Food Photography
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Cheesecake
Senior Member
tubbykat said:hi cheesecake, the dumplings photo i think besides the paper at the bottom, the green parsley a bit big ah, too much stalk? maybe more of the leaves and less or shorter stalk will be better. second shot quite nice
that is just to make it look nicer, adding a little green to it la... otherwise not much colour.
open to discussion!
hungry!
cheers!
Cheesecake
Senior Member
reachme2003 said:
well, true to a certain extent. i've seen what really good equipments can do as compared to 'lesser' equipments, be it lightings, cameras, lenses, systems, softwares.. etc. etc.
of cos talent and experience are vital but when ur competitors are around ur standard... :sweat:
reachme2003
Senior Member
great that you now qualify it.
Cheesecake said:
Cheesecake
Senior Member
no i don't.reachme2003 said:
agentmonkey
New Member
kinda forgot what's the name of this soup... hope you guys don't mind if i share it here...
The Oracle
Senior Member
Nizz said:A couple of my contributions...if the thread starter is still looking for them. Haha..
01.
02.
Cheers....Nizz
May i know how you have achieve the ambient lighting? Did you use any flash? I really love the lighting. :thumbsup:
littledigitalartist
New Member
wow... so much interest in food photography... me too!!!;p and of coz in the food itself..any expert/s care to conduct an outing or whatever for food photography?? just an idea... of coz best is to experiment... but sometimes we do need certain guidence... some 'cheats' like using white paint for milk...(read this somewhere b4..):dunno:
Hello all. Am into baking and cooking, but i realise how wonderful it would be to take nice pictures of my completed products...
So, i'm learning how to take nice pictures now.
I don't have any fanciful gadgets to play around with, just my dad's Nikon coolpix 4500 and Casio Exlim.
I noticed how important it is to create nice backgrounds and lightings. Haha.. but really, i'm still a rookie at all these photography stuff. Only know how to play around with the macro mode and create a blurry effect in the backgrd. :bsmilie:
Wouldn't mind if someone commented or give advice... Thanks!
Newbie needs help!
I think I read somewhere on this thread that a point n shoot doesn't work for food photography. Did I misread this? I am using a p&p digi camera with 10mm macro mode. How can I make the best of my equipment to get good food shots? Is there a rule of thumb on what angle I should point my camera? Where is the best position for the light to avoid shadows?
I think I read somewhere on this thread that a point n shoot doesn't work for food photography. Did I misread this? I am using a p&p digi camera with 10mm macro mode. How can I make the best of my equipment to get good food shots? Is there a rule of thumb on what angle I should point my camera? Where is the best position for the light to avoid shadows?
reachme2003
Senior Member
your last question refers.
i would say that frontal lighting along the camera axis would serve your stated purpose. but why would you want to avoid shadows?
i would say that frontal lighting along the camera axis would serve your stated purpose. but why would you want to avoid shadows?
erthling said:
The Oracle said:
Hi Oracle
Apologies for the really late reply. Totall forgot abt this thread.
No flash was used. It was shot with available light, which is basically the candles, and and the 6pm sky with the sun setting (it was in Sentosa). The location was sort of outdoor - it was in an outdoor extension of the restaurant, but with a roof (no walls). And the shutter speed was also long - a few seconds.
And to some who touched on the issue of the 'slant' - it was intentional. I personally feel that....unless it is a landscape shot that has a horizon, or at least have a similar distinction, i think it is 'acceptable' to play with a little tilt here & there....but not excessively. But that's my opinion, of course.
Thanks for the other comments - both positive & negative ones. Appreciate it.
Cheers....Nizz
The Oracle
Senior Member
May i ask what is the most comfortable lens to use or range to shoot food? I have a 100mm macro and 85mm 1.8, do you think which is good?
Just some observations:
1) too little dof for some shots. Not to single out one particular picture, but having only the tip of the strawberry slice in focus is not "artistic" at all. DOF control is very important, and which is sorely abused by many users of fast lenses.
