#KNOWLEDGE BASE

Food shooting - object shooting food.

A person cannot go without food for a long time. We encounter it every day - we buy it in stores, cook it ourselves or visit establishments. Catering. That is why business is often associated with food, and for the sake of its successful promotion, such a phenomenon as food photography has arisen. Most often, the services of product photography of food are used by manufacturers of beverages, food products, as well as …

A person cannot go without food for a long time. We encounter it every day - we buy it in stores, cook it ourselves or visit catering establishments. That is why business is often associated with food, and for the sake of its successful promotion, such a phenomenon as food photography has arisen.

Most often, food product photography services are used by manufacturers of beverages, food products, as well as owners of cafes, restaurants or other catering establishments. The main goal of our work is to attract new consumers or customers who are often not easy to surprise with food. Also, the need for such services may arise from amateurs who maintain their culinary blogs, or supporters healthy eating. At first glance, it may seem that this work is within the power of anyone who has ever held a camera in their hands.

However, not every amateur has sufficient skills, and also necessary equipment to meet this challenge. food has its own specifics, since the object should look not only beautiful, but also amazingly appetizing. The basic rule of food photography is that food may not taste good, but it must look great. To do this, food or drinks must not only be properly prepared, but also served. You need to be a real artist in order to first present the entire future composition in detail, prepare everything you need for work: food, dishes, appliances, accessories. Lay out everything, set up and set up equipment, and most importantly, capture it before the food loses its marketable attractiveness. Therefore, photo and video operators often work in tandem with a food stylist to perform such tasks.

When subject shooting food can be used for work the following types lighting:

• natural light;
• reflectors;
• studio lighting.

It can be a job for a culinary site, a site for a cafe, a restaurant, a food manufacturer, or a reportage filming covering the process of cooking or tasting products. All the details should be in harmony, emphasizing the dignity, in no case diverting attention from the main subject of video filming - food. As a rule, it is very simple to evaluate the result of the work - when viewing it, a feeling of hunger should arise.

Before starting the process, we conduct a detailed analysis of your tasks, develop unique settings and scenarios for the development of your business. To achieve the best result, you can provide examples of work that is closest to your requirements. We promote the final video product by making it work for you.

Food photography cost

We offer you professional food photography services in Moscow. Our specialists have extensive experience, as well as all the necessary professional equipment. If you decide to order food photography, the price will depend on a number of factors, for example, the volume and complexity of the work, namely:

• the number of hours worked or food taken;
• subsequent processing of the received material - in whole or in part;
• studio or field work, the number of specialists involved in it.

The cost of food shooting can be reduced in case of shooting a large number of objects. Regular customers can expect to receive a discount on the cost of our work. To place an order, simply contact us at the number indicated on the site or use the "Order a call" button.

What defines the beauty of food photography?

My conclusion is the composition and appetizing of the dish.

What is the ideal composition? This is when every object in the frame is in its place. When nothing can be removed or added to the picture without violating the harmony and overall impression of the photo.

The composition is divided into aesthetic (idea, intent of photography) and technical (frame geometry, combination of colors and light).

The main rule of aesthetic composition is the picture should have one idea (plot) that is understandable to the viewer.

Before building a frame, you need to understand what story you want to tell in the photo. An idea often tells you which composition rule is best applied to implement it.

7 rules of composition that will make your shot better

1. Golden Ratio

This is the basic rule of composition that has existed in art since ancient times. We will not delve into his explanation. Let's just see that according to this rule, the frame area is divided by two vertical and two horizontal lines as follows.

The main objects in the frame should be placed along these lines or at their intersection points. The points of intersection are called "visual centers". It is believed that they attract the attention of a person in the first place.

In this photo by Rob Grimm, the shrimp lie on a horizontal section line, with the tastiest upper part of the right shrimp at the intersection of the two lines.
In Linda Lomelino's photo, the ice cream balls are arranged along the vertical lines of the grid, with two balls lying at the intersection points of the lines.

