#KNOWLEDGE BASE

Food photography – object shooting food.

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

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

Most often, food photography services are used by beverage and food producers, as well as owners of cafes, restaurants or other catering establishments. The main goal of our work is to attract new consumers or clients who are often difficult to surprise with food. Also, the need for such services may arise among amateurs running their own culinary blogs, or supporters healthy eating. At first glance, it may seem that this work can be done by anyone who has held a camera in their hands at least once.

However, not every amateur has sufficient skills, and necessary equipment to cope with this task. food has its own specifics, since the object should look not just beautiful, but also incredibly 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 to first imagine the entire future composition in detail, prepare everything necessary for work: food, dishes, cutlery, accessories. Lay everything out, set up and set up the equipment, and most importantly, capture it before the food loses its marketable attractive appearance. Therefore, photo and video operators often work in tandem with a food stylist to complete such tasks.

Can be used for work when photographing food the following types lighting:

• natural light;
• reflectors;
• studio lighting.

This could be work for a culinary site, a cafe site, a restaurant site, a food manufacturer, or reportage shooting covering the process of preparing or tasting products. All details should be in harmony, emphasizing the advantages, in no way distracting 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 statements 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 ultimately created video product, making it work for you.

Cost of food photography

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:

• number of hours worked or food products filmed;
• subsequent processing of the resulting material - in whole or in part;
• studio or field work, the number of specialists participating in it.

The cost of food photography can be reduced if a large number of objects are photographed. Regular customers can count on receiving a discount on the cost of our work. To place an order, simply contact us at the number indicated on the website or use the “Request a call” button.

What defines the beauty of food photography?

My conclusion is the composition and appetizing nature of the dish.

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

Composition is divided into aesthetic (idea, design of the photograph) and technical (frame geometry, color combination and light).

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

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

7 rules of composition that will make your shot better

1. Golden ratio

This is a basic rule of composition that has existed in art since ancient times. Let's not go deeper 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 intersection points are called “visual centers.” It is believed that they attract a person's attention first.

In this photo by Rob Grimm, the shrimp lie on a horizontal cut line, and the most delicious top part of the right shrimp is located at the intersection of the two lines.
In Linda Lomelino's photo, the ice cream scoops are arranged along the vertical grid lines, with two scoops lying at the intersection points of the lines.

2. Rule of diagonals

One of the most frequently 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 photo. Here are some examples of diagonal compositions.

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

During filming I found several features of constructing 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 diagonal of green created by the pesto in the jar and the sprig 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.

• There are often diagonals in the food itself, and this can and should be shown.

3. Rule of triangles

This is 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
Photo credits: 1 - Monica Pinto, 2, 3 - Alexander Slyadnev

4. Spiral

Surprisingly, this rule of harmony was derived through mathematical calculations. Let’s not go into scientific complexities, but simply agree that photographs with a spiral composition look very interesting. The composition can be constructed so that the viewer's gaze twists or unwinds in a spiral, coming to the main object in the frame. This technique makes the frame dynamic.

Photo by Katie Quinn Davies

5. Fibonacci numbers

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

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

Photo credits: Nik Sharma, Monica Pinto

In the first photo we see 1 cupcake decorated with 1 fig. 3 pieces of cake were cut off; 4 pieces would have looked less harmonious. In the second picture we see 3 burgers, 2 glasses of beer. Near each burger there are 2 halves of a cucumber. These are all 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 a photograph more lively and interesting. Therefore, try to notice the rhythm in food, interior, dishes and add it to your photos.

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

Photo credits: @whatforbreakfast, @ditsen, @a_violet_dream

7. Different heights

An interesting compositional technique is the arrangement of objects at different heights. This prevents the viewer from getting bored and adds dynamics to the frame.

The viewer unconsciously reads information from the photograph 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. To master the rules of composition, you need to practice a lot. Then they will move to the subconscious level, and you won’t even have to think about them.

We'll talk about other important parts of a harmonious composition - color and light - in the following posts.

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

) – photographers of the most popular gastronomic magazines.

Description of the intensive

During the classes, you will find a detailed study of different types of food photography: how they differ, how important preparation is, what the result of the work should be, and what to do if the situation seems hopeless to you.

We will tell you the whole truth about working in a publishing house and about magazine photography. Of course, we’ll talk about style - how to understand and feel, and most importantly, to collect all the objects into a single whole 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. We will definitely dispel myths about the complexity of artificial light and talk in detail about all the intricacies of natural light. Let's hand over all the appearances and inspiration passwords and endlessly analyze the rules of composition!

In practice, we will implement chic themed table settings, make mood boards and shoot a lot in different 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 classes of 6 hours each.

Props

A huge selection of backgrounds, inspiring literature, fresh food and racks of cool props and textiles will be waiting for you and your camera at every practice session! And that’s not all... Some 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 dishes for practical classes are prepared by professional chef and a confectioner, which means that you work with a high-quality and worthy product.

