photographing food

[dustydirtbiker]

anyone have experience with this? Got any tips/tricks? I've heard of using a steam machine to produce steam because the food's steam usually isn't there by the time you set up the shot...

What kind of prices would you charge? (you can PM this if you aren't comfortable posting it)

[JohnT]

See if this helps.
http://www.professionalphotography10...graphFood.html

[CaptainTom]

professional food stylists make a good income because they know how to make the food look good for the camera.
Angles and details will make or break it.
There are a ton of 'tricks' but they usually make the food inedible afterwards.
You also have to be aware of how far you can "enhance" the food before the FDA would say you're not showing a realistic image of the food.
I remember Campbell soup paying huge fines because they had put marbles in the bottom of the soup bowl to make the noodles come up out of the broth.
Made a great picture, but of course it didn't represent the real thing.

[MHampton]

Knew I kept these links for some reason... :)

http://www.foodportfolio.com/blog/pa..._of_trade.html
http://www.digitalfoodphotos.com/blog/
http://www.shutterbug.net/features/1204insider/
http://www.photocritic.org/food-photo-tricks/
http://www.benjaminchristie.com/arti...od-photography
http://www.essortment.com/hobbies/fo...raphy_sabx.htm
http://digital-photography-school.co...-introduction/
http://www.media-awareness.ca/englis...g/food_ads.cfm

[RKEnnis]

This book has good ideas for food styling:

Food Styling for Photographers: A Guide to Creating Your Own Appetizing Art

http://www.amazon.com/Food-Styling-P...9667249&sr=8-1

The title is a bit of a misnomer, though - the photography sections seem like a bit of an afterthought.

[tri]

i like to use white plates to bounce soft light

[photonewb]

Originally Posted by dustydirtbiker

anyone have experience with this? Got any tips/tricks? I've heard of using a steam machine to produce steam because the food's steam usually isn't there by the time you set up the shot...

What kind of prices would you charge? (you can PM this if you aren't comfortable posting it)

if it's just the steam you're looking for, take some cotton balls and get them wet, then microwave them. Then place food over them, the cotton balls will steam and can be reheated, or thrown away and replaced as necessary

;)

[J Eddington]

You know, our Canon Rep, Jerry Ward, is a food shooter. He gave a demo at this months DPPA meeting. It was quite an eye opener.

[klynam]

just subscribing to old thread so I can find it when I need it :-)

[NitroAGGIE]

Originally Posted by MHampton

Knew I kept these links for some reason... :)

Food Photography - Tricks of the trade
Digital Food Photos
Shutterbug: An Insider’s Look At Food Photography
The dirty tricks of food photographers :: Photocritic photography blog
Food Photography | Benjamin Christie Australian Chef & Recipes
Food photography tips and tricks
Food Photography – An Introduction
Food for Thought: Making Food Look Good | Handout

Thanks for the links! will get through those sites eventually...

[texkam]

There are a ton of 'tricks' but they usually make the food inedible afterwards.

Many years ago while interning at a catalog photography studio I thought I'd eat some of the food after a shoot. I made that mistake 1 time.

[PhotoByLeal]

Originally Posted by MHampton

Knew I kept these links for some reason... :)

Food Photography - Tricks of the trade
Digital Food Photos
Shutterbug: An Insider’s Look At Food Photography
The dirty tricks of food photographers :: Photocritic photography blog
Food Photography | Benjamin Christie Australian Chef & Recipes
Food photography tips and tricks
Food Photography – An Introduction
Food for Thought: Making Food Look Good | Handout

GOOD STUFF!

what would be a GOOD lens?
85 f/1.8
105 f/2.8
I LOVE my 70-200 f/2.8, but I would think the 85, 105 or 135 would do a better job..... just saying, but would love to hear your FOOD for THOUGHTS?

thanks....

[michel.cedric]

You're probably going to need a pretty short focal length if you're sitting by the table (I'm assuming you don't want to or can't walk too far away from the table). On a non full frame dslr a 30mm or shorter might work out pretty ok. Also, you might want to consider getting a lens with a fairly large aperture since I'm assuming a lot of times you'll be indoors and lighting tends to be dim and on camera flash normally isn't too flattering for food photography.

[klynam]

Originally Posted by JohnT

See if this helps.
How to photograph food - photographing food

Awesome. This saved my patoosky...thanks!!!

[d2creative]

Originally Posted by PhotoByLeal

GOOD STUFF!

what would be a GOOD lens?
85 f/1.8
105 f/2.8
I LOVE my 70-200 f/2.8, but I would think the 85, 105 or 135 would do a better job..... just saying, but would love to hear your FOOD for THOUGHTS?

thanks....

TCE would be best, but I don't have one so i use a 60mm macro or 90mm macro the most. Usually the 90.