Friday, August 21, 2009

Food Photography Tips From a Pro: Sacramento Photographer


Permission given By A. Lepisto 

It is with great pleasure to offer you some food photography tips from a professional, I give you Aleksi Lepisto, a Sacramento Photographer  

Great images make a great product. Selling a vacation? You better hope your pictures make that trip look great, even if it IS just down the street. The concept is even more important with the food service industry. Whether you need pictures for a menu, your dining area, website of your blog, quality images of food will always draw the attention of the crowd. 

Here are a few tips on getting started:

1. Study first. Don't be the eager consumer who rushes out and buys the "best" camera they can get, thinking that with that new piece of equipment, you'll conquer the industry and put yourself on the map. More often than not, the overwhelming amount of features and knowledge required to even perform the simplest of tasks with your new dSLR camera will leave you frustrated, discouraged, and maybe even angry at yourself. Save yourself the headache, and do your research first. Learning terms such as "Aperture," "ISO sensitivity (ISO for short)" and familiarizing yourself with basic photographic composition will save yourself a huge hassle and help you save money trying out handfuls of products that you will convince yourself that you need! Once you grasp the basics of photography in general, you're ready to begin looking for a camera.

2. Start small. Food photography is different from other types of photography, because for the most part, your dish is in a controlled atmosphere. This means that you can afford to take a breathe, set up your lights and props correctly, and then work on different camera angles. Since that is the case, it's fairly obvious you don't need the camera that can shoot 10 frames per second and has a 50 image buffer. Unless you also shoot action sports on the side, you don't need even half the capability. If you are only using the images for the web, even something like a Nikon D70, or a Canon 20D or Rebel XTi is going to be ample. I tend to stray from recommending brands other than Nikon or Canon, only because if you get addicted to photography like many of us did when we first started, you will want to buy nicer lenses, and other manufacturer specific accessories. Canon and Nikon each have a full line of gear, and limiting yourself to a smaller brand many times has severe financial consequences later on when users wish to upgrade or expand. As is always the case with photography, the lenses make the gear, the camera is just supplemental, so invest in the future of your hobby or career, by buying quality lenses, because there is always a new camera body being released.

3. Learn your light. Even some professionals struggle with this concept. If you can master the methods of manipulating available light (say like a window, or sunlight reflecting off of a bright colored wall) you can not only make great images, but you can save yourself a lot of time and money as well. Food photography demands having great, even, and soft lighting on the food. Regardless of what you think the fashion or trend may be currently, the fact is that even light that is soft and pleasing to the eye in a picture always attracts a customer's appetite more than one with uneven, harsh lighting. If you can afford a light tent, great - but if not, you can still manipulate your light. Use a thin sheet of white bedding material for example, stretch it thin, and use it between your light source and your food to even our and soften the light. Not sure about a light source? Walk outside. Even on an overcast day, the sunlight is more than ample to make great images of food, and in fact, the more overcast, the less filtering material you will need, the clouds are a great natural light filter. 

Stay tuned for more tomorrow 


20 comments:

  1. Great article and advice! I am always looking for ways to improve my food photographs. Thanks!

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  2. I LOVE this topic!!!!!! I would consider myself an amateur so any advice is really helpful. I just got a canon rebel xsi and am still figuring out the settings. I think I'm trying to work with the lighting situation because my kitchen area doesn't get the best light. What kind of lighting tents would you recommend for someone starting out? I'd like to eventually set up a little station, but I think that would be pricey? Thanks!
    -kristen

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  3. Thanks for the photo tips - also, feel free to use the lemon-wine scallop recipe from my blog. I can't take credit for it being an "original", this recipe, as with most I prepare, is a combo of several I have read or tasted. Have a good weekend-

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  4. Thanks so much for sharing ideas! Any thoughts on a solid camera to start with? I am in the market now. Thanks again!

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  5. Fantastic tips.....how kind for you to share? I need to memorize your advise!

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  6. Useful info! I make do with my point and shoot Canon and usually the lights under my cabinets. Then, it's all about photoshop. Certainly not professional but it works!

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  7. Thanks so much for this post. I really need tips for my food photography.

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  8. HI All will forward your comments and questions to Aleksi
    LOL
    Rebecca

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  9. Rebecca,
    Read your message on the NE Listserv; thanks for sharing the information about photography!
    Anthony

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  10. Awesome...can't wait for the next post!

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  11. Thanks for the tips! Sometimes I struggle to take good pictures, and I know if I learned how to do manual shots (instead of relying on the camera's auto features), my pictures would look better.

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  12. Thanks for the advice about taking time before shooting the food. Sometimes I forget that the food isn't going anywhere.

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  13. I'm using Canon Power Shot SX100IS. I'm glad I bought it, under my younger brother's advice. I only started learning taking manual shots 2 months ago from Ellie, Kitchen Wench. Still need to learn more for my foodies post..ha ha! Thank you for sharing. I'll check out the site.

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  14. Great post!!! Thank you for sharing.

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  15. Very very good and insightful. What a good little post and thanks heaps for sharing. Look forward for more!

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  16. Hi Rebecca! Tks so much for your offer to help me and Biren of RotiandRice earlier on Media Tips! That's so sweet of you and nice to know you too! :D
    Love this awesome post! I've always wanted to do something on my food photos and improve them as they're really lousy! LOL
    Hopefully I can take better photos the next time! Tks! ^.^

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