Food Photography

[itsybitsyspidy]

Hi,

I'm interested in doing food photography, and have for myself a D200 together with an SB-600. Decided to go with the Nikon CLS because they are small and portable.(which is great because i can't be lugging strobe lights to restaurants) Should I be getting another light source to faciliate my interest? Any recommendations?

Also, would it be better to get softboxes to diffuse the light or would it be better to get umbrellas for it? Although i don't quite fancy having to get lightstands(tight space in restaurants), can i make do with my manfrotto tripod as well? (it mounts my SB-600 just fine).

Appreciate any help given. Thanks!

Jack

 

[Darrell Spreen]

I did some food photography for a restaurant recently on short notice using equipment similar to yours.

I a small table in a tight space outside the kitchen and each dish was set down for a quick photo before being taken away to be served.

I used a single flash with a 43" shoot-through umbrella set up to light the food from overhead and slightly behind. I used foamcore board for the setting. Here's a sample.



I don't think you need to get more elaborate with lighting since you don't need much light -- the issue is light control and I suggest you experiment with table top items before you go to the restaurant.

Darrell
http://members.aol.com/pixbydg/still/life.html

 

[itsybitsyspidy]

I did some food photography for a restaurant recently on short
notice using equipment similar to yours.

I a small table in a tight space outside the kitchen and each dish
was set down for a quick photo before being taken away to be served.

I used a single flash with a 43" shoot-through umbrella set up to
light the food from overhead and slightly behind. I used foamcore
board for the setting. Here's a sample.



I don't think you need to get more elaborate with lighting since
you don't need much light -- the issue is light control and I
suggest you experiment with table top items before you go to the
restaurant.

Darrell
http://members.aol.com/pixbydg/still/life.html

Hi Darrell,

Thanks for your reply. Seems like you can get good light with just 1 umbrella. Thanks for the advice. May I know what stand / umbrella are you using for your lens? Where did you put the foamcore board? Do you also have a setup picture? Sorry for the array of questions, but I'm really new at lighting for this sort of photography.

Just a random thought popped into my head, it would be better for me to get an umbrella stand rather than a softbox right? As i can just get an extra umbrella and interchange between shoot-through umbrellas(same effect as a softbox?), and a silver reflective one. Am I wrong to assume this?

Jack

--
Apples do not grow on trees.

 

[AperturePro]

I don't think you need to get more elaborate with lighting since
you don't need much light -- the issue is light control and I
suggest you experiment with table top items before you go to the
restaurant.

Some restaurants might want web size image only. Simple set up might
do ok, but will not really give you the good creative lighting you need.

Build up your equipment as you grow in this area of photography. For example,
you will need modifiers to shape and spot the food. That comes from on strobe
reflectors and grids. I can include gels on the strobes. You need the same on
soft box of medium and small size.

Restaurants will ask for jobs done on location so you can have backgrounds
of the location in the picture. But, you should have a shooting table in your
studio so you can take your time and really set up the lighting.

The difference is that one approach does average work and the other produces
higher end work for glossy magazines and large prints/posters.

Check out food stylists and web sites of some real pros. You can see that

full studio lighting produces a much more compelling picture. A restaurant should
be willing to work with you and deliver product to your studio. This is tricky
because food looks bad rather fast. There are also ways to dye and treat the
food for photography and you have to research that.

So, start out with jobs you can get and you will find all the pitt-falls and
areas you need to improve. Good food photography is not cheap and is
billed at full studio time. That can include a full food stylist to help arrange
the product if you feel you are not as skilled at it. That can be a local chef
that you hire to be part of the job beyond the actual restaurant.

Good luck, you will find your own level and clients to match.

 

[Robert Flanery]

Starting with an umbrella system, especially witha small scale system, is a very sensible approach. using a shoot through with an outside skin that can double as a reflective umbrella is a good way of reducing the amount of gear you need. A photoflex Softlighter is another option for this kind of simple approach. And it never hurts to have a piece of foamcore to use a a bounce fill.

As to the location of the lighting in the shot, look at the shadows, The answer is there for you to see.
--
Rob Flanery
http://www.pbase.com/waltermitty1369

 

[Manda215832]

This book can helps a lot.

Digital Food Photography
By Lou Manna, Bill Moss

Good luck!!!

