Photographing Food

[Wes]

I was approached by someone that is setting up a web site for a local Mexican restaurant. He wants to know if I would be willing to photograph some of their dishes for display on the web site. My first thought was, "Do I getta eat it when I'm done?" (just kidding) Seriously, I'm thinking, "how hard can it be?" But then I remember that a lot of things that look simple on the surface usually have some caveat that will come up and bite you in the lower torso later on. Soooooo.... here I am asking you fine folks if any of you have ever done food photography. Any tips that anyone would be willing to share would be MUCHO appreciated.

[mcphotography]

i've shot a couple of food dishes for a local food magazine and best advice i can offer is if at all possible take advantage of natural light and shoot from all angles, especially from above, getting as much detail of the dish as possible....i'll post some samples sometime tomorrow

[dhbrower]

You should always light food from behind, because that throws a shadow that gives them something to "sit on". You can light it from other directions, also, but you really need this! You need to look at what shadows are there to make sure the photo doesn't appear too flat.

You should also be very careful of exactly how the food is arranged, whether it is a piece of lettuce or a macaroni noodle. Look at other great photos of food that are similar to what you are going to shoot. I took a class from Joe Glyda, who photographs food for Kraft -- awesome photographer! These were some of his tips....

[Wes]

Wow, great advice, Debbie! Thanks.

[CaptainTom]

All of the above, plus---- make sure everything is tack sharp. Good food photos have to be all in focus. Out of focus food looks badddddd..

Check every little detail.

[chloew]

Originally Posted by dhbrower

You should always light food from behind, because that throws a shadow that gives them something to "sit on".

Very, very true.


courtesy of Mesa Grill/Bobby Flay

I prefer food images with white plate and table cloth. Expose for the food, and let the white wash out if necessary. Shoot from 45-60 degrees above, use a tripod and medium lens and set your aperature to get a large DOF.

Also focus on the details of the food, you don't always need a picture of the whole plate.


courtesy of Austin Monthly

[adirty1]

Originally Posted by CaptainTom

All of the above, plus---- make sure everything is tack sharp. Good food photos have to be all in focus. Out of focus food looks badddddd..

Check every little detail.

i agree with ya on that but now people are shooting out of focus food shots. I just dont understand it but that's what is hot right now.

i have done one food shot for money and that will probably be the last... I am just not set up to do food... now if i had a kitchen at the studio

[Wes]

GREAT TIPS! Keep 'em coming!

I'm guessing that I'll probably be shooting at the restaurant and I currently have no idea one what the environment will look like. I can take a white sheet or table cloth with me but I'll have to accomodate for the lighting. I don't have any soft boxes or any of that stuff yet. I suppose I could use my SB600 as a remote flash to provide lighting from behind the foold and use the built-in flash for fill.

[CaptainTom]

Originally Posted by xmenporsche

GREAT TIPS! Keep 'em coming!

I'm guessing that I'll probably be shooting at the restaurant and I currently have no idea one what the environment will look like. I can take a white sheet or table cloth with me but I'll have to accomodate for the lighting. I don't have any soft boxes or any of that stuff yet. I suppose I could use my SB600 as a remote flash to provide lighting from behind the foold and use the built-in flash for fill.

set the white balance (see other threads) and you can use a couple of photoflood lights.
You will see the lighting immediately, and can adjust accordingly. Take a large white poster board for fill light.

Light from behind, shoot from above. High f stop for DOF. Use the poster board to fill in the shadows. If your shutter speed is slow enough, you can use the poster board to "paint" the shadows, but that is another thread entirely.... good luck.

[dhbrower]

One other "trick" you can use it to put your camera on a tripod, change the lighting several different ways without moving the food, and then layer your different photos using the highlights you want to use -- using layer masks in Photoshop. Then you can get absolutely the most perfect food ever! Just make sure you have the food looking great before you take all the different lighting shots.

I agree -- using white poster board to get the highlights exactly where you want them is great!

[Bill]

Tell the guy that food shots look great because of the food stylist, first of all. They know how to prepare the plate to be photographed. Without a stylist, you shoot food that is meant to be eaten, but that often does not look so good in a photo.

I would recommend looking at photos done for other Mexican restaurants and figuring out how they were prepped and done.

A white cloth background on the Web is subject to blown highlights unless the exposure is reduced so much that the food may be too dark without very targeted lighting. A medium or darker background allows more exposure and more detail in the food.

Food droops. That's right, gets old. Very quickly. Even with strobes(forget hot lights), know what you are going to do and do it quickly. Lettuce goes dull, sauces glaze over as they cool, and glistening highlights evaporate. You may have to have the same dish prepared more than once.

There are a number of books and articles on food photography. With knowledge, talent, perseverance, and decent tools, food photography is within your grasp.

[NathanJK]

I've shot some good food shots in the past with just one off camera flash and a reflector for fill. One piece of advice: ALWAYS use a tripod and stop down a good bit for good DOF. They are going to want people to be able to see all the food on the plate clearly, not just a taco in the foreground

[Redmouse]

Don't shoot what you don't eat...