Food Photos

[Rhoads238]

Hey all,

I did a food shoot about two weeks ago for a Michelin star restaurant in nyc. I did it for free to help out a friend who works there but this is something I want to get better at. I only have one flash, a sb-700 and a cloud dome to soften it. I used I plan to do more food shoots and will be purchasing another flash, also a pair of stands and a wiring kit.

Ginger spiced pear


_DSC9587 by rhoads238, on Flickr

Gianduja ganache


_DSC9473 by rhoads238, on Flickr


CC would be most appreciated,

Jason

 

[thetrue]

Was there any natural light available beside the skylight (it looks like) in the second? I think they would benefit from a little extra light from the opposite angles, perhaps a reflector to bounce the flash on to the other side?

 

[Rhoads238]

Unfortunately there only was the window near the table I had picked. It was a large window but there was something like a lattice folding wall to give guests some privacy in front. I started shooting around 3:30 so I also had a limited amount of time to work with the natural light. After about an hour there was almost nothing left and the results became pretty poor. I think having a reflector would really have helped here though. I am also putting that on the must have list. Good call on the positioning though. I think that would work well. I think I will get a chance to go back sometime as they loved the photos. I just want to give them a professional looking result next time.

 

[thetrue]

Don't get me wrong, the photos are splendid, but they look very dramatic, which may be a look they are really fond of if they're a 4 or 5 star restaurant.

Also, with the reflector you should be careful with the positioning. It may show up on the plate or on the shiny pear if you're not aware of its placement.

 

[Frequency]

is that a sweet stuff in the first one? i want that

 

[Rhoads238]

Don't get me wrong, the photos are splendid, but they look very dramatic, which may be a look they are really fond of if they're a 4 or 5 star restaurant.

Also, with the reflector you should be careful with the positioning. It may show up on the plate or on the shiny pear if you're not aware of its placement.

Thank you. Good call about the reflector positioning. I hadn't really thought of that, so now I know something to look out for when using one.

They really liked the photos. At first I was just going there to shoot the dessert menu for their recipe manual and the chef's personal portfolio. But they ended up liking them so much that they are using them for their social networking pages. They usually use a pro food photographer for this, so I was extremely excited to hear how much they liked them. They also said that they want to use me for last minute shoots and smaller projects. I was ecstatic to hear that as well. Next time I am getting paid as well. So that was a great day for me. I currently am working as a cook but have wanted to become a food photographer for some time now. Getting to do both things I am passionate about at the same time would be great.

 

[Mully]

I don't like the "I did it for free" Negotiate a use fee, don't give your photography away because it will be hard o get paid the next time......You did it for free last time now you want $1000, I can just hear it being said.

 

[Rhoads238]

I don't like the "I did it for free" Negotiate a use fee, don't give your photography away because it will be hard o get paid the next time......You did it for free last time now you want $1000, I can just hear it being said.

I felt that way myself but unfortunately the window for that has passed. Its the first time I have ever done anything pro-ish. I have no idea what to charge. Any ideas? My girlfriend is the senior pastry chef de partie and said that I do it part time when the general manager asked if I do this professionally. So for next time I just need tell them my rate. The great thing is they change their menu seasonally and are going to be opening another restaurant in nyc within the year. So this could be great return business.

 

[Mully]

We all learn by doing..... I think your are off to a great start!

 

[Rhoads238]

We all learn by doing..... I think your are off to a great start!

Thanks! I have been really looking forward to going back and trying again. I've been reading a lot on the strobist and getting helpful feedback on here and another forum I go on. So I think next time will be even better.