Can YOU Cook a Perfect Egg? Yes this is actually about photography…

So recently I have been equating something. Some say that chefs test themselves and others by cooking an egg. I have always loved trying to cook perfect eggs whether someone wants scrambled, fried, poached or one of many ways to cook them. I like the challenge it presents and the skill-set required to try and master something so simple. Let's take scrambled eggs for example: I start the pan warming on a low heat while I crack the eggs allowing no bits of shell. Then I add a little milk and use a fork to whip them for about 45 seconds to a minute so air is introduced giving the eggs a better chance at being lite and fluffy. Next I will add butter to my pan and coat the surface quickly to avoid letting the butter burn and turn brown thus discoloring the scrambled eggs. What I want is a buttery yellow color in my finished eggs. While the eggs cook I don't move them around the pan violently but instead I use small strokes to avoid burning but also to avoid having the eggs separate into a bunch of different clumps. I want them to be one mound if possible so the fork doesn't have to chase them all over the plate. Lastly, I cook the eggs to about 90 percent done and then remove the pan from the heat since they are are hot enough to finish cooking on their own. That way they don't end up with an over-cooked rubbery texture to them when they are ready to be served. 

So why am I, a photographer, talking about the intricacies of cooking eggs you ask? This Summer I have taken notice and a liking to Hummingbirds. I'm not a nature photographer (just like I'm not a chef) but photographing a Hummingbird well can present many challenges. I won't talk about all of them but if you've ever watched one you know they are fast in a lot of different ways to say the least. For example I am constantly changing my shutter speed depending on the Sun giving direct light or if it snuck behind a cloud for a few moments. I keep my camera close to my face as to not give away my position with too much movement and scare away the Hummingbird. I fine tune my focus literally to single point selection and then I have to predict the exact moments when the bird will remove it’s beak from the feeder and fly away. All this will trying to keep a creature that’s usually no more than 4 inches tall in frame. So I look at trying to capture them the same way a chef may look to cook the perfect egg… because it’s not about the egg but instead about getting it right. If you are able to get it right then you probably just increased your skill-set in so many areas without even realizing you did. Perhaps in the same way fishing may teach you patience… or if you are one of my friends that loves fishing… at the very least it increased your tolerance for alcohol.

I am curious if YOU have anything like this with your profession? If so, tell me what you do and paint me a little picture of the intricacies involved. It's also perfectly fine to post a link to your business or professional page a long with it. Share with me!

I'm 7, I like to cook eggs and take pictures!

Edit/Addition 8/21/23:

I attended a memorial service this past weekend for someone that was very important in my life and had a wonderful time with old friends that I consider family. It was very inspiring to listen to Betty May’s grandson Brian get up and describe how she taught him to cook the perfect omelette. Betty May never taught me about cooking eggs (popcorn perhaps) but to listen to Brian describe the process that he was taught was fun, informative and touching. Knowing that Betty May shaped my childhood along with so many others what I heard when Brian spoke about whipping the eggs and adding a little water (not milk in her kitchen) was actually ‘whip these kids into shape and add enough love so they become confident, loving adults ready to take on the world’. Rest easy Betty May… you did it! #BeKindNoGum