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Need adivce on shooting food (steak to be exact)
OK so i am shooting for a local restaurant this wed. They are making recipe cards and need shots of 3 different steak dishes. Im shooting with my sigma 70-200 f2.8 on my 40D with a 580EXII flash. I am new to food shooting, do you have any advice or tips? I did have someone say i should use a water spray bottle and give the food a quick spray before the pictures... Is that a good idea? I practiced shooting pizza this weekend really quick before we ate, i shot a f/2.8 which i am thinking is to much for these shots and i need more than just a small strip of focus. Any setting tips for shooting food, i am thinking maybe shoot at f/4? Here is my practice shots (no flash, hand held) Im thinking there is to much bokeh in these.
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Comments
(not the restaurant but the restaurants clients) get a very good idea of what
the dish is......I normally set up a shooting box so that I can get even light from 3 lights....
I use a top light and 2 side lights from the frot and slightly to the side.....making for
very even light.........
With a single flash then shoot it as a portrait but have a reflector to the side
opposite the flash for fill and to kill shadows.......my normal aperture range is
from 5.6 to 16 depending on subject and background........if using white or bright
colored paltes for the dishes use a dark or black backdrop......if dark colored
dishes then use a white backdrop.....something you can easily control and that dof
won't matter that much on..................
Good Luck
One other thing I read elsewhere is that generally food looks more appetizing when it's glistening (so a steak will look juicier if you brush some oil over it so it looks moist) and warm WB's tend to enhance our perception of palatability.
ETA: here's the book in question It's an enlightening read!
In general, good food photography (all photography in general) is about quality of light + control of light and use of angles. For food photography, styling is key and the use of props may be helpful to make it more appetizing.
For your sample photos, the white balance and color are off. The food doesn't looking appealing and in the case of the pizza, I didn't even know what it is. I think it's a successful food photo when you want to eat the subject.
Sometimes, DOF works in your favor: -- freshly cut lemon bars on a shortbread crust
Or finding an uncluttered background and simple plating -- i think a black raspberry crumple sitting a place on top of my stove
Details sometime work in your favor -- peanut butter cup brownies on a white plate
Note: those images were quick snapshots from my tiny ugly kitchen and were taken with whatever camera I had close which ranges from a three year old Sony P&S to maybe 1d body. In general, it doesn't really matter as long as you pay attention to the light, background and styling.
or in a pinch a paint brush with oil to make the food sparkle.......................
http://dgrin.com/showthread.php?p=1426294