There are also instances when keeping a medium to shallow depth of field can help you keep certain flaws out of focus. You may like a certain plate, but you’d rather people not see the chip it has. Or, maybe out of the three slices of pie you plated, one really took a beating as you lifted it off the pan. To avoid attracting the viewer’s eye to this slice, you’ll likely put it toward the back of the frame. Using a medium to shallow depth of field, you can increase the focus on the perfectly plated slice in the foreground.
Use depth of field to minimize composition or styling issues.
f/3.5, ISO 320, 100mm, Macro L
Keeping the DOF in a low to medium range helped minimize the fact that even though I took all the necessary steps, one of the ice cream cups melted a little too much for a beauty shot. This effect allowed me to direct focus to the front, yet give life to the scene by keeping the melted ice cream in the frame … but away from the main focus area.
Yet, I admit, there are times when the only thing I want to do with a specific item is to photograph it with a deep depth of field … and keep everything nice and clear. Not so much with stews and brown foods, which tend to look less appealing than cupcakes; but with the proper camera viewpoint, choice of subject and prop placement, the full view of a deep DOF can be the perfect effect.
In the picture of the macarons (right), I wanted to convey a sense of strength and impact, because the flavors in the food are intense. I picked dark props and set them off center to repeat some of the movement in the shells. The image was shot from overhead to minimize the visual impact of the varying heights of the elements (e.g., macarons and plates). A medium focal length (70mm) helped me get close to the subject and capture as much of the center of the frame as possible while using a relatively low f/stop.
These macarons were shot with a deep depth of field.
f/3.2, ISO 320, 24-70mm, L
We all have our preferences. Mine over the years has shifted to all different levels of DOF to help tell various types of stories with pictures. Try to think of what story you want to tell. That will help you figure out how and what kind of focus you want … and how shallow or deep to take your DOF. Don’t be afraid to mix it up a little, too. Sometimes exploring a different DOF than the one you initially used for a shot will end up being your favorite.
Perspective
I want to say that picking a perspective for shooting your dish is just a matter of personal choice, but sometimes that’s just not the case. Before pushing your shutter button, take a moment and ponder whether to photograph your subject as a close-up, macro or wide shot. It’s not always obvious which will produce the best image for you.
For instance, I understand the interesting and appetizing factor of melted cheese, but I don’t necessarily need to have my eye in it when I look at photograph of a grilled cheese sandwich or a plate of gooey lasagna. Lots of budding photographers think that a macro setting will help get their point across more clearly. And while sometimes that’s true, in many cases the image produced is nearly grotesque.
f/3.2, ISO 320, 100mm, Macro L
With food, it’s difficult to get deep into a dish without losing its shape and texture. Say you’re photographing a plate of lasagna, for example, and you want to focus on the dish. You might want to keep a wider perspective to be able to capture more of the cheesy top and its texture and to show how big the lasagna pan was—instead of honing in on the insides of the lasagna. But, if you want to focus on the variety of heirloom tomatoes that you used in that lasagna dish, then you might want to get a closer perspective and use a more macro approach.
Starting with a medium range of distance between the dish and your camera can help you create visual interest without giving away every detail at once. Sometimes it’s nice to let viewers discover the composition little by little.
In the image of rice pudding (left), I wanted to convey that we could not resist eating this chocolate treat. But I didn’t want to show a dirty cup of half-eaten pudding or a completely empty dish. Even partially eaten items are hard to pull off, so I took a middle-of-the-road approach and focused on the remaining half portion rather than showing the full dish.
f/3.5, ISO 500, 100mm, Macro L
I picked a tighter setting for the shot of ravioli to show the texture of the filling and shape of the final item. I didn’t want to get any closer, because shredded cooked meat just doesn’t usually look very appetizing … and it’s only one part of the finished dish.
Sometimes a wider setting can help you set a mood or a scene. For example, I’m very fond of table settings that suggest a gathering of people. So, in some shots, I’ll use a wide setting to suggest that there are more than one or two people gathered at the table. Sometimes I’ll take an even wider approach to include more of the furniture around the food. This gives a dish a sense of space, allowing the food to be part of the context, not the context.
This shot uses a wide perspective to capture a whole table setting.
f/3.5, ISO 320, 24-70mm, L
Use a wide perspective to show the food in relationship to a larger area.
f/3.5, ISO 320, 100mm, Macro L
The shot on the left uses a wide perspective to capture a whole table setting that conveys a sense of sitting down to dinner around a hot bowl of crab soup.
In the picture of kumquat cakes, room elements are included in the frame—the edges of the table, the back of the chair and the floor underneath—to show the dish in context rather than a stand-alone plate. It helped set the scene in a natural way.
Other times, perspective in a shot is a matter of personal preference, and you have to make an executive decision on which option you like best … and for what purpose. In the images below, I went with a somewhat broad perspective at first to convey the story of an afternoon snack—casual and simple. I then took the same setting and got a bit closer to focus on the shape and texture of the inside of the cake itself.
A close perspective on the same subject allows you to hone in on the item itself. This is ideal if you’re describing the shape and texture of a dish and are less concerned about placing it in an environment.
f/3.5, ISO 250, 100mm, Macro L
A wide perspective is great to show more of the scenery surrounding the item being photographed.
f/3.5, ISO 250, 100mm, Macro L
When making decisions about perspective, as with any other photography decision, always try to remember what you are hoping to say in your image. Play around and experiment with your options by going in close and moving away from your food subject. Macro shots lend themselves perfectly to compositions that feature textures and shapes, while larger settings encompass more of the surrounding atmosphere and offer context for your subject.
