To cook and to photograph food in a very simple way
posted on 1st of july, 2009
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A plate should contain colored vegetables and/or meat, deliciously arranged and dressed in sauce.
A plate should open your appetite as much as it will cover your gastronomic senses.
I am not a very traditional cook. I search for interesting recipes in certain books, I watch TV shows, or I "steal" recipes from restaurants by tasting and guessing the ingredients.
But what I love most is to share all those with my friends and to photograph the steps of each new recipe.
If you wish to photograph food and you don't have all the necessary equipment, it's better to think first at the available ambient light. If lucky, choose the natural light coming from 1 source (a window let's say). It will increase the contrast, the luminosity of the colors and it will make the plate more attractive to the eyes.
Be careful to choose the correct white balance from the beginning. I use the custom settings or judging by the light source I choose directly the color temperature (in K degrees).
Make sure to choose the best part of the plate, the better looking I mean. Choose a good angle in order to show the size, the form, the ingredients. You can photograph from above, perpendicular, when you want to show texture, or from above at different degrees when you want to show the forms and details.
If you don't have some natural light available but you have an external flash, bounce the light into the walls of your kitchen or even into the cap of the gas stove (if it's white). Use the interior light of the oven when you wish to create exactly the mood. You will probably need to increase the ISo, but make sure you will keep it at no more than 400. Depending on the camera, increasing the ISO might make noise appear in the image.
When one (or more) cooler source of light is available instead of natural or flash light, my suggestion is to change the white balance. Also to move the plate (if the source of light is fixed and coming from above, perpendicularly) until you find an angle that will provide a game of lights and shadows. That will make the dish present all forms and levels.
Using instruments - a spoon, a fork, a knife - will bring a plus to your composition.
Use herbs. A touch of oregano or parsely will give contrast and elegance to your plate.
And more than anything, use your imagination. You can create while cooking and cook while creating.
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Tags: cook food photography tips tutorial
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Comments (8)
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Comment by Anamariaciolacu
on July 15, 2011
Util articol ! Si bine te-am gasit si aici. :) |
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Comment by Mossel
on August 24, 2009
Thank you Zaharescu. I appreciate your interest in my lost and your sympathy. I like your medical shots. Good stuff. Best of luck.
Regards
Mossel (South Africa) |
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Comment by Agorafobia
on July 04, 2009
Thanks, very very interesting. :-) |
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Comment by Tanyae
on July 02, 2009
Great post, thank you! I also like to photograph food, and if you wouldn't mind I'd suggest to add once more light source - from the opposite side to the main one from window. I like use a sheet of foam plastic just as a reflector. It helps to illuminate slightly black-out unlit parts of object and to soften too sharp shadows. Moreover you can turn the sheet around your object to play with light and shadows highlighting it's different parts. |
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Comment by Wildmac
on July 01, 2009
Thank you for sharing. Everything looks so tasty :0) |
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Comment by Catarii
on July 01, 2009
Thank you for your feed-back. It is nice indeed to share this with friends. |
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Comment by Asyan
on July 01, 2009
I have try this technique, is very simple, ....all my friends are now asking me, when is my next photo shooting, so that they can come and eat :) |
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Comment by Littledesire
on July 01, 2009
Nice blog! Thanks for sharing! I feel a bit hungry now :))) |
Comments (8) |
This article has been read 1105 times. 4 readers have found this article useful.
Photo credits: Zaharescu Mihaela Catalina, Anna501, Zaharescu Mihaela Catalina, Zaharescu Mihaela Catalina, Zaharescu Mihaela Catalina, Christopher Elwell. |
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Zaharescu Mihaela Catalina
(Catarii)
Bucharest, RO
>Photography started to open my curiosity around the year 2000 when I bought my first camera. A Konica APC with film. I was living in France at that time and I "abused"
of all my trips and walks in order to photograph as much I as could and create a little image for each moment or place I got in.
Even now, when I watch my photo albums I smile and get back in time.
At the beginning I wasn't much for a school girl, I didn't read about technics and stuff but I always searched images and portofolios of photographers and I easily
formed a collection of what I liked most. I wasn't even dreaming that a part of those photographers will become my friends some day.
After a 3- almost 4 years break I bought my first DSRL Camera, a Canon 400D. And I started to study and take pictures. I like to choose simple subjects or to create
complicated stories in photos. Most of the times I am not satisfied with what I do, but I believe that I would never give up of this love.
Another love of mine is my bike. I like to hang out with my bikers friends, to have short or long rides and have fun.
I believe that "Live the moment" is what defines me the most. With goods and bads.
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