You are attempting to capture the essence of the entire food being presented, so (say in another picture), why is the focus on just one pea instead then? Why is that pea / strawberry tip / [insert point of focus] so important that you have your entire focus on? Ask yourself these questions when reviewing your pics.
2) Harsh lighting. If using strobes, use reflectors/diffusers to even out the light. Top-down lighting *can* work for food shots. Afterall, when we view most of our food, they are lighted from the top anyway. Side/frontal lighting can and may cause the food to look too flat and not enough volume (very important for food that you want to showcase shape/depth).
3) Distracting backgrounds
Ambient lighting and nice backgrounds can work, but they should not interfere with the presentation of the food. In some cases, the background overpowers the food, and I don't see the food at all.
4) White balance and exposure
Food often looks more pleasant when slightly overexposed (but not to the point of getting blown out, as correctly mentioned by one poster (ProImage) earlier). If your exposure is too dark, the food (or any other subject for that matter) will look very muddy, and is very difficult to recover in photoshop.
White balance also very important - blue cast makes food look very unappetizing. Warm tungsten-y cast (think cafe/restaurant setting) works well in some cases e.g. pastries (brown coloured food). If photographing veges, neutral WB is recommended to bring out the greens - you don't want a muddy, brownish green for ur vegs if you use tungsten light - very unappetizing
1) too little dof for some shots. Not to single out one particular picture, but having only the tip of the strawberry slice in focus is not "artistic" at all. DOF control is very important, and which is sorely abused by many users of fast lenses.
You are attempting to capture the essence of the entire food being presented, so (say in another picture), why is the focus on just one pea instead then? Why is that pea / strawberry tip / [insert point of focus] so important that you have your entire focus on? Ask yourself these questions when reviewing your pics.
2) Harsh lighting. If using strobes, use reflectors/diffusers to even out the light. Top-down lighting *can* work for food shots. Afterall, when we view most of our food, they are lighted from the top anyway. Side/frontal lighting can and may cause the food to look too flat and not enough volume (very important for food that you want to showcase shape/depth).
3) Distracting backgrounds
Ambient lighting and nice backgrounds can work, but they should not interfere with the presentation of the food. In some cases, the background overpowers the food, and I don't see the food at all.
4) White balance and exposure
Food often looks more pleasant when slightly overexposed (but not to the point of getting blown out, as correctly mentioned by one poster (ProImage) earlier). If your exposure is too dark, the food (or any other subject for that matter) will look very muddy, and is very difficult to recover in photoshop.
White balance also very important - blue cast makes food look very unappetizing. Warm tungsten-y cast (think cafe/restaurant setting) works well in some cases e.g. pastries (brown coloured food). If photographing veges, neutral WB is recommended to bring out the greens - you don't want a muddy, brownish green for ur vegs if you use tungsten light - very unappetizing
reachme2003
Senior Member
yes, to your first question. not necessarily, to your second question. in fact, it adds a dimension to the photo. shadows, again, does not mean devoid of details at all. one could 'lighten' up the shadows by using an additional light or using foam board reflectors.
in fact, some deem a photo without shadows as 'flat'.
in fact, some deem a photo without shadows as 'flat'.
erthling said:
reachme2003
Senior Member
your current arsenal of lenses is more than adequate.
The Oracle said:
The Oracle said:
I have tried 85 f1.2L and 85 f1.8, and f1.2L is prefect for food; the DOF (bokeh especially), and even if you have terrible lighting conditions, f1.2L compensates a little.
Though most of time I use 70-200 f4L at around 130-200mm with continuous studio lighting.
reachme2003
Senior Member
even though you had tried a nos. of lenses, i would not ventured so far as to say a certain lens is 'perfect for food'.
Slivester said:
Little_Fish
New Member
Happy Chinese New year to all!
In the spirit of CNY, who can forget this? Lo Hei!
Just a shot before war this plate turns into a war zone.
First food photograpghy shot. Taken using film.
F90x, kodak Max 400, ISO400, using a 24-135mm Tamron SP Macro.
Forgot to use flash and there wasnt enuff lighting ard. I fear that this shot its a little under expose and OOF... oh boy
Hence sorry for the poor quality scan.
Comments are welcome.
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