On a side note, you’ll see that I use my macro lens a lot, but this has very little to do with a constant desire to get close to my subjects. I use this lens because I absolutely love it. I have a lot of room to work with it in my studio, and this allows me to put large distances between my camera and the food I’m photographing. I love the quality of this lens in all sorts of light situations and angles.
Angle
Add interest to your composition with minimal effort by moving around your subject and exploring possible viewpoints from which to shoot. Interesting angles will keep things fresh for you and provide your viewer a new way of seeing what might be a familiar scene. Consider your subject from all sides to observe texture, height and shape. Walk around it, move it around the table.
Even though I shoot in my studio with my camera on a tripod 80% of the time, I tend to move the tripod around the table to find the perfect angle. I love long exposures, but my hands are not steady enough to prevent camera shake without the tripod. But when I feel like I’m getting stuck, I’ll go free-handed and give myself more mobility.
You might find that the amount of available space in your shooting location dictates the camera viewpoint you’ll use, and that’s fine. There’s always a way to make the most of your s
hooting conditions.
Eye-Level
These peaches were photographed at eye level.
f/2.8, ISO 100, 100mm, Macro L
Shooting from an eye-level position seems to be the most natural choice for many people who are just getting starting in food photography. This angle allows you to isolate a subject in front of your eyes. You can position yourself close to the food to be photographed to get a close-up perspective. Or you can step away and include more of your frame. This works well with whole shapes, but you will lose details.
The photograph of peaches (left) shows that the distance and perspective worked great with whole fruits. But if I had used only sliced peaches in the bowl and positioned myself at the same distance and perspective, the image of the fruits would have lost detail and shape. The peaches would likely have appeared as a shapeless pile.
Overhead
I am quite fond of overhead shots (also called High View Point), but this doesn’t work for every kind of shot. High View Points tend to minimize strong elements by putting textures and heights on a more level plane. Yet this perspective lets you show other dimensions and offers new options for depth of field. For instance, you can use shallow DOF to focus on the top of a dish that’s especially pretty (a frosting rose, for example), while suggesting the cake underneath. This angle can also help you minimize height issues if you’re trying to get elements of all sorts into one shot and your space is too limited to fit them in with a traditional forward-orientated shot.
The cookies in the image above were essentially flat, but both cups beside the plates were high. When I moved around my frame to pick a viewpoint, I noticed that the different heights minimized the presence and appeal of the main subject, the cookies! The overhead viewpoint also made it possible to capture the cocoa nibs inside the cups without having to sprinkle them everywhere to enjoy that element.
These cookies were shot from overhead to flatten the plane.
f/2.8, ISO 100, 100mm, Macro L
These clementines were also shot with High View Point.
f/2.8, ISO 100, 100mm, Macro L
The shot of clementines on the right is another example of capturing several levels with an overhead shot. Imagine putting a box on a table and setting a plate on it. Then say you place an item on the table itself. By angling your camera appropriately, you can capture both the top of the box and the tabletop. This creates a nice image and shakes things up a little. Similarly, I placed the plate with clementines on top of an inverted crate that was set on a table. I used the different heights to create different points of interest and depth of field in my image. It was a nice change from straight overhead shots and it made me think differently. In photography, it is really key to keep playing around with your perspective.
Three Quarters
Another common camera position in food photography is often referred as shooting three quarters. Here, you’re not quite overhead and not quite eye level. It almost brings out the best of both worlds.
Shooting at three quarters is convenient in most situations, because your subject’s textures, heights and shapes are nicely displayed, and scales are easy to respect. It’s also a good position, because it works well with most focal lengths you choose.
f/3.5, ISO 250, 100mm, Macro L
Both the radishes (left) and salmon appetizer (right) could have been shot in any of the camera viewpoints described in this section. But the three quarters viewpoint was the best option based on the location and available light.
I know … I haven’t covered a low camera viewpoint, because it simply doesn’t work for most food shots. I mean, imagine yourself aiming your camera upward at a dish, as if you’re on the floor shooting toward the sky. Would the food even show up in the frame? If so, would it look very appetizing? This is just not something I see often. However, if you find yourself working on a high-design shoot for a food ad, maybe it’ll be your winning solution. Who knows?
Eventually, we all develop a sense of our own style. Or maybe you’ll develop many styles and just hold on to certain preferences for your shoots. But it’s always helpful to understand the guidelines and principles of photography composition—even as we learn new tips and tricks.
f/3.5, ISO 400, 100mm, Macro L
Chapter Six: Setting Up for Capture
A lot of people, especially budding food photographers, seem to think that the first steps to creating great food photography is composing and styling. As I mentioned in the previous chapter, it’s helpful to start thinking about these two important elements before you begin your set up, but composition and styling should not come first in your planning. Nor should they come last.
Composition and styling are on the same level of consequence to a photograph as the quality, quantity and orientation of the light; your choice of camera modes and settings; the camera viewpoint you use; and the food you’re featuring. And all of these elements come into play before you’re ready to press the shutter button. I know it seems like a lot to manage, but a bit of planning and organization will make your work much simpler … and enjoyable!
This is my everyday photography space. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s highly functional.
f/3.2, ISO 2000, 50mm
Establish a Photography Work Area
Right off the bat, let me tell you that a giant space and work table are not required for the type of food photography we’re exploring in this book. As you can tell from Chapter 3: Natural Light Photography, my workspace is pretty simple. Although I now have more room to maneuver and store