We create a wonderful creative atmosphere!

Who is this course for?

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

Where do the classes take place?

It is important to know that our practical classes will take place in a spacious and very beautiful studio with floor to ceiling windows! Therefore, during the classes 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 Moscow photo studio 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 emailing: , 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):

– Meeting the course participants;
– History and theory of food photography;
– Types of filming (content – ​​magazines, books; artistic – creative; commercial – client);
– Analysis of all types of filming (subtleties, features, differences);
– Types/types of light;
– All the subtleties of working with natural and artificial light;
– Types of EO modifiers and their application;
– Analysis of the basic circuits of the 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 mood board;
– Author's style;
– The role of a stylist and food stylist. Who is a “food stylist”?;
– Stages of preparation for various types filming;
– Purchase of products and work on site;
– Purchase and rental of props, work with letters of guarantee and shops;
– Props for photographer and stylist;

Lesson No. 3 – Practice (03/30/2019 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 backlight and side lighting;
– Commercial photography (product placement);

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

– Theoretical introduction from teachers on the topic “Seating” (using the example of 2 different table settings. 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 theme;
– Work directly with ingredients and prepared dishes.

Conveying the appetizingness of food is not so simple task like taking a photo of your plate. There are a number of tricks you can use to dramatically enhance your subject. By using your camera creatively, you can capture the 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 set out to take a photograph, the first technical question that will arise is, “Which background would be best?” In food photography, usually only part of the main subject is sharp, and the rest is softly blurred. To do this, use the largest aperture your camera allows. At f/2.8, the lens aperture is physically wide open, creating what is known as a shallow depth of field. If you are using a kit lens, the effect will be stronger when the lens is held at a longer focal length and closer to the object.

2. Less - more

PhotoN i c o l a

PhotoIrudayam

When looking at a scene through your camera, ask yourself, “What is really the main subject?” This simple question will help you shape your composition. At first glance, this may seem elementary, but the significance of this recommendation is undeniable. As a reminder, you can attach a note to reverse side lens caps. Check all angles of the frame carefully. Anything that does not highlight the selected object should be removed. The goal is to create a clean frame rather than visual clutter.

3. Create my composition

Step outside of your subject and think about the shape and appearance of your composition. For example, adding a knife can balance it out if you use the rule of thirds. By shooting strictly vertically, you create an elegant shot. In the image above, the towel in the left corner enhances the color, while the parsley, lime and avocado add a few hints of green. To add more shine to cutlery or reflective surfaces, in this case a knife, use a reflector to reflect the extra light.

4. Create a mess

Phototracy benjamin

PhotoStefano

To make your food photography look real and not staged, add crumbs to the scene. This imperfection may seem strange at first glance, but it adds visual interest. A little cheese scattered over the plate is an easy way to achieve the goal. But be moderate in this.

5. Use highISO

Just remember, the higher the ISO, the faster the light enters the camera. At ISO 800, light will get into the camera faster than at ISO 100 or 200. When photographing food indoors, you will mostly need a value of 1600 or even 3200. I generally don't recommend using ISO 6400 or higher, as this results in high digital noise, also known as graininess. If noise is an issue for your camera, then use the noise reduction tool in Lightroom.

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

6. Take advantage of natural light

PhotoFelipe Neves

PhotoTerence Lim

Instead of adding flash or working with harsh artificial light, use beautiful natural light. This will give your food image a light airiness. Look for a place where the sun's rays are coming through the window and position yourself to shoot. Morning is traditionally considered best time for this purpose, since the light is soft and less contrasting. You can shoot in the afternoon, but you'll have to move to an area where the light is more even to avoid harsh shadows.

7. Try black and white technique

Photodavid pacey

PhotoJazz Guy

Probably the most popular food photograph of all time is Pepper No. 30 by Edward Weston. It is made in black and white and beautifully conveys the shape of the object. From time to time, try photographing food in monochrome. The absence of color not only makes shooting easier, but also works well for highlighting contrast, light and shadow. If you shoot in RAW format, 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

PhotoDLG Images

Photoxsomnis

Good food photography doesn’t have to be staged. Once you've finished filming, go ahead and take a bite. This photo will add a sense of authenticity to your shoot. If you also make the viewer want to try what you photographed, then you have succeeded in creating amazing food photography.

If you have reached this page, this is already a good start to getting acquainted with the basics of photography in general and food photography in particular. In my introductory note, of course, I won’t reveal any secrets or ways to learn how to take amazing photos in three days. I’ll just tell you where I started, what tricks I used and what knowledge helped me at the very beginning.

Let’s agree right away - I’m talking specifically about food photography (and you yourself are already applying this in other genres), I’m speaking in my own words and with my own examples.

