My first food photography! C&C please. Does this make you hungry?

JbleezyJ · Jul 3, 2011

I was asked by my friend to help shoot some food photos for his new catering business. It was my first time doing some food photography. Let me know what you guys think and if it makes you want to eat any of it.<br><br>
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

Let me know what you all think! I just used a 22 inch soft box and had my friend hold a silver reflector for most of the shots.

Trever1t · Jul 3, 2011

some of the crops are a little awkward and I don't recognize the dishes but yeah, they look good to me!

BTW I'm also in San Jose.

tirediron · Jul 3, 2011

They're not bad, but I wouldn't go with white bowls against a white background. I would suggest greater DoF, and use a place-setting with contrasting colours (ie white bowl and jewel-tone place-mat on a modern-coloured counter).

g-fi · Jul 4, 2011

Lacks a bit of depth, imo. Food photography, for my tastes, is just as much about the accessories and ambiance of the photograph than just the food. Some of your crops are a bit close. Was your friend the food stylist as well, or did you style everything?

iNick · Jul 4, 2011

Let me preface this by saying I LOVE FOOD, GOOD FOOD! okay, anyway, I think these are pretty good and i sure your friend will be grateful. One thing that i look for when dealing with food photography is texture. I i feel like you get a completely different view when you can see the texture of the food. For me, i can almost taste the dish, it's like it's right in front of me. #6 is my favorite, i love being able to see the oil bubbles and the angle really gives me a good idea as to how the dish would feel in my mouth. silky mozzarella, nice green lettuce, firm tomato, sweetness from the balsamic. Mmmm :drool:

Overall i say great job! just a few suggestions from a food lover (and novice photographer)

JbleezyJ · Jul 4, 2011

Thanks! They styled everything. I wasn't paid for this shoot so I didn't purchase anything extra for the shots. Unfortunately they actually forgot to bring the table clothes so we had to use the white one. Yeah Now that I think of it next time I want to make it look more presentable with plate settings or wine in the background etc.. Well I hope to do better next time I have a shoot similar to this.

chaosrealm93 · Jul 4, 2011

#1,4,9 make me kinda hungry

i think #5's colors are kinda too contrasty and saturated and makes it feel kinda fake.

Timoris · Jul 4, 2011

I, for one, enjoy the neatness and simplicity of the pictures.
It brings about a "lightness" (as in, weight) which I like.

molested_cow · Jul 4, 2011

I think the lighting is a bit harsh, and took away a wider range of light values (dark to light) that will help to give more dimensionality to the subjects.

No.2 looks too dry to be appetizing.
The angle on no.6 is a bit too low. I am not seeing enough of the food to get the feel of what it is.
I'd offset the orientation for no.8 a bit. Instead of having a "straight" or vertical arrangement, I'd probably do a slight diagonal layout.
No.9 will be the toughest challenge. Reflective dark object and white in the same scene. You definitely need dodge and burn to help you balance the exposure. Otherwise, consider merging two exposures together in a tasteful way.

Actually, for no.4, according to Derrel, the white stuff on the salmon means it was cooked under too high heat too quickly. If that's true, that means seeing those white stuff (protein) means shows lack of professionalism on the chef's part. I am no expert, but you should check first before showing this to the customers.

Derrel · Jul 5, 2011

Most of them look washed out and overexposed, and thus, lacking in texture. Shots 2,3,4 for example--overexposed. hah! And yes, the salmon with the white soluble proteins coating the top of the fillet...terrible cooking job!! A good portion of the juicy succulence of that piece of salmon has been cooked out of the fish, and the piece will be dry and flavorless...I can tell by looking. A gourmet, or even a competent fish cook would look at that photo and cringe. The sauce in Photo #1 looks like it has already congealed, and is becoming granular. I think the white serving dishes on white background is a bit too "hard" of a look...perhaps a contrasting, darker table cloth would be helpful.