2. Rule of diagonals

One of the most commonly used rules in food photography. Its essence is the location of the main objects in the frame diagonally. This technique is good because it creates dynamics in the picture. Here are some examples of diagonal compositions.

In the first and second photos, the diagonal is given by two plates of soup. In the third picture, the diagonal is very concisely and effectively indicated by a knife.

During filming, I found several features of the construction of diagonal compositions:

• Rectangular cutting boards, plates, boxes, trays, etc. - a good basis for a diagonal composition.

• The diagonal can be set not only by objects, but also by color.

In this photo, there is a green diagonal that is formed by pesto in a jar and a twig in the background.

• The diagonal in the frame can be set by the lines of the background boards or the location of the edge of the table.

• The diagonal can be set or emphasized with cutlery.

• Diagonals are often found in the food itself, and this can and should be shown.

3. Rule of triangles

Also a very popular rule in food photography. Its essence is that the main objects form a triangle. Let's look at examples.

Photo credits: @lumadeline, @_foodstories_, Linda Lomelino
Authors of the photo: 1 - Monica Pinto, 2, 3 - Alexander Slyadnev

4. Spiral

Surprisingly, this rule of harmony is derived by mathematical calculations. We will not go into scientific difficulties, but simply agree that the pictures with the composition-spiral look very interesting. The composition can be built so that the viewer's eye twists or spirals, coming to the main object in the frame. This technique makes the frame dynamic.

Katie Quinn Davies

5. Fibonacci numbers

A very useful, but for some reason not often mentioned compositional technique. It helps to determine the number of objects in the frame.

The mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci developed a series of numerical harmony 1 1 2 3 5 8 12 ... Remember these numbers and use them when decorating dishes and composing compositions.

image copyrightNik Sharma, Monica Pinto

In the first photo we see 1 cupcake decorated with 1 fig. Cut off 3 pieces of cake, 4 pieces would look less harmonious. In the second picture we see 3 burgers, 2 glasses of beer. Near each burger are 2 halves of a cucumber. All these are small details, but often the feeling of harmony in the frame depends on them.

6. Rhythm or pattern

This is the repeated repetition of the same or similar objects in the frame. This is a simple but very effective compositional technique.

Photo credits @gkstories, @tata_cher, @localhaven

Rhythm always makes photography livelier and more interesting. Therefore, try to notice the rhythm in food, interior, dishes and add it to your photos.

In the pictures below, rhythm is not the main compositional device. But in the first photo, there is rhythm in the back of a chair, in a sliced ​​avocado and a branch of tomatoes. The second photo shows very rhythmic waffles. In the third picture, the rhythm is set by the stack of pancakes itself and the lattice lines.

Photo credits @whatforbreakfast, @ditsen, @a_violet_dream

7. Different height

An interesting compositional technique is the arrangement of objects at different heights. This does not let the viewer get bored, adds dynamics to the frame.

The viewer unconsciously reads information from the image from left to right and from top to bottom. Therefore, for a more comfortable perception it's better to make the top and left side of the photo lighter, i.e. leave more space and more light there.

P.S. It takes a lot of practice to master the rules of composition. Then they will go to the subconscious level, and you don’t even have to think about them.

About other important parts of a harmonious composition - color and light, we will talk in the following posts.

P.P.S. I always enjoy reading comments on my posts!

) are photographers of the most popular gastronomic magazines.

Description of the intensive

In the classes, you will learn in detail the different types of food shoots: how they differ, how important preparation is, what should be the result of the work and what to do if the situation seems hopeless to you.

We will tell the whole truth about working in a publishing house and about magazine photography. Of course, let's talk about style - how to understand and feel, and most importantly, to put all the items together and achieve an excellent result. We will share with you the secrets of implementing complex client specifications, where to get ideas and how to get props for shooting if you have a zero budget. Be sure to dispel the myths about the complexity of artificial light, talk in detail about all the intricacies of natural light. We will hand over all the appearances and passwords of inspiration and we will endlessly analyze the rules of composition!

