Karaage

[Shadowman]

Food photography

Whenever I try a new recipe I'm often inspired to try and photograph the food item; especially if the attempt is successful. Preparing for the shoot I thought about the below comment about:

How can I become a FASTER photographer? please help


I often fret about allowing the meal to set out too long, food getting cold, etc. and would like to work fast to get the capture, I tried a few test shots using either the plate or substitute items to get the exposure right. The first shot was done inside a light tent, the second was placed on a sheet of copy paper, both used flash and a bit of natural light. I like both shots but still felt a bit rushed to complete, comments welcome.


f/8, ISO 100, 1/80sec, flash left and right through tent wall.



f/7.1, ISO 500, 1/125sec, flash bounced off wall to right.

[Geoff F]

Both are tricky scenes with potential over exposure spots, particularly when using flash. However, the finished result looks fine to me.

[Shadowman]

Both are tricky scenes with potential over exposure spots, particularly when using flash. However, the finished result looks fine to me.

Hi Geoff,

Agree about the over exposed shots, I plan to do a setup where I have time to play with the settings a bit and have it as a go to station. I realize that textures, colors will change over time but if I can quickly plate the display, position it, and do some quick modifications on the fly it might just work. Thanks for commenting.

[rpcrowe]

Two things that were once mentioned to me by a pro food photographer is to:
1. Have paper towel or a rag handy to wipe the plate/bowl of any spatter from the food...
2. Have a spray mister handy with olive oil to spray any food that is a bit over-cooked or dried out - makes just about any food look fresh and juicy and doesn't spoil it for eating...

Easiest way - but most expensive way to photograph food is to prepare the food specifically for the photograph. Often this results in the food becoming inedible but, also results in the best pictures...

https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...ography+tricks

I like the YouTube series "Bite Shots" presented by Joanie Simon. Her bubbly personality disturbs some people but, I enjoy watching her. Also, some of her videos are pretty fundamental...

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=bite+shots

One thing that she mentions is to use a Century Stand with a cross bar to mount your camera in lieu of a tripod or hand holding. The Century stand (especially if it has wheels attached) really is a versatile camera mount... In fact, I tend to like using it for any type of product and or indoor studio macro photography.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCODzKDSn0E

[Shadowman]

Hi Richard,

Subscribed to her channel a few hours ago and decided to try the dark food photography setup. I underexposed this shot a bit too much but did take some other shots with better exposure but didn't like how it illuminated so much of the background, surface etc. I rewatched Joanie's tutorial and saw how she used a sliver of light to illuminate the image from the side, this image was shot with a daylight bulb shown head on, I diffused a bit. In LR, I used the adjustment brush to bring some light back to the subject.



I've read many of food photography tips, don't really like the artificial moisture methods but wouldn't be opposed to adding some artificial steam. Thanks for commenting.