 

[tcphoto1]

If you are starting from scratch, I would suggest a small softbox. The Nikon unit will limit you greatly and it's best to use natural light oppsed to the hotshoe flash. I shoot quite a bit of food and believe that it shouldn't look "lit".
--
http://web.mac.com/tcphoto1
http://web.mac.com/tcphoto1/iWeb/FASHION
http://tcphoto1.blogspot.com/

 

[Darrell Spreen]

Thanks for your reply. Seems like you can get good light with just
1 umbrella. Thanks for the advice. May I know what stand / umbrella
are you using for your lens? Where did you put the foamcore board?
Do you also have a setup picture? Sorry for the array of questions,
but I'm really new at lighting for this sort of photography.

I have a bogen/Manfrotto light stand which collapses into a very small package for carrying -- puts the umbrella up at about 8 ft max. It cost about $65, but there are cheaper ones. I have one of the standard old $15 umbrella adapters which positon the flash and the umbrella on the lightstand. The umbrella I used is the Westcott 43" white satin (about $20) which also collapses into a very small package. That's one of the advantages of using umbrellas in general -- easy to carry.

One important point -- you can put the umbrella adapter on a standard tripod if it gets the light up high enough.

The white foamcore, in my case, was the table-top. The small table I used had a tablecloth which they provided, but it got stained with one of the first entrees they placed on it.

Just a random thought popped into my head, it would be better for
me to get an umbrella stand rather than a softbox right? As i can
just get an extra umbrella and interchange between shoot-through
umbrellas(same effect as a softbox?), and a silver reflective one.
Am I wrong to assume this?

I suggest an umbrella setup is the best way to start, but an umbrella in shoot-through mode does not give the same light as a softbox. They all have their place. I started with exactly the two options you have mentioned.

Darrell
http://members.aol.com/pixbydg/still/life.html

 

[itsybitsyspidy]

Hi guys, thanks for the feedback.

Don't think i can spare so much cash at the moment as much as i would like to buy a couple of strobe lights, So i'll just have to stick to what my hot-shoe flash has to offer for now.

AperturePro : Thanks for your professional advice, and for sharing with me how they do the real stuff. Unfortunately i don't think i will be good enough to turn pro, and I don't have a studio either. So i think i'll just be funding it for my hobby(I have friends who are chefs - they like to cook i like to shoot ).

Robert : The Photoflex Softlighter looks kind good! I might just check it out at my local store later on. I think i can only go the strobist.com approach to light my food, don't think i can afford all the big lights and everything.

Manda : Thanks for the heads up. I'll try to look for that book in my local bookstore once i get the chance!

tcphoto1 : Understand that I can only do that much with my flash unit,. I try to use ambient light as much as possible, but kinda messed up one of my previous shoot when there was insufficient light, hence prompting me to do something about it. But have to say that with good ambient light food can still look good!

--
Apples do not grow on trees.

 

[Darrell Spreen]

I think your comments are all valuable, but may be outside the scope of the work the OP was talking about. In my case, the conditions imposed by the owner and the Kitchen determined my approach. No chance of having food brought to my studio nor could they give me more space to work. They actually didn't want photography in the dining room as they had a room full of guests. The lighting was certainly adequate for my setup and met what the customer had in mind.

Some restaurants might want web size image only. Simple set up might
do ok, but will not really give you the good creative lighting you
need.

The difference is that one approach does average work and the other
produces
higher end work for glossy magazines and large prints/posters.

Two of the photos in my series were selected for 24 x 36 inch posters, so we'll assume they look better in print than on the web.

Darrell
http://members.aol.com/pixbydg/still/life.html

 

[BAK]

Rer> because i can't be lugging strobe lights to restaurants)

Why not? I've done it, and the pictures turn out just fine.

That said... the lighting equipment you choose determines the look of the shot. But the photographer deptermines what he or she wants the shot to look like, and then uses the appropriate equipment.

What are the pictures for? How demanding is the client? How big are they going to run? What are the shopoting conditions?

The last food shots I took were illuminated by the light on a video camera being used beside me b y a TV videographer, and by little quartz spotlights in the restaurant.

BAK

 

[Photomonkey]

That said... the lighting equipment you choose determines the look
of the shot.

I have seen a lot of very nice food shots recently that were all made with window light and white card reflectors.

You may wish to try that "Martha Stewart" light style on your own kitchen counter. Cheap and cheerful.