Food photography

[Manfred M]

I spent the day assisting at a workshop on food photography. A grabbed a couple of quick shots dealing with a photographic genre I rarely do.

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[Shadowman]

Nicely exposed and composed.

[Manfred M]

Nicely exposed and composed.

Actually I would suggest that neither the composition nor the exposure are the interesting part of this photographic genre. Exposure is dead easy as we set up and lit the scene using a flash meter; exposure was simply dialing in the meter readings. The composition is less of an issue than the arrangement and setup. Once that is done, just about any shot works.

[george013]

Actually I would suggest that neither the composition nor the exposure are the interesting part of this photographic genre. Exposure is dead easy as we set up and lit the scene using a flash meter; exposure was simply dialing in the meter readings. The composition is less of an issue than the arrangement and setup. Once that is done, just about any shot works.

First impressions are always the most important ones. I got a feeling these shots where taken from another point of view as mentioned.
In the first one the bucket is hiding it's content to much, it's not inviting 'come and grab what I've'. And the two glasses are to much in line.
In the second picture the knife is to much pointing forwards, gives me a feeling the shape is getting a bit distorted. And I don't recognize that thing right down, to dark. Looks like a tin opener or garlic press.

George

[Urbanflyer]

First impressions are always the most important ones. I got a feeling these shots where taken from another point of view as mentioned.
In the first one the bucket is hiding it's content to much, it's not inviting 'come and grab what I've'. And the two glasses are to much in line.
In the second picture the knife is to much pointing forwards, gives me a feeling the shape is getting a bit distorted. And I don't recognize that thing right down, to dark. Looks like a tin opener or garlic press.

George

I generally agree with this critique. There are some lovely colors, however!

[billtils]

Actually I would suggest that neither the composition nor the exposure are the interesting part of this photographic genre ...

Manfred, would you care to tell us what you think is/are the interesting part/parts of the genre? I should probably add, given that a typed post does not convey nuances behind a question that can be clear in the spoken word, that there are no negative connotations in what I ask.

[Manfred M]

Manfred, would you care to tell us what you think is/are the interesting part/parts of the genre? I should probably add, given that a typed post does not convey nuances behind a question that can be clear in the spoken word, that there are no negative connotations in what I ask.

I am not someone who spends a lot of time doing "still life" photography, so my role at the shoot was very much helping the participants with their lighting and getting the studio set up in a way that supports shooting this genre. The images I took are effectively a couple of grab shots for the Club's web site to socialize that we had held another workshop. I literally stepped in for a few seconds just before the students started to break down the setup and move on to the next subject. All of the diffusers, reflectors and flags that were during the shoot have been removed and the light is purely from one or two softboxes.

What I found interesting is how the display was built up. With a human model, it's relatively easy to get them to change position, move the head or foot a bit. An apple or grape does not respond to the photographer's instructions, so shims, tape and other supports were used to set the scene. Adding tension to a static shot is done through how the set is dressed and how the elements are arranged (hint: adding a knife adds tension).

The other aspect of interest to me is the lighting design. In addition to using one or two active light sources (studio flash), we added diffusers, flags and reflectors to sculpt the light. This was much more complex and sophisticated than what one would typically do when shooting a model or models. Closeup photography like this has a whole set of challenges that were new to me.

[Manfred M]

First impressions are always the most important ones. I got a feeling these shots where taken from another point of view as mentioned.
In the first one the bucket is hiding it's content to much, it's not inviting 'come and grab what I've'. And the two glasses are to much in line.
In the second picture the knife is to much pointing forwards, gives me a feeling the shape is getting a bit distorted. And I don't recognize that thing right down, to dark. Looks like a tin opener or garlic press.

George

Agreed George and had I been a shoot participant, I would have spent more than a couple of seconds taking the shots. These were definitely quick grab shots taken just before we broke down the setup. The hardest part was avoiding the workshop participants who were buzzing around putting things away.

I felt that showing these might get some questions from members who might be interested in this photographic genre. It's easier (and harder) than it looks. The easy part is the composition and exposure. The hard part is setting up and arranging the scene (odd and even number pairings / groupings of the material) and lighting it. What is not shown in this shot are the three or four reflectors, scrims (diffusers) and flags that were used during the "good" shots.

[billtils]

Thanks Manfred