In practice, we will implement chic themed table settings, make moodboards and shoot a lot on various textures using cool dishes and props. We will review all your practical work.

The course consists of two theoretical lectures of 3 hours each and two practical sessions of 6 hours each.

Props

A huge selection of backgrounds, inspirational literature, fresh food, and shelving with cool props and textiles await you and your camera at every practice session! And that's not all... Part of the props and backgrounds will be available for purchase, we are preparing a huge sale as part of the course!

I would also like to note that all the dishes for practical classes are prepared by professional chef and a confectioner, from which it follows that you are working with a quality and worthy product.

We create a wonderful creative atmosphere!

Who is this course for?

The course is designed for people who are interested in food photography and who know how to use manual camera settings and a tripod at a basic level.

Where are the classes?

It is important to know that our practical sessions will take place in a spacious and very beautiful studio with floor to ceiling windows! Therefore, in the classroom you will not be limited by space and can easily experiment and create any compositions within the framework of our assignments.

Classes are held in the photo studio "Moscow" at the address: Moscow, st. Elektrozavodskaya, 21, checkpoint No. 3 “Marble”, 3rd floor, to the right along the corridor to room No. 353.

Contacts

Get detailed information and you can pay for participation by writing to the mail: , calling +7 968 ​​797 61 97 or leaving a request on this page.

Detailed course program

Lesson No. 1 - Theory (03/28/2019 from 19-00 to 22-00):

– Acquaintance with course participants;
– History and theory of food photography;
– Types of filming (content – ​​magazines, books; art – creative; commercial – client);
– Analysis of all types of filming (subtleties, features, differences);
– Types/kinds of light;
– All the subtleties of working with natural and artificial light;
– Types of SW modifiers and their application;
– Analysis of the main schemes of IO (demonstration);
– Basic image processing tools;

Lesson No. 2 - Theory (03/29/2019 from 19-00 to 22-00):

– Style in photography as a general concept;
– Finding inspiration and creating a moodboard;
– Author's style;
– The role of the stylist and food stylist. Who is a "food stylist"?;
– Stages of preparation for various types shooting;
– Purchase of products and work on the site;
– Purchase and rental of props, work with letters of guarantee and shops;
– Props of the photographer and stylist;

Lesson No. 3 - Practice (30.03.2019 from 11-00 to 17-00):

- Theoretical introduction from teachers on the topic "Composition";

– Combination of textures, colors, backgrounds and props;
- Independent work with a composition on a given topic with back and side lighting;
– Commercial shooting (product placement);

Lesson No. 4 - Practice (03/31/2019 from 11-00 to 17-00):

- Theoretical introduction from teachers on the topic "Serving" (using the example of 2 different servings. General principles, differences, content);
– Two themed table settings;
– Practical work With natural light;
– Shooting in lifestyle style;
– Independent creation of thematic compositions and stylization of dishes on a given topic;
– Working directly with ingredients and ready meals.

To convey the appetizing food is not so simple task like photographing your plate. There are a number of tricks you can use to really improve your subject. By using your camera creatively, you can capture the very best side of food. Whether it's dessert or a full meal, these tips will take your food photography to the next level.

1. Use a very shallow depth of field

When you're about to take a photo, the first technical question that comes up is "Which background would be best?". In food photography, only part of the main subject is usually sharp, and everything else is softly blurred. To do this, use the largest aperture your camera allows. At f/2.8, the aperture in the lens is physically wide open, creating a so-called shallow depth of field. If you are using a whale lens, the effect will be stronger when the lens is at a longer distance. focal length and closer to the object.

2. Less - more

PhotoN i c o l a

PhotoIrudayam

While looking at the scene through the camera, ask yourself "What is the main subject really?". This simple question will help you shape your composition. At first glance, this may seem elementary, but the value of this recommendation is undeniable. As a reminder, you can attach a note to reverse side lens caps. Carefully check all corners of the frame. Anything that does not underline the selected object should be removed. The goal is to create a clean frame, not visual clutter.

