I Dont shoot food !!!!!

[runnah]

Well given the circumstance I'd say you did a great job.

From what I have seen food photography is very specialized. Lots of folks use macro lenses and focus stacking. They also have specific light kits and settings.

The good thing about food photography is that you always get a taste of the model at the end of the shoot.

 

[Overread18 6]

Professional food photography often isn't done using real food. Real food degrades in appearance after it comes out of the cooker and setting up the right lighting and composition can take a little time - by which point the food isn't looking at its prime (the peas are getting wrinkly; some of the other stuff is sagging etc..).

So they use a food modeller who has models of food types to create the dish.

I'd say ask to go back and do the shoot again; only this time not on a day where they are serving so you can setup your lights and shoot properly. Chances are a professional food modeller isn't on the cards cost wise to hire (though heck if that can be on the cards get it on the cards).

 

[mishele]

I would like to suggest taking selfies.

 

[manny212]

I would like to suggest taking selfies.

HAHAHAHAH !!!!!!! Trust me I would rather that than shoot food !! HAHAHA! I'll send ya one soon !!!

 

[manny212]

Well given the circumstance I'd say you did a great job.

From what I have seen food photography is very specialized. Lots of folks use macro lenses and focus stacking. They also have specific light kits and settings.

The good thing about food photography is that you always get a taste of the model at the end of the shoot.

Runnah , yea I'm going to tip my hat to those folks , because to me it seems like tedium , slow methodic work , which it is .

And yes I tasted about ten of my models yesterday and man they were all delicious !!!

 

[mishele]

I would like to suggest taking selfies.

HAHAHAHAH !!!!!!! Trust me I would rather that than shoot food !! HAHAHA! I'll send ya one soon !!!

I'm holding you to that!!! :mrgreen:

 

[manny212]

Nice work. Thanks for sharing. You've gotten me hungry (which is part of the point of food photography isn't it).

Here's some advice for the future.

1. I tend to feel that light (soft, diffused ambient light if possible) works better with food than a dark background.
2. You want softer light...some of your's is a bit harsh.
3. I love to play with DoF and create a lot of bokeh. But my personal take is that you want the initial piece of food to be in focus. For instance, in shot #1, the mashed potatoes (in the foreground) are out of focus (as is in the asparagus). I don't worry about the background (and will sometimes have the waffle or muffin fading into a colorful blur). But the initial view of the food should be sharp.
4. One piece of advice I once got about food photography was to try and tell a story with a photo. Don't just shoot a piece of cake. Shoot a piece of cake with a coffee cup in the background and a fork with some cake on it (as if the person was interrupted by a phone call or someone at the door). Or put some colorful birthday candles on the side of the plate (as if they've been pulled out of the cake) to also provide both an accent but also tell a story.

Joe , I did give him a few options on the different entrees , so although not much better , he will have some like these to choose from .



Verdis food #2-13-Edit by mannyher1, on Flickr



Verdis food #2-32-Edit by mannyher1, on Flickr

 

[manny212]

I would like to suggest taking selfies.

HAHAHAHAH !!!!!!! Trust me I would rather that than shoot food !! HAHAHA! I'll send ya one soon !!!

I'm holding you to that!!! :mrgreen:

Here you go Mish , just as i promised HAHAHAHAH !!



untitled-9 by mannyher1, on Flickr

 

[mishele]

HAHAHAHAH !!!!!!! Trust me I would rather that than shoot food !! HAHAHA! I'll send ya one soon !!!

I'm holding you to that!!! :mrgreen:

Here you go Mish , just as i promised HAHAHAHAH !!



untitled-9 by mannyher1, on Flickr

Handsome devil!! How old are you Manny?
Oh and thank you!

 

[Tee]

Manny-

I think if you had much more time you could really knock those images out of the park. For only having 45 minutes, you did a fine job.

 

[manny212]

I'm holding you to that!!! :mrgreen:

Here you go Mish , just as i promised HAHAHAHAH !!



untitled-9 by mannyher1, on Flickr

Handsome devil!! How old are you Manny?
Oh and thank you!

Ima 48 years young!! [emoji3]

 

[manny212]

Manny-

I think if you had much more time you could really knock those images out of the park. For only having 45 minutes, you did a fine job.

Tee, thanks. And like I've said my hats off to all the folks who toil in this genre. I couldn't do it. Lol.

 

[keyseddie]

I'm not understanding something. 45 minutes is an eternity in food photography. Why couldn't you set up? Was the food not ready?

 

[manny212]

I'm not understanding something. 45 minutes is an eternity in food photography. Why couldn't you set up? Was the food not ready?

Ok They open at 6 . I asked the chef If I could come in early with him to shoot this , he said nope, be here at 5 . So At 5 I was there . Tore apart that small room to try and get an interesting background .

5 :15 ish the first dish came out . So i started . Shot a total of ten dishes , with variations of each . 1st table at 6 came in at 5:45 so I actually shot the server pic while people where already there .

Like I said I don't shoot food . So I really have no experience with the lighting and stuff . And unfortunately the 15 min I did have in the beginning I used to stage the room .

No time left for trial and error with a lighting scheme .

 

[keyseddie]

Thanks for the explanation. I shoot food and usually nothing goes as planned when you have owners and sometimes cantankerous chefs involved. You did ok.