Photographing ice cream during a heatwave is a challenge but not totally impossible☀️😅🤷🏻♀️
What can go wrong? Well, the worst thing that can happen is that I end up with melted ice cream all over and no decent photos to show😆
Not the end of the world, right? I can always try again!
So I made Protein-Rich Ice Cream Pops with Strawberries and Homemade Cashew Milk. YUM!
In this beautiful sunny weather, what’s better than delicious ice cream?
I typically make myself a smoothie once a day, but in this heatwave weather, I’ve been experimenting with making them into ice cream popsicles. And I must say, it works pretty well.
But, photographing these babies before they melt takes more effort than it takes to eat them.
So if you wish to experiment with making healthy, homemade ice cream and photograph them too, here’s my best tips for photographing ice cream before it melts (even in a heatwave):
🍡Make the ice pops in advance. You are welcome to use my recipe below. This takes about 10 minutes + a minimum of 4 hours in the freezer.
🍡 While the ice is in the freezer, plan your photography style, the mood, the color theme, and what props to use.
🍡 Consider if you want to show some of the ingredients used in the recipe. If so, plan how to include it.
🍡 Place your main props in the freezer for about half an hour before you begin. This will help keep things cool.
🍡 Set up your scene ahead of time. Take a few test shots. Study your test shots carefully to see if something needs to be rearranged. Keep going until you get something you like. At this point, you have to imagine the ice cream in the scenes. Don’t take anything out of the freezer until you are ready to shoot.
🍡 Make sure you picked the right lens for the job, like a 50mm, 100mm or a zoom lens. Of course, you can use your phone camera as well.
🍡 Take your time to find the best settings for aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. If you shoot handheld, keep shutter speed on 1/100 or above.
🍡 Prepare to work fast. As soon as you take out the ice cream, you have a small window of time to take photos. So make them count.
🍡 Have paper towels ready to control drips and melted ice cream. Things can get sticky when you’re working with ice cream, and you don’t want to get that stickiness on your camera when you’re shooting. So, keep some paper towels or tissues near for easy clean-up.
That’s it.
No, wait, I forgot the most important part… HAVE FUN with the process😀 and eat all the ice cream you can eat at the end because this ice cream is good for you 👌🏼
Protein-Rich Ice Cream Pops with Strawberries and Homemade Cashew Milk
- 2 TB of Cashews (soaked in water overnight)
- 1 cup Strawberries or mixed Berries
- 1 cup of Greek Yogurt
- 6 juicy Dates (no stones!)
- 2 scoops of Collagen Powder
- Vanilla Essence
- Sweetener (optional)
Start by washing the overnight cashews in water. Now blend them with a bit of fresh cold water – just enough to cover them. Then add the rest of the ingredients until smooth and soft. Pour the mixture into popsicle molds. I use molds made from stainless steel, but you can use any kind you want. Freeze overnight or for 4-5 hours. Enjoy!
Discover The Secrets To Beautiful FOOD + STILL LIFE Photography In Just 5 Days
Get your creative juices flowing with my FREE online mini-course.
Easy to follow tips on styling a scene, working with natural light, getting tack sharp images and much, much more. All my best strategies for capturing beautiful photos – straight to your inbox.