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Throughout my career as a food photographer, I have made many mistakes, spent hours experimenting with lighting and compositions to get the final shot. It’s all part of the learning process and being self-taught, I probably made a lot more mistakes than most. When I started out I was expected to source props, cook, style, photograph and colour correct all of my images. It was tough. But by doing so, I learnt every step of the process. Understanding the roles of… let’s say a ‘food stylist‘ is crucial when directing a shoot, and helps when things aren’t going quite to plan. Often I hear people say “Surely anyone can follow a recipe and put it on a plate, why do we need a food stylist?”. The answer is yes, anyone can cook-up a recipe and place it on a plate, but not everyone has the skill in turning a plate of food into the most mouthwatering picture. A food stylist understands composition, colour and trends, they are worth every penny. But my advice for anyone wanting to be a food photographer is to start by learning the process.
Here I’m going to break down my process and give you a few tips on the way. So before starting any project or shoot, the most important thing is to decide upon a style, but to do this successfully you need to do your research.
Look at your favourite food photographers and food magazines for inspiration and select a few reference pics that you like the look and feel of. I’m not suggesting you copy these images, far from it, but like music production (which I have a degree in) you are taught to use a reference track which you like the sound of. So when you finish recording all your musical instruments etc you will use the reference track to mix your levels and EQ to. But here’s the important point, your track may have similar tonal characteristics but the song is completely different. The same idea is applied to using reference images, your image may have a similar style in terms of lighting etc, but your image is fundamentally different. The point of doing this is to learn how to recreate the styles you like and to keep on top of the trends. By experimenting with different styles you will become more diverse in food photography. One thing I do often is cutout pictures from food magazines which I like, I put them in a folder under categories and use them as references.
Once you have decided on a style, you need to choose the right props to achieve this. Now there are hundreds of places you can get props from, but depending on time, style, and most importantly budget, there are a few places that are worth highlighting. Firstly, if you are starting out with no budget, then obviously start with what you have around the house or borrow from friends and family. The next place to look would be high street departments stores or your local kitchen shop. However it will be difficult to find anything old or worn. A solution would be to buy something new and distress it, but this will be time consuming and reasonably expensive.Therefore you really only have two other options if you’re after something old, worn, or something more specific. Flea markets and prop houses are by far the best places to look. Flea markets are a brilliant source for buying props at an affordable price. I have found some great old cutlery, lanterns, coffee sacks and many surfaces which I often use. You can find modern, retro, and antique items here, but it will require a day of searching and you may still come away empty handed if you are after something more specific. That’s where ‘prop houses’ come into their element. The prop houses I visit in London (China & Co, Backgrounds, Topham Street, and Lacquer Chest) are tailored for food photography and TV, so they are full of all types of cutlery, crockery, cooking equipment, tables, chairs, and glass wear etc. You name it, it will probably be there. Everything is sorted by colour or type, and it makes the whole process much easier. They also have areas where you can work, so you can make little sets to see if your props are working together. Props are hired on a weekly basis and can be quite expensive, so make sure you only hire what you need.
So now your research is done and you have your props, it’s time to photograph your subject. Depending on the style you have chosen, you are either going to use natural light or strobes to achieve ‘the look’. I usually use strobes, but I use them in away to create a natural look. I do this by using one Bowen Flash Head and a Scrim Jim. Lighting doesn’t have to be too complicated, keep it simple. The sun is one light source so by using one strobe you are replicating the sun. By doing this you will achieve a more natural look. However, you will need a fill card (I use a piece of A2 white foam board or a linen sheet depending on how intense I want the bounce to be) to bounce some of the light back towards your subject. I usually start by placing my light source behind the subject at either 10 or 2 o’clock. I fit a Bowens 75 Degree Softlight Reflector onto the head which provides a soft but directional light. I then place a large Scrim Jim in front and depending on how soft or hard I want the light to be, I move the strobe closer or further away. I personally prefer a softer look for food photography, hard light tends to be very harsh and makes the food look ugly.
