Tips for shooting food

After graduating from college, IAN WONG worked as a photographer in a food magazine. This article is some suggestions for shooting delicious food and wine that he summarized in his practical work.

Many years ago, after I left the university campus, I got my first job in a food magazine in Beijing. However, because we don't have a special photographer to interview and shoot, I have to be invited as a guest photographer occasionally. Usually, I will finish the filming task as soon as possible so that I can eat the food before it gets cold. Extreme measures are needed in times of crisis. My boss needs photos, and I need free food.

Here are some delicious foods that I have summarized from my practical work &; Wine tips:

1, the background color should be complementary to the main body.

Fuji FinePix S3Pro-ISO 200, Tokyo 100 mm F2.8 @ f/3.2, 1/90

The picture above is my first food photography. At that time, I went to a bar and the bartender mixed four kinds of cocktails, so I took them as my research object. The background color of my photo is very cold (Jiao Wai has white stripes). This choice of background can highlight cocktails well and firmly attract the attention of the audience.

2. Understand how to handle it simply.

Nikon D90-carl zeiss ISO 400 35mm F2 @ f/3.5, 1/200

When dishes and food are not very fancy and complicated, we need to consider how to make the main body stand out so as not to be mixed with the background. In this case, I prefer to arrange the food near the edge of the table. In this way, I can make the background more layered. In addition, I will choose a simple and monotonous background to highlight the color of food.

3. Bring texture and lines to the picture.

Nikon D600-carl zeiss ISO 500 35mm F2 @ f/2.8, 1/250

Shooting food on a wooden desktop is a very pleasant way. At this point, all the elements in the photo look simple and real. If the food you take is not as beautiful as that made in a big hotel, but only hand-made at home, then matching this old wood background can increase the texture of the photo.

4. Use the advantages created by natural contrast.

Fuji FinePix S3Pro-ISO 800, Nikon 35-70 F2.8D @ f/4.0,1160.

Strong shadows make the background of the photo more interesting, while the difference in color makes the whisky more eye-catching. I hope there are some flashes in the highlights of whisky, which will attract people's attention.

5, even if it is a super wide-angle zoom, it can come in handy.

Fuji FinePix S3Pro-Tokyo ISO 40012-24mF4 @ f/9.5,1180

I still remember when I took this photo, in order to get a bigger angle, I had to stand on the railing and stagger, and I could only guess to determine the general position of the scenery. But now, the emergence of LCD live view makes things less complicated. Although the price of using a super wide-angle lens is that I have to correct the distortion later, it is difficult to present the whole desktop without this lens.

6. Pay attention to every detail in the photo.

Nikon F3HP-Kodak Ektar 100, carl zeiss 35mm F2

I took this photo because I wanted to show my homemade cocktails. I added elements related to this cocktail in the background, including tea, and made sure that their overall color was red. Note: In this case, I need to increase the depth of field so that people can see the materials I use clearly.

7, choose the right focus position

Nikon D90-carl zeiss ISO 400 35mm F2 @ f/3.5, 1/200

When I took this photo, I used an aperture of f/3.5, so I could get a little more depth of field. By shooting this dish from the top view, the food in the photo can be clearly presented, while the decorations are slightly blurred.

8. Consider the weather and seize the time.

Nikon D600-carl zeiss ISO400 35mm F2 @ f/2.0,1180

My favorite shooting time is in the evening, preferably cloudy weather. Similar to portrait photography, soft white light is most suitable for shooting food. Not-so-clean windows can act as diffuse reflection plates, so that light can be evenly sprinkled on the food surface, so if you sit by the window, move your desk closer.

9. Make good use of your tableware

Fuji FinePix S3Pro-ISO 200, Tokyo 100 mm F2.8 @ f/4.8, 1/90

Food utensils can be interesting or boring. In this photo, I used the simplest white board, and then asked my colleagues to hold it at an almost vertical angle, so that the outdoor light could illuminate the board like a photographic lamp. I have to say, it's a miracle that the food didn't fall.

10, always thinking about the color of the photo.

Carl zeiss Nikon D600 ISO 100, 35mm F2 @ f/5.0, 1/200.

Deacon Winery is one of the best wines in the world. Sometimes when the lighting conditions are not very good, I think it's a good idea to try to illuminate the bottle. On the one hand, it can make the color of wine look better, on the other hand, it can better show this delicious nectar given by God. Let them glow briefly before I swallow them!