the onion in 1 tbsp oil over gentle heat until soft but not brown, then add tomatoes and continue cooking over gentle heat.


4) Heat the remaining oil in a large pan, stir in the paprika and then add the spinach. Cover and cook for a few minutes until spinach has wilted.


5) Add the onion and tomato mixture to the spinach, mix well and stir in the beans.


Place the garlic and fried bread in a food processor and process until smooth. Stir into the spinach/bean mixture. Add 2/3 cup cold water and then cover/simmer gently for 20-30 minutes, adding more water if necessary.