Happy Cow Butter

[Mike Buckley]

For the past 15 years I have lived by the motto that if the bread is really good, it needs no butter. That was until I was introduced to Happy Cow butter at a dinner party a few months ago in South Carolina.

The Happy Cow creamery is a relatively small company that distributes its products only in its region. The cows are grass-fed and range freely (thus the name, Happy Cow). The milk is pasteurized using the low-heat method and is not homogenized. All of their milk is whole milk. The bottling is done on the premises. And the butter is just unbelievably good.

When my friend from South Carolina visited with me and my wife over the weekend to help us celebrate our birthdays, I asked her to bring some Happy Cow butter. She brought a two-pound roll, which is a method of merchandising butter that I had never heard of.

Setup
The background is flecked red art paper draped in the style of cloth. The tabletop is beige art paper. A medium continuous-light lamp fitted with a diffusion sock and yellow and salmon gels is above the scene at the right rear. A small continuous-light lamp is at the front right corner. A white reflector on the left side bounces light into that part of the scene.

[Donald]

I'm not sure about the knife in the composition. Be interested to read the views of others and your own reaction to that, Mike. I think, for me, it's about the juxtaposition of the sort of warm, 'olde world' atmosphere created by both the background colour and the inclusion of the candlestick and the hard, cold, modern intrusion of modern technology.

Otherwise, I think it's gorgeous. Beautifully set up and lit.

[george013]

I agree with Donald. The knive shouldn't be there, or more visible. I like the game between dark en light.
When I read the title I immediately thought of the Laughing Cow. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Laughing_Cow

George

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Mike,

It is rare that something gets in to your pictures without a reason, so the inclusion of the knife, the illumination on it and the clearly legible text is very likely deliberate

I agree with Donald, it, since it was made in Taiwan (and shipped to USA), clearly says 'modern consumer society' to me which is at odds with the largely rural scene imparted by the items in the rest of the composition. To an extent, the turned candlestick (or whatever it is) in the background does the same, although it draws far less attention to itself.

That said, if the knife had said "Stainless Steel Sheffield", it might have been made some time ago, exported and still fit the time period portrayed, or I'm sure there were US cutlery manufacturers available a hundred years ago or more.

Cheers, Dave

[Shadowman]

Nicely exposed.

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, everyone! Very much appreciate the comments!

Apologies in advance for the relatively long post (long even for me!).

George: I had never heard of the Laughing Cow. Thanks for letting me know, as I'm going to share that information with the two people who made it possible for me to enjoy the Happy Cow butter.

About the knife: I agree with George that the knife should be more prominently displayed. The only way I was able to make that happen was to make the butter less prominently displayed and that was a compromise I was unwilling to make. Anyone who has more design skill than me (which is just about everyone) probably would have been able to figure out a way to prominently display both the knife and the butter in a way that makes sense.

It was important to me to include the knife because it helps indicate that the batch of butter is so large that it needs to be cut into segments to be stored and that doing so requires using a knife that is so large that it is typically used to slice meat and chop large vegetables.

Considering the two objects made of metal on the right side of the scene, it was also important to me to have some metal on the left side of the scene to provide balance. That gets back to the idea that I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer (pun intended) when it comes to designing a scene, so I might be wrong about the need for that balance.

The reason the "modern" knife works for me is that I make photos of objects that we use everyday. It not only doesn't matter to me that the blade indicates that the knife was made in Taiwan, I like that touch because that's a sign of the times. Similarly, the plastic cutting board indicates that this is not an old world scene. I don't think of metal candlestick holders as old world because I know they're so readily available today, though I understand why some people would think of them as old world. The metal plate understandably does perhaps seem out of place as being an old world item. When viewing a dining table set with metal plates, they actually look quite modern.

Ironically, it was only yesterday after making the photo that I realized that perhaps the metal plates are relatively rare these days and might not fit in with what I perceived as a fairly up to date look in the image. We bought a set of saucers, salad/bread plates, bowls, large plates and mugs in the mid 1980s from a modern company named Armetale. It is widely known for making dinnerware out of a safe, aluminum alloy that has the look of pewter. So, I never thought of the look as old world. Indeed, one of their styles of dinnerware was actually very modern. It was just last night that I discovered that Armetale now only makes accessories such as serving dishes.

[AlwaysOnAuto]

Mike - I hear what you're saying in your last post, but, we really don't get a size reference from the knife as shown, at least I don't. You could have easily made this shot with a 'normally' sized stick of butter and a 'normal' butter knife and shot it with a close up lens.
Where is the size reference for your viewer?
Nice exposure just the same. The bread looks good.

