Monday, September 7, 2009

Food Photography Top Tips

By John Billy

Images of food are everywhere. We cannot walk down any leading shopping street without being barraged by them from the windows of all the food shops. We open a magazine and there they are again pushing up their mouth watering delights at us.

When you first take a look into the world of food photography you may sense that you can never take photos like the professionals but you could amaze yourself.

As we all know - light is King in the world of photography. Getting the lighting right is always the number one concern. Take time to make sure your have plenty of light.

Using natural light from a window can be perfect for food picture taking because it gives food that natural look. Support this with bounced flashlight and you can get a simple yet perfect result.

If you are going to be doing a lot of food photos then consider creating a food light box to make your job easier and quicker. This consists of a framed area covered in diffusion screens with lights behind on stands or attached to flexible tubes so you can move them easily into position. The food sits on a plain smooth single coloured background cover that is usually white so there is no background to remove with Photoshop later. Make sure the cover is easy to wipe in case of food splashes.

Slow shutter speed is king for food photography to capture the depth of the image. Make sure your camera is well mounted on a strong tripod and of course you should be using a shutter release cable to stop any camera movement resulting in blurring.

Use the right props with your pictures and they will bring your photos alive. We eat food literally with our eyes first so feed the eyes with lots of variety and colour.

Do not skimp on your equipment if you want to do good food photography. Having a top quality SLR camera with a good lens will make all the difference. You must have full control over all the settings - shutter speed - aperture setting - zoom - to be able to create top shots. Using good quality lighting will also pay massive dividends.

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