3. Create my composition

Go beyond your subject and think about the shape and form of your composition. For example, adding a knife can balance it out by using the rule of thirds. Shooting strictly vertically, you create an elegant frame. In the image above, the towel in the left corner enhances the color, while the parsley, lime, and avocado add a few shades of green. To add more shine to cutlery or reflective surfaces, in this case a knife, use a reflector to reflect extra light.

4. Make a mess

Phototracy benjamin

PhotoStefano

To make your food photo look real and not staged, add crumbs to the scene. This imperfection may seem strange at first glance, but it adds visual appeal. A little cheese sprinkled over your plate is an easy way to get things done. But be moderate in this.

5. Use highISO

Just remember, the higher the ISO value, the faster the light enters the camera. At ISO 800, light will enter the camera faster than at ISO 100 or 200. When photographing food indoors, you will generally need a value of 1600 or even 3200. I generally do not recommend using ISO 6400 or higher, as this leads to a high level digital noise, also known as granularity. If noise is a problem for your camera, then use Lightroom's noise reduction tool.

Editor's Note: Since this article is intended for beginners, the author assumes that you will shoot handheld. If, however, you will be shooting on a tripod, it is recommended to use this low value.ISOas possible to minimize noise and produce clear and sharp images.

6. Use natural light to your advantage

PhotoFelipe Neves

PhotoTerence Lim

Instead of adding a flash or working with harsh artificial light, take advantage of beautiful natural light. This will give your food image a slight airiness. Look for a spot where the sun's rays come through a window and position yourself to shoot. Morning is traditionally considered best time for this, as the light is soft and less contrasty. You can shoot in the afternoon as well, but you'll have to move to where the light is more even to avoid harsh shadows.

7. Try black and white

Photodavid pacey

PhotoJazz Guy

Probably the most popular food photo of all time is Pepper #30 by Edward Weston. It is made in black and white technique and beautifully conveys the shape of the object. Try shooting food in monochrome from time to time. Not only does the lack of color make shooting easier, but it also works well for highlighting contrast, highlights, and shadows. If you are shooting in RAW format, then convert the image to black and white in post-processing. One of my favorite tools for this is Exposure X by Alain Skin, there's a wide range of creative possibilities there.

8. Take a bite

PhotoD.L.G Images

Photoxsomnis

Good food photography doesn't have to be staged. Once you're done shooting, go ahead and take a bite. Such a photo will add a sense of authenticity to your shooting. If you also arouse in the viewer the desire to taste what you are shooting, then you have succeeded in creating amazing food photography.

If you've made it to this page, it's already a good start for getting to know the basics of photography in general and food photography in particular. In the introductory note, of course, I will not reveal any secrets and ways to learn how to take amazing photos in three days. I will only tell you what I started with, what tricks I used and what knowledge helped me at the very beginning.

Let's agree right away - I'm talking about food photography (and you yourself are already using it in other genres), I speak in my own words and with my own examples.

Let's digress for a moment and talk about what is needed for a good food shot, what can be learned quickly, and what needs to be developed constantly. I divide the result of a good shot into three parts: proper technique, beautiful presentation of the dish, and high-quality composition. This basic note will be about the technical side, so we will return to it later.

What I mean by a beautiful serving of a dish, I think it is not necessary to explain. Even if you take a picture for social. network or just to send it to friends, this does not mean at all that you do not need to slightly arrange the dish in the frame. And if you use pictures for your blog, magazine articles and other commercial purposes, the food should make the viewer salivate.

The food should look neat (unless otherwise implied by the idea and script), if possible, all the ingredients involved in the dish should be shown. If there is any main ingredient, show it in the foreground. Use spices, sauces, sprinkles to make the frame livelier, more appetizing. Vegetables, herbs, meat products look good if you grease them with oil - this gives them shine, beautiful highlights and reflections. There are a lot of such tricks and it's all called food style. Let me know in the comments if you would like to read more about this topic.

