May 2018 Murfreesboro Magazine Cover Photo

For the May 2018 issue of Murfreesboro Magazine, I was asked to photograph the cover story on Hometown Favorites. I was able to shoot the cover for the issue at Goodness Gracious at the Mill. I was also able to photograph one of my all-time favorite restaurants Demo's as well as a new favorite Karin's Custard Cup! Keep reading for some great food photography tips and to see some amazing food photography!

Check out a gallery of the magazine layout below!

Goodness Gracious at the Mill

First up let's talk about Goodness Gracious at the Mill. I first met the fine folks from Goodness Gracious last year at The Battle of the Burger for Murfreesboro Magazine. They cooked up an amazing cheeseburger on some amazing bread. So it was great getting to catch up with them again this year and go to their fantastic restaurant in Readyville. 

When I got to the Mill and saw the amazing table that we photographed on I knew that I had to shoot a cover option here. That table was too cool. So for my cover option, I picked the amazing salad and spread some of our other items around it leaving a ton of negative space at the top. It worked out to be the cover of the magazine.
Now that is some good eating! You can take a behind the scenes look at this shoot below!

Now that is some good eating! You can take a behind the scenes look at this shoot below!

Karin's Kustard Cup

Karin's Kustard Cup has quickly become one of my favorite spots in the Murfreesboro area! My wife is from Central Illinois and in that area, this type of custard place is really popular there is one in her hometown called Deweys. This restaurant is just like it. Karin is actually a transplant to the Middle Tennessee area from Central Illinois. She offers some amazing cheeseburgers and custards.

Check out a quick behind the scenes video from Karin's Kustard below! I generally shoot with strobes but natural light was my best option here.

Demos'

Demos' has been one of my favorite restaurants in the Nashville area since I moved to Middle Tennessee in 1998. I first started going to the downtown Nashville location when I was on Model UN and Youth Legislature trips in Highschool. They serve up some of the best spaghetti that I have had. A lot of people consider Demos' an Italian restaurant, but I picture them more as a family restaurant. They serve up plenty of Italian but have many other things including steaks on the menu. I photographed this article at the Murfreesboro location.

Want to Learn More About Food Photography

If you want to learn more about food photography and the gear involved check out the following links to other blog articles. Food Photography Kit, How to Price Food Photography, The Two Best Lenses for Food Photography, and The Single Best Lens for Food Photography.

Wrapping it all up!

I had an amazing time photographing Goodness Gracious at the Mill, Karin's Kustard Cup and Demos'. It was an honor to get to photograph these three amazing establishments in the Murfreesboro restaurant scene. I'm always happy that I get to be a part of this community. Let me know in the comments how you would photograph this assignment!

Nick Bumgardner is a food photographer based outside of Nashville, Tennessee. Nick also teaches classes at Nossi College of art, and consults for the e-commerce industry.