Food: you eat it but do you shoot it?

[Normspics]

3 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

I've just began using selective DoF control of my tabletop food snaps (in another thread). No QC problems yet. If you want total sharpness, use the 24mm setting on your RX100 camera and leave room for a crop. That's what I often do. I have no problems with a smaller file, cropping, or distortion, or noise. All those things are correctable in LR or PH. I frame overhead, dinner's view, or I crop in some. I don't do cutouts as Micheal V suggested . . . because I don't like them. I'll leave that for others. 

 

 

 

 

Thanks Ed, That’s good advice especially about cropping, I’ll give that a try.

[Thyrsis]

Better get cooking some of these, we've had a really good potato crop this year!!

 

Edited November 21, 2019 by Thyrsis

[Vincent Lowe]

My one and only food shot on Alamy - waffles with cream and rhubarb preserve at the Debesarcafé, in the village of Gjógv, Faroe Islands.....

 

[spacecadet]

On 21/11/2019 at 13:58, Vincent Lowe said:

My one and only food shot on Alamy - waffles with cream and rhubarb preserve at the Debesarcafé, in the village of Gjógv, Faroe Islands.....

 

What, no grated puffin with that?

[cksisson]

I like to shoot food, but I don't think I'm all that good at it. With tomorrow being Thanksgiving in the U.S., I'm thinking about dragging out my lights. Here are a few food shots I've made that I liked (and that were tasty perks of the job):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ed Rooney]

Looks good to me, CK

 

[cksisson]

3 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

Looks good to me, CK

 

 

Thank you for the kind words. I do appreciate it. 

[Allan Bell]

15 hours ago, cksisson said:

I'm thinking about dragging out my lights.

 

Ohh! That would be painful.

 

(Just for the people that don't know what I mean, lights in England don't just mean lighting systems as in photography, it is also used to name the lungs of an animal that are being used as food.)

 

I remember when I was a youngster in the North east of our beautiful island going into the butchers and asking for "Lights" which we used to cook up to feed the cat and dogs.

We were a bit better off than some who used to cook the lights to feed the family. Yes I have had them myself as I like Haggis and lights or lungs are used in them too.

 

Allan

 

Sorry for the diversion but I am at a bit of a loose end today.

 

ITMA

 

Edited November 28, 2019 by Allan Bell

[cksisson]

On 28/11/2019 at 05:53, Allan Bell said:

(Just for the people that don't know what I mean, lights in England don't just mean lighting systems as in photography, it is also used to name the lungs of an animal that are being used as food.)

 

I had no idea! Thanks for the cultural lesson. 

[Sally]

From some of the stunning food images on Alamy, I think food photography involves a particular set of skills, which I have not mastered. My husband is a fantastic cook and I cannot resist photographing him cooking or the food he produces, but I don’t think I have sold any food pictures yet. A few examples

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 1, 2019 by Sally

[Malcolm Park]

 

I often shoot food ingredients when preparing a recipe (I art directed food shoots for 25 years so the habit is still there), and sometimes shoot a studio set-up when other photography is not so pressing. Mixture of available light or studio flash. Some pleasing shots also taken with overhead mobile phone. Tend to shoot ingredients that interest me. Most of my food work is elsewhere. A few pieces above from Alamy site.

[spacecadet]

Here's my latest, quasi de veau (veal rump)

[Ed Rooney]

Save me a bite of that veal, Mark.

 

Wow! Very impressive, Sally and Malcolm. In between those two approaches (Studio and Street) is what I aim for.  

[spacecadet]

2 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

Save me a bite of that veal, Mark.

 

 

 Cooked at 58C and still bleeding. The French seem to choose meat for the flavour and not the texture, so you can get a delicious but chewy cut. But this was just yummy by any standard.

Come to think of it I was on a bit of a veal odyssey in September- here's a mijoté of veal provençal in Saint-Omer. With parsnip chips.

 

You're going to have to get used to calling them chips, Ed.

Edited December 2, 2019 by spacecadet

[Klinger]

This is true and humor, some will recognize the friends of Plop and Shoot. There was a forum person elsewhere who was being critical of someone else, called his work "Plop and Shoot", which is actually correct, and not as derogatory as intended.

 

I belong to that group of food photographers, I'm not a true or real foodie. Not saying that I haven't made, ordered or prepared a shot, designing in advance. But I also have more now where I make the meal, shoot it and eat before it's cold. 😎 I'm not as good as the guy who does that with an on camera flash, I have a table with lighting, flip the switch, take the shot, there's usually a camera already mounted and ready on my copy stand.

 

It's possible sometimes to over think something simple, and of course the best shots are going to be what the preceding messages suggest, local food, natural light, staged, dressed, well designed Etc. And then there's Plop and Shoot for anyone with an eye and a desire to eat what they photograph while it's fresh and ready.

 

I have fun making photos and make the experience enjoyable, entertaining, creative and not work. I always have, no matter how important or pressing the events or hire. This one was not a paid shoot, and isn't going anywhere, but it made me happy... right before I had breakfast.

 

 

Nice lighting test for the ugliest little plate I've ever had the misguided decision to buy at a resale shop. Maybe I can change with the lighting, but my ultimate advice for food photos is, never use a small square green plate! 😉

[Phil Robinson]

I don't do many food photos but I did sell this one once.

 

 

What I still don't understand to this day is what made me decide to stop eating and take the photo at this point.....