[bnnrcn]

Hi Mike Do you have any other shots of that butter with different compositions?The crop seems a bit tight to me at the top. IMO that plastic board makes the image look a bit ordinary and cold.What about a wooden breadboard which would give some warmth to the image

[Mike Buckley]

Thank you to Alan and Binnur!

Alan: The scale is provided for me by the cutting board and the candlestick holder. The loaf of bread also provides scale to me though to a less extent.

Binnur: The captured image allows for more space at the top. I tried several compositions like that and didn't like them as much. That's no surprise considering that I'm a fan of tight crops regardless of the subject.

I'm glad to see that the plastic board makes the scene look ordinary to you, as that's often if not usually my goal unless I am going for an obviously outrageous scene such as wine being poured into a glass from a garden hose. You also mentioned that a wooden cutting board would add warmth but that's not one of my goals, whether you're referring to warmth of color tones or ambiance.

[bnnrcn]

I was referring to the warmth of ambiance Mike. Looking at the image again, it can be seen that warmth of ambiance wasn't your goal really as the plastic board, the steel part of the knife and the metal candlestick all make the image look cold .

Seeing a composition with a warmer atmosphere might also look good though, if you shoot one day

Thank you to Alan and Binnur!

Alan: The scale is provided for me by the cutting board and the candlestick holder. The loaf of bread also provides scale to me though to a less extent.

Binnur: The captured image allows for more space at the top. I tried several compositions like that and didn't like them as much. That's no surprise considering that I'm a fan of tight crops regardless of the subject.

I'm glad to see that the plastic board makes the scene look ordinary to you, as that's often if not usually my goal unless I am going for an obviously outrageous scene such as wine being poured into a glass from a garden hose. You also mentioned that a wooden cutting board would add warmth but that's not one of my goals, whether you're referring to warmth of color tones or ambiance.

[AlwaysOnAuto]

Not all cutting boards are the same.
All I'm saying is that your frame of size reference could differ from others viewing the image. I think if a 'normal' butter knife had been laying propped up on the cutting board it could have lent a better size reference to your photo.

[Mike Buckley]

All I'm saying is that your frame of size reference could differ from others viewing the image.

You make and demonstrate very effectively a good point that I agree with.

[Mike Buckley]

Seeing a composition with a warmer atmosphere might also look good though, if you shoot one day

I'm sure it could look terrific!

[IzzieK]

+1 to Alan's comment....I was thinking of the same thing about lying the knife beside the butter or least a little bit diagonal to the already cut butter for reference. Putting the knife vertical to the cutting board works well too. So you have both choices...widen the shot with the diagonally placed knife pointing to the butter or on the side in reference to the butter and the cutting board.

As to your thought about the olde world look of the candle holder, this is because of the reference to the knife made of shiny metal as against the patina look of the candleholder...old and new..

As for the Laughing Cow butter and its related products that George from Netherland mentioned, Laughing Cow is an international product and their individual spreadable cheese has already been here in Missouri for about two years or so(?) maybe longer, but we have that in Australia for a long time than I can remember.

I also remember purchasing bulk butter (though not in log form) way back with Mom and Dad, when they were alive, at a small town before reaching Ballarat. I missed that a lot. Mom and Dad died in the early 90's.

From Dave --

That said, if the knife had said "Stainless Steel Sheffield", it might have been made some time ago, exported and still fit the time period portrayed, or I'm sure there were US cutlery manufacturers available a hundred years ago or more.

I agree with Dave about this statement although as a note, Chicago Metallics who was noted for their good products including pots and pans and baking products and knives, etc. now have their items made in China nowadays. I was so disappointed with their creme brulee set recently when the container rusted after one use. Also, I can't find extra creme brulee containers of exactly the same size.

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, Izzie!

[selig1656]

Comfort food so well captured the pic actually evokes a sense of warmth and comfort. Love the lighting , it really makes the pic.

[Mike Buckley]

Thank you to Raymond!

[Marie Hass]

Hi, Mike,

The lighting makes the shot. The juxtaposition of the 3 metallic objects - the knife, the candlestick and the plate draw the eye at angles through what is essentially a quiet, monochromatic middle scene. The backdrop provides a mellow splash of color without being obtrusive.

I like it!

Marie

[george013]

Funny. The name of the thread is "happy cow butter" while if I see that picture I only can think of cheese. I never cut butter, I scratch it. Maybe that's why.
To me the most important part is the game between light and dark. The clear butter(cheese) on the foreground and the disappearing bread behind it. As far I can see a setup many old painters of stills used.
Mike, are you left handed?
George

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, Marie and George, for the details of your reaction to the image.

I never cut butter, I scratch it.

My guess is that you do little cooking. I always cut butter when I cook but never any other time.

Mike, are you left handed?

Nope, but I understand why you might think so after seeing this photo.