Download - Introduction To Food Photography
Introduction to food photographyeat&twitt
by @gkamin
What's so special 'bout food photography?
● Art● Which makes us DO things:
● Feel hunger● Cook● Buy a cook book● Buy a product at the supermarket● Order a dish (although we don't like restaurants with
pix in their menus, but for takeaway and website it's ok ;)
What's so special 'bout food photography?
● Team work:● Photographer● Chef● Food stylist● Prop stylist● Client
● Combines studio and outdoors work● Requires understanding of light and reflections.● Requires working fast at times (we don't want that ice-cream melting,
don't we?)● Requires improvisation skills
● You get to eat the stuff!
How they used to do it...
How things are done today - angle
How things are done today - tilt
How things are done today – less is more
How things are done today – DOF
How things are done today – colors
How things are done today – raw
How things are done today – location
Light in food photography
● Photography (esp. In the studio) is all about understanding light.● Size of light source● Distance from subject● Diffusing light● Reflections
● Food looks best under natural day light!● Shoot next to a window with indirect sunlight (or with a curtain)
● Don't use an on-camera flash● Make sure the light doesn't come from behind you
● Side light or backlight work best● Use a reflector if you need to balance lighting and remove shadows
Light in food photography
Stuff to keep in mind when shooting food
● Tell a story – make series of pictures
Stuff to keep in mind when shooting food
● Think like a magazine editor – for a piece you'll need:● A cover – leave room for logo and text● A spread – at least one great landscape shot● Some portraits● Don't forget to tell the story
Rules were meant to be broken
● Use harsh lights and shadows for drama
Rules were meant to be broken
● Use harsh lights and shadows for some drama
Rules were meant to be broken
● Go back high – shoot from above
Rules were meant to be broken
● Go wild
scanwiches.com
Rules were meant to be broken
● Shoot no food at all
Shooting drinks
● Use back light and improvise light tables● Add some water to make more transparent
http://www.diyphotography.net/light-up-the-floor-a-floor-lit-table-top-studio-project
Shooting wine
vs.
Shooting wine
vs.
Shooting wine
vs.
Shooting wine
● Avoid spot lighting – creates a light dot on bottle
Shooting wine
● Make sure you're not reflecting in the bottle
Shooting wine
● What's with this background?
Shooting wine
● Avoid multiple light sources – 2 are enough
No fingerprints on the bottle please
Shooting wine
● Make sure you get some light on the bottle
Shooting wine
● Label should be clear, with no harsh lights or shadows on it
● Use a strip light to create that reflection following the bottle's height● http://www.diyphotography.net/the-diy-strip-light
Where to shoot?
● Restraurants● Go inside the kitchen or sit on the bar – shoot
where the action is!
Where to shoot?
● Restraurants
Where to shoot?
● Restraurants
Where to shoot?
● Restraurants
Where to shoot?
● Restraurants – try to grasp the place's "feel"
Where to shoot?
● Markets – full of color
Where to shoot?
● Markets – full of people
Where to shoot?
● Markets – full of action
Where to shoot?
● The outdoors – camping, hiking, etc.
Where to shoot?
● The outdoors – camping, hiking, etc.
Where to shoot?
● Factory
Where to shoot?
● Winery
Where to shoot?
● At your butcher's
Where to shoot?
● Any place food is involved:● The street● Weddings (but don't shoot people eating – they
don't like it, and it's not nice)● When you travel – you're usually less shy when
approaching people, the subjects are more likely to cooperate, and you get to see stuff you don't have at home
Shooting at home
● Basically, you don't need anything special...
...but
Shooting at home
● You better get some props● Get some stuff from IKEA or something● Bristol paper and other backgrounds
● Shoot on different surfaces● Wood● Floor● Marble● Fabric● Glass
● Get a reflector or improvise one
Shooting at home
● Shoot the process
Shooting at home
● Props
Stuff that comes in handy
● Sprayer
Stuff that comes in handy
● Keep your hands free – use a tripod and a professional fork holder
Stuff that comes in handy
● Get some daylight at night
Lowel Ego comes with 5500K bulbs - http://www.lowel.com/ego/
Stuff that comes in handy
● Get some daylight at night
Lowel Ego comes with 5500K bulbs - http://www.lowel.com/ego/
Pay attention to the background
Where can I learn more?
●Courses – Weiner, Lailah●Web resources
Where should I go for inspiration?
● Donna Hay
Where should I go for inspiration?
● Magazines● Cook books● Food photographers' websites
● The israelis:– Nelli Sheffer - www.nellisheffer.com– Danya Weiner - www.danyaphoto.com– Daniel Lailah - www.dlp.co.il
● Recipe websites● http://www.myrecipes.com/recipes/● http://www.cookstr.com/
Where should I go for inspiration?
● Blogs – for example – Lara Ferroni● gallery: http://platesandpacks.com● website: http://cookandeat.com/● Blog + challenge: http://stilllifewith.com/● twitter: @StillLifeWith
● Others:● Cookbook catchall: http://www.cookbookcatchall.blogspot.com/● Mattbites: http://mattbites.com/
● Flickr groups● Food photography club, Professional looking food photography,
Food porn, etc.
thanksIt's been a pleasure...
Most pictures in this presentations belong to @gkamin and are fully copyrighted.