We figured out the presentation, let's move on to the composition. For me, this is not just the correct location of the subject in the frame, but also full build Pictures. As many (foreign) books about food photography advise, tell a story in the frame. The simplest thing for you to understand is pancakes, it’s a crime to photograph them without sweet sauce, or berries in the frame. If we are making french fries, how not to show a bottle of ketchup or a cup of mustard in the frame. All this plays an important and useful role - the details, that's what makes the frame interesting, memorable. I also plan to talk about this a little later.

Let's get back to the technical side. I would like to point out that nice shot it is possible and possible to get even by phone, it just has its own characteristics. And if you have a good camera, then nothing at all prevents you from taking pictures “like from a magazine”. All you need to do is to understand the basics and understand why and how to use them.

Let's start with the most important thing - light. In my photographs, I use only natural light from a window. Only it illuminates objects in the photo as naturally as possible, does not distort color, and it is very easy to work with it. Please note that you do not need the sun to shine through the window like a flashlight. On the contrary, it is better if the sun is somewhere on the side of the window. Later I will explain why.

It is logical to guess that the light in the frame can fall from different sides: from the side, frontally and behind the photographed object (backlight, it shines on our faces).

As in portrait photographs, backlight is very good for food photography, that is, you put food between the window and the camera, the light source is obtained from behind the subject. It is believed that with this arrangement of the light source, the frames are interesting and lively. I use such lighting only if there are transparent drinks in the frame (then the light passing through the glass illuminates it, as it were), they turn out to be lighter, showing the texture and brightness of the liquid well. The second scenario for using backlight is when we want to practically whiten the background, everything is logical here - the light source strongly illuminates the back, while maintaining rich foreground colors (no overexposure).

This arrangement also has its drawbacks - it is almost impossible to photograph an object without improvised reflectors (more on that below).

In other cases, it is most convenient to use side light, and, of course, there is almost no difference in whether the source is on the left or on the right, unless otherwise intended by the plot of the frame.

The front light is almost never used. It is too active in the foreground, which leads to strong overexposure, and often the photographer creates a shadow on the dish in such lighting - this is certainly superfluous.

Now another very important parameter- the type of rays and, as a result, the type of shadows and lighting in general. There is direct light and diffused, more precisely, direct rays and diffused. Imagine if you shine a headlight on an orange with a flashlight. The shadow from it will be very clear, there will be strongly lit areas and vice versa - very dark ones. These are direct rays, very strong. If, however, a sheet of thin paper is placed between the flashlight and the orange, the rays will be scattered, the shadows will become soft, and the illumination of the object will be much more even.

It doesn't matter where the light source is. Should always be used scattered light. To do this, use translucent thin diffusers: paper, white fabrics, and so on. If you are photographing by the window, you can stick tracing paper on the glass or hang a thin curtain fabric. When shooting outdoors, you also need to avoid direct light better: go into the shade, or put all the same diffusers between the sun and the object.

Look at the example: here is the backlight from the window, the sun shines directly and therefore draws very clear shadows and uneven highlights. In the second picture, I stuck a sheet of thin white paper on the glass.

I didn't change any other settings. The difference is obvious.

The next level of photo enhancement is the use of reflectors. They are needed in order to reflect light, forwarding (in the direction we need) the light to the subject. Simply put, we illuminate the object more fully, which results in more uniform shadows and color transitions.

I just covered the cardboard tiles with white paper. Compact and convenient.

If you shoot food more spontaneously, use improvised means - white sheets of paper, magazines, book covers, menus in cafes and restaurants, white boxes, and so on. The brighter the reflector, the better (ideally white).

You can use from one to three reflectors, I most often take one, that's enough for me. I place it in front of the light source, quite close to the subject, and I immediately understand at what angle to adjust the reflector to get the intended frame.

As before, all photo settings are unchanged. Just added reflectors.

