Next Shot

mnewlander · Aug 5, 2011

Looking back at "my first" (my first food pic i put up) i reslized that it was not as magical as i first thought. I fumbled around, not getting things in the positions that i wanted, lighting not quite set right and it took others to show me what i did wrong. I was sloppy not knowing what i was doing. But i liked it, i was excited, can't wait for the weekend to get here so i could leave my job behind and do it all again.
What i learned from this first experiance, was that everyone has an opinion, none are wrong or right, but are helpful in showing what you may do to inprove your skill. i kind of missed this in my first C&C and relised that everyone was trying to be helpful. So i will try before going behind the camera and ask for opinions now for my second shot

I am doing a Japanese food shot. I have somwe beutiful black laquered bowls and small plates. i am going to put rice in the bowl and tempura shrimp to the plate. small saucer of soy sauce, chop sticks on a rest.
what should i use for back drop, lighting, all that kind of stuff. ISO setting, aprature setting.
Yes i am that new at this

johnh2005 · Aug 5, 2011

You are the guy that had the Sushi shots right? If so, I think you did a pretty decent job. Without seeing the setup no one can really tell you what to do. However, I think before some people had posted some links to some food photography tutorials. If so, read those, take what people said about the first shots and work from there. Also, do a google search on "Food Photography Tutorial" and do some reading there for more help. Take all of that, absorb it and go shooting. After your first round of shots, go to the computer, upload them, and take a look at it. Critique those yourself. Go back and take some more shots. Upload. Critique. Shoot. Learn. Then post the best from each of the three sets here. I think by the time you do the third shoot that day you will be really surprised at the outcome. Of course you will/should get better each time.

Good luck and be sure to come back and post the results!

tirediron · Aug 5, 2011

As John said, it's really hard to give specifics, but I can suggest a few guidelines. Use this DoF table to select an aperture which will ensure the whole scene (or as much of it as you want to be) is in sharp focus. With respect to the issue of lighting; without actually seeing this, I'm sort of envisioning a dark, dramatically lit piece; very low key; one light, reflector, and lots of dark areas and shadow. I would also spend a lot of time reading The Strobist Blog for all the information you could ever want on off-camera flash and lighting. Looking forward to seeing the results!

mnewlander · Aug 5, 2011

thanks, i will look into the diffrent web sights for food photography and lighting. i am on a very tite budget so really good lighting is out at the moment. i have seen some alternitives that do fit me though.
i don't quite understand DOF yet or how to set my camera for this or the desired efect i may want. this is going to take some time to study. i will be doing my shoot either sunday or monday so keep your eyes open for my post.

johnh2005 · Aug 5, 2011

mnewlander said:
thanks, i will look into the diffrent web sights for food photography and lighting. i am on a very tite budget so really good lighting is out at the moment. i have seen some alternitives that do fit me though.
i don't quite understand DOF yet or how to set my camera for this or the desired efect i may want. this is going to take some time to study. i will be doing my shoot either sunday or monday so keep your eyes open for my post.

Go to the bookstore or the library and pick up a copy "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson. This will be a great help to you.