Let's digress for a minute and talk about this - what is needed for a good food shot, what can be learned quickly, and what needs to be constantly developed. I divide the result of a good photograph 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’ll come back to it later.

What I mean by beautiful presentation of a dish, I think there is no need to explain. Even if you take a photo for social media. network or just to send it to friends, this does not mean at all that you don’t need to arrange the dish a little in the frame. And if you use pictures for your blog, magazine article, or other commercial purposes, the food should make the viewer salivate.

The food should look neat (unless otherwise implied by the idea and script), and if possible, all the ingredients involved in the dish should be shown. If there is a main ingredient, show it in the foreground. Use spices, sauces, toppings to make your frame livelier and more appetizing. Vegetables, herbs, and 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 stylistics. Let me know in the comments if you would be interested in reading more about this topic.

We've sorted out the presentation, let's move on to the composition. For me, this is not just the correct placement 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 make French fries, how can we not show a bottle of ketchup or a cup of mustard in the frame? All this plays an important and useful role - the details are what makes the frame interesting and memorable. I also plan to talk about this a little later.

Let's get back to the technical side. I would like to note 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 delve into the basics and understand why and how to use them.

Let's start with the most important thing - light. In my photographs I use exclusively natural light from the window. Only it illuminates objects in photographs as naturally as possible, does not distort color, and is very easy to work with. 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 to the side of the window. I'll explain why later.

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

As in portrait photographs, backlight is very good for food photography, that is, you place food between the window and the camera, the light source comes from behind the subject. It is believed that with this arrangement of the light source, the frames turn out interesting and lively. I use this kind of lighting only if there are transparent drinks in the frame (then the light passing through the glass seems to highlight it), they turn out lighter, showing well the texture and brightness of the liquid. 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 backdrop, while preserving the rich colors of the foreground (no overexposure).

This arrangement also has its disadvantages - it is almost impossible to photograph an object without available reflectors (more on this below).

In other cases, it is most convenient to use side light, and, of course, there is almost no difference 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 unnecessary.

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 light, or rather direct rays and diffused ones. Imagine if you shine a flashlight head-on on an orange. The shadow from it will be very clear, there will be strongly lit areas and vice versa - very dark. These are direct rays, very strong. If you place a sheet of thin paper 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 diffuse light. To do this, use translucent thin diffusers: paper, white fabrics, and so on. If you take photographs near a window, you can glue tracing paper to the glass or hang a thin curtain fabric. When shooting outdoors, you also need to avoid direct light: go into the shadows, or place the same diffusers between the sun and the object.

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

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

The next level of photography 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 ultimately gives more uniform shadows and color transitions.

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

If you photograph food more spontaneously, use improvised means - white sheets of paper, magazines, book covers, menus in cafes and restaurants, white boxes, and so on. The lighter 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 opposite 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. Only reflectors are added.

The most obvious benefit from using a reflector is in comparing the first and second pictures. You can see how the bottom of the piece of cake was illuminated, how the subject was illuminated more evenly overall, which made it possible to see the details of the cake better.

This works even better with heterogeneous dishes - salads, pasta, etc., where there are a lot of shadow and light areas.

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

Here's what it looks like in real life: a cardboard card is covered with a white sheet on one side, with clothespins attached (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 (frontal), 90 degrees (from above), 45 degrees (medium tilt) and 10-20 degrees. By the way, if you take pictures with your phone or a simple camera— use overhead shooting more often, this will allow you to hide the shortcomings of the equipment used as much as possible.

Use the shooting angle that suits you best, unless otherwise specified. For example, it is better to photograph pancakes from the front, lining them up with a high tower, this way their thickness, porosity and texture will be better visible. Remove them from above and what do we get? Fried circles and nothing more. But, for example, it is better to remove pizza from the top - this is how each ingredient will be revealed to the maximum.

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 and better conveyed the idea. Over time, you will automatically be able to understand which dish to shoot from which angle.

Dealt with general concepts, let's move deeper - camera settings. I’m talking about DSLR and mirrorless cameras, something suitable for point-and-shoot cameras and phones. Please note that the camera often has a wheel of shooting modes: manual, automatic, scene. And since you’ve read the article up to this point, it means you definitely want to get high-quality photos. That's why automatic modes forget! Forever!

Most often in food photography, 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 understand your model and control wheel, just study the first sheet of instructions.

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

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

I put three glasses. Focused on the front. I took four pictures at aperture 1.8; 4; 7.1; 14.

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

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

If you have a point-and-shoot camera or a smartphone - even with them you can achieve blurring of everything unnecessary - to do this, shoot the main object as close as possible, and try to place 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 frame.

This will be quite enough for the base. I would like to finish this note with the classic rule of thirds for framing 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 and horizontal line; one might say its center converges at the intersection of these lines. It is believed that with this frame structure it is easier for the human eye to adjust and the picture seems more correct, accents are placed automatically.

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

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

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