Use Gobos to shape your light. Gobos can be made using black card or foam board. Using a large light source you are inevitably going to have light that spills into areas of the pic that are not wanted. By using a Gobo you can block this spill light.
The next step, you need to choose the angle you are going to shoot your subject from. Obviously this can be restricted by a layout that you maybe shooting to, but generally pick an angle that shows the food type at its best. For example a whole chicken is best to shoot from a higher angle so that you can see less of the neck but concentrate on the shape of the bird. It sounds obvious but many people get this wrong. Ask yourself what features makes your subject recognisable to the human eye. If you were to photograph a blubbery muffin, it would be wise to show a group of muffins with one muffin torn open revealing the juicy blueberries. Without seeing inside the muffin, it may not be obvious that they are in-fact blueberry muffins.
Use props to tell a story. Using the example of blueberry muffins, you could use a cooling rack to suggest that they have just been taken out of the oven. Or have in your background a used mixing bowl with a wooden spoon, some ingredients that were used to make the muffins and some empty paper cake cups. By doing this you have created a story line, you have created a story which tells the viewer that someone has made these muffins from scratch, has baked them in the oven and people are about to eat them. All this helps create interest, and makes the food look more appealing and believable.
Once I have ‘the shot’ I would then take that image into photoshop. Using ‘Camera Raw‘ I would make any changes I felt would enhance the picture, but keeping in mind that I want the image to look natural. Don’t go overboard with the settings, make small adjustments. I would then import into photoshop and retouch any unwanted artefacts, make colour corrections using LAB colour, and lighten or darken any areas that may need adjusting. As almost 100% of my images are used for print, my images will be converted to CMYK. So when I’m colour correcting I keep this in mind at all times. Photoshop is such a big topic that I couldn’t possibly cover it in great detail in this article. But I will aim to cover my process in more detail in the future.
Hopefully by reading these food photography tips, you have a better understanding of the processes involved. Please feel free to ask any questions. Happy shooting!
Very nicely put!
Ryan, Beautiful job on your article. Your long hoursof experimenting and seeing what works will pay off. Some of the better food shooters I have worked with are those who are self taught and love the food they shoot. It shows in their work. Thank you also for giving credit to the food stylists that support you in the creative process!
Fantastic, informative article Ryan. If there much of a difference in shooting your 75 degree Softlight reflector through a Scrim Jim as opposed to just using a Bowen Softbox?
Thanks everyone. Chris yes there is a lot of difference. A soft box will produce a blanket of even light. Where as a flash head with a 75 degree reflector used with a Scrim jim, will create a radial gradient. How strong this is will depend on the distance your flash head is to your scrim jim. For me this setup is a lot more dynamic than a soft box as I can control how soft or hard I want the light. Just to point out, I use a 1 stop diffuser on the scrim jim, as 1/3 stop isn’t really enough. Hope that answers your question
I tried once to photograph food, fortunately it was just an experiment and not for a client. And thus ended my career in food photography. I had discussions with a food stylist and she told me about some of the things she had to do, rendering the food almost inedible afterwards.
A few years ago the local paper ran an article on various fast food outlets, comparing what the ads say you’ll get when you order, say, a Big Mac…and what you really get. There was absolutely no resemblance.
Anyways, your article was fascinating, and I would like your permission to put a link to it on my Facebook page; there are a lot of photographers as my “friends” and I’m sure they would be very interested.
many thanks,
Neil Koven
Hi Neil, thanks for you message. You are right some food photography can be too perfect. I think most food photography has moved away from the days of mashed potato for ice cream and painting colourings onto food.
In the UK, food photography has very much moved to a more realistic approach. Having imperfections is seen as adding character and interest to an image. I try not to make my shots too perfect as it can look very sterile!
Yes, by all means share this link. Thanks for asking!
