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| Food Photography - Page 1 | |
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| Posted: Thu Jun 7th, 2012 20:12 |
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1st Post |
moonlight1811
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Hello everyone! I love to bake and cook and would like to take nice pictures of some of my creations. I even have a little cake business that I operate out of my kitchen. So here is my first attempt at a little food photography. They're some taco cupcakes I made for dinner tonight. Camera was set on A mode. No flash. No tripod. Had trouble getting it to focus. Dislike the way the shadows are falling, but couldn't get my lights to really help me out very much. I tried to make the colors more vibrant in iPhoto (all I have), but I couldn't achieve the vibrancy I wanted without making everything look fake and abnormal. Still a lot to learn! Any suggestions on how to improve are welcomed. As always =] Attachment: taco.JPG (Downloaded 75 times)
____________________ -Melissa |
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| Posted: Thu Jun 7th, 2012 20:13 |
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2nd Post |
moonlight1811
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Oh dear. Did not mean for the picture to appear that large! I even scaled it down. So sorry!
____________________ -Melissa |
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| Posted: Fri Jun 8th, 2012 02:37 |
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3rd Post |
jk
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No problem. Picture is great viewing on the ipad! Food photograhy is very difficult to do convincingly so that is a good start. The pictures done in the studio are very evenly lit so it is almost shadowless! This takes a lot of setting up. 
____________________ Still learning after all these years! https://nikondslr.uk/gallery_view.php?user=2&folderid=none |
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| Posted: Fri Jun 8th, 2012 04:13 |
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4th Post |
Robert
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No problem with the image size Melissa. If you do want to control the output from iPhoto, select the image(s) you want to export, select Export, Then select the size button. Mostly 800 Pixels on the long edge is good enough.  That gives an image this size:  My boys and I in my new bedroom! Regarding your question... Several points with this. Firstly, you should have turned the plate so the two cakes were next to one another, that would have halved the out of focus problem instantly. Remember the cans? Secondly you were presumably using artificial lighting, but the camera will have been set to Automatic White Balance. There is a setting in the Camera Menu to alter the White Balance, experiment with these, there are lot's of options. Artificial light is a big problem. Flash is better. The flash on your camera is of limited use. OK in emergencies but far from ideal. You can improve it by taping some white tissue or paper over the flash to diffuse it a lot.  For food I used two flash guns both off camera. One high up to one side and a smaller one, lower at the other side. Both my flash guns are old, an SB 28 and a little SB22. Many small cheap flash guns will do the job. You will need some way to trigger the flash guns, I use a little Nikon SU4 relay triggered by the (diffused) on camera flash. Using Flash has many advantages, very controllable, predictable white balance, reasonably powerful, being reasonably powerful it allows smaller apertures, so increased Depth of Focus. This is one I did earlier! Has been used on many brochures and posters by the Pizza shop chain I worked for.  Two flashes as described taken in a busy kitchen. D200 and the same lens you see on my D200 above, my 55mm f2.8Micro. The reflections of the flashes can be seen on the cherries.
____________________ Robert. |
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| Posted: Fri Jun 8th, 2012 07:24 |
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5th Post |
jk
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As Robert says using flash is much more reproducible and images look/are sharper. This image is a hand held snap from my Fuji XPro1. I must do some studio shots soon. Attachment: XP1-1-0256.jpg (Downloaded 72 times)
____________________ Still learning after all these years! https://nikondslr.uk/gallery_view.php?user=2&folderid=none |
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| Posted: Fri Jun 8th, 2012 08:34 |
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6th Post |
blackfox
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some good pics and fantastic advise there lads ,i love this forum and the way its developing ,no matter how advanced you are in one field of photography its always good to learn new tricks about another .
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| Posted: Fri Jun 8th, 2012 12:31 |
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7th Post |
TomOC
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No question...food photography (like most photography) is ALL about light. But it is also all about taking lots of photos. Use your iphone if need be and start shooting a shot of every meal you have in front of you... At some point you will have a number of "Ah-HA's" and then you will have your own style. Cheers, Tom
____________________ Tom O'Connell -Lots of people talk to animals.... Not very many listen, though.... That's the problem. Benjamin Hoff, The Tao of Pooh |
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| Posted: Fri Jun 8th, 2012 13:23 |
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8th Post |
moonlight1811
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Robert wrote: No problem with the image size Melissa. Thanks for telling me how to adjust image size. That will really help! I do remember the cans and I guess I understand the technical concept of aperture but not the set up concept. If saying it like that even makes any sense at all...they were set next to one another, but I decided that I wanted one of them to be behind the other in the picture cause I wanted the back one to be a little out of focus so your eyes would be drawn to the front one. I guess I just didn't set it up right. I was using artificial lighting. My apartment is very small and really doesn't have a lot of opportunity to let natural light in. It's quite frustrating. I didn't use a flash because most of the sites I visited that were about food photography said not to because it makes food look "unnatural". I guess they were wrong. I'll have to try the diffuser idea next time though! White Balance. I am aware of that setting, but have not yet played with it. I increased my ISO and exposure for the picture, but didn't think of white balance!
____________________ -Melissa |
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| Posted: Fri Jun 8th, 2012 13:46 |
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9th Post |
Robert
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WAY too much to think about at once!  You need to get into autopilot on the basics. Wanting the arrangement that way is fine, it just makes the photography side more difficult. Not just from the Depth of Focus but lighting too. What you read probably referred to a single on camera flash, which is pretty lame. When you have two (or three) off camera flashes you have tremendous control over your lighting. Another tip is to have a spray bottle with water in and just before you take the photo give the food a quick gentle spray, it gives the food a little sparkle and helps lift it. With some food a little oil spray can help. 
____________________ Robert. |
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| Posted: Fri Jun 8th, 2012 13:51 |
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10th Post |
moonlight1811
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Robert wrote: WAY too much to think about at once! lol But I enjoy a challenge! :)
____________________ -Melissa |
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