The most obvious plus from the use of a reflector in the comparison of the first and second pictures. You can see how the bottom of the piece of cake is illuminated, how the subject is illuminated more evenly in general, which made it possible to see the details of the cake better.

It works even better with heterogeneous dishes - salads, pasta, and so on, where there are a lot of shady and illuminated areas.

With side lighting, reflectors are used in exactly the same way.

Here's what it looks like in real life: a cardboard card is pasted over with a white sheet on one side, it costs at the expense of clothespins (it's convenient to remove them and fold the reflectors during transportation).

The next interesting point is the shooting angle. By and large, it is customary to shoot food at four angles: 0 degrees (frontally), 90 degrees (top), 45 degrees (medium tilt) and 10-20 degrees. By the way, if you shoot with your phone or most simple camera- use shooting from above more often, this will allow you to hide the shortcomings of the technique used as much as possible.

Use the shooting angle that you like best, unless otherwise provided by the idea. For example, it is better to photograph pancakes from the front, composing them with a high turret, so their thickness, porosity and texture will be better seen. Take them off the top and what do we get? Toasted circles and nothing else. But, for example, it is better to shoot pizza from above - this is how each ingredient will be revealed as much as possible.

If you are just starting to shoot, try all the angles, and only then, looking at the pictures on the computer, you will be able to understand which angle was more successful, conveyed the idea better. Over time, you will automatically be able to understand which dish to shoot from which angle.

Dealt with general terms, let's go deeper - camera settings. I’m talking about SLR and mirrorless cameras, something will suit both soap dishes and phones. Please note that the camera often has a shooting mode wheel: manual, automatic, scene. And since you have read the note up to this point, it means that you definitely want to get high-quality pictures. That's why automatic modes forget! Forever!

Most often in food shooting, the Aperture Priority mode is used, less often the Shutter Priority mode, and very rarely completely manual mode(for pros with narrow goals).

In different cameras, the modes (letters on the wheel) are called differently, but you will quickly figure it out with your model and control wheel, just study the first sheet of the instructions.

What is aperture mode? In this mode, we tell the camera how much to open the aperture (the petals in the lens). Typically, values ​​range from 1.4 (very open) to 16 (very closed).

For us (in food photography) this means how much the background (or even part of the subject) will be blurred. The more the aperture is open, the more everything that does not fall into the depth of field (depth of field) is blurred. Sounds weird, but here's an example.

I put down three glasses. Focused on the front. I took four shots at an aperture value of 1.8; 4; 7.1; 14.

See? The more the aperture is open, the smaller the depth of field (what will be in focus). And vice versa - the more the aperture is closed, the greater the depth of field (more objects in space will be sharp).

That's why aperture priority mode is used 80% of the time. With it, it is easy to highlight the object and blur the rest, thereby showing the viewer what is important for us in the frame.

If you have a soap dish or a smartphone - even with them you can blur everything unnecessary - to do this, shoot the main object as close as possible, and try to put other objects and backgrounds as far away as possible.

With practice, you can easily determine how much you need to open the aperture in a particular scene and framing.

For the base, this will be enough. I want to complete the note with the classic rule of thirds for building a frame. This works correctly not only in food photography and even not only in photography (but also in painting, for example).

Briefly, the rule says that you need to divide the frame into three parts horizontally and vertically and place logically important objects along these lines. Like this:

You see that the glass stands along one vertical line and a horizontal one, you can say its center converges with the intersection of these lines. It is believed that with such a construction of the frame, it is easier for the human eye to tune in and the picture seems more correct, the accents are placed automatically.

Of course, rules are meant to be broken. But try to shoot in this way for the first time, and only then, having mastered this moment well, you will understand where you can deviate from the rule.

It's very important to me Feedback with you! Write in the comments if what I am writing about is clear enough for you, if there are enough diagrams and photographs to illustrate examples. Would you like to study the question in more depth (and which one).

In addition, right now I am ready to give individual consultations and lessons on food photography. In such classes, we work with your questions, your equipment, lighting methods and so on.