Great article Ryan, I find I use exactly the same light as you do, and for the exact same reason (sun is one). I always wonder when I see Sets with several lights…
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Oh, and I am very envious about the “prop houses” you describe in London. I have never seen such things here in Milan and I am not sure they even exist in Rome, where certainly a number of movies are been shot… sigh, very envious indeed
Hi, very nice to read about you. I’m trying to write something like that on my blog. Anyway I like to change and develop different tecniques at the moment cause rules on food can get you so bored. Natural lighting is the trend I appreciated at food photo festival in Tarragona , on september 2011, and I agree and discuss my everyday job from this angle, but also movie emotional style or advertising effects are worth to explore…
Hi Ryan,
Thanks for the article, I would reiterate all the comments made above. As with most photography I don’t think there is some magic lighting formula to get the perfect shot, each shot is different, and should be looked upon as a fresh challenge, with a fresh approach to lighting, styling and all the rest. Of course I realize there comes a point when you do develop a style that is specifically you, people want to know what they are getting when they sign up. While I do believe that people hire you for your creativity, and to a degree like to be surprised with some sort of creative approach that had not occured to them, by and large people use samples of your previous wofk to guide their seledtion of a photographer, developing that specific something that makes you you still does not mean that there is a magic formula for lighting or post production process that you can be guaranteed success simply by adhereing to this formula.
I have made a caree primarily doing working for talent agencies and casting directors. A lot of commercial headshots, a lot of modeel portfolios, portraits with a degree of sensuality that you don’t get at Olan Mills, etc. My question, and perhaps this is stepping over the line, but I honestly don’t know, how would your recommend breaking into food photography as a commercial endeavor. I have some ideas, approaching restaurants, cooking schools, etc., but if I want to focus my business on Food Photography what is the best way to get there? To the best of my knowledge know one is doing it where I live, and I don’t expect to do it as my sole endeavour, but am looking for suggestions as to places and ways to start. With people, I started working with some agencies, then word of mouth generated a business. It was not necessarily my intention, but once the ball started rolling itjust kept going. Do you have any sugesstion as to how too start the ball rolling Food? Any suggestions you might have would be appreciated, if this is something you can’t comment on, I truly appreciate your time in producing the article above.
P.S. I have spent the last 18 years working in Information Technology, all over the world, but always had photography to fall back on, I am looking to amke that fall back permanent now.
Thanks so much for your time.
Michael David Lay
MCSE, MCDBA, CCA
Senior Systems Architect
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/michael-david-lay/9/859/475
210.560.0620 mobile / 210.281.4628 alt
Hi Michael, thanks for taking the time to comment, much appreciated. As for getting into commercial food photography, there is probably only one or two ways to get in. I was very very lucky, I had very little photography experience, no qualification in photography, but I was 100% positive that being a photographer was all I wanted to be and that I would dedicate all my spare time to learn the trade. It was that determination that came through on my interview at one of Europe’s largest international supermarket for a junior photographer position. They picked me because I was passionate about it, I was so eager to learn, and that I would give 100%. I started with Pack-shots of products and eventually moved onto styled food images. From then onwards I worked my way up to Head Photographer. To be honest I’ve only been doing styled food images for just over 2 years. I’m still learning
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The more conventional route into the profession, would be to assist an established food photographer. Again not easy to get the gig, but if you keep knocking on people doors the more chance you’ll be noticed.
You suggested speaking to local restaurants, etc. That would be a good start, get used to photographing food commercially. PR & Publisher companies/agencies are also a good place to contact as they are often looking for new talent.
Hope this gives you an idea. Its a bit hard for me to comment as I didn’t enter the profession in the most conventional way.
Ryan
You said it all very well. I have been a food stylist for many years. Thanks for your compliment valuing our work!
I also have stepped behind the camera when I started a food blog. Doing it all is very hard and humbling. I have taken some bad shots but I keep going and am taking some great shots too. Being behind the camera and getting used to composing in frame is making me a better stylist. I think it is good to know all aspects of the process. For my blog I prop, shoot, prepare food, style and write. It is a workout.
Thanks for sharing your story and tips! Appreciated.
Very well written article. I am trying to enter the field of Food photography and seeking a position with a Sydney based studio. It is hard to transition industries so reading this article gives me great insight.
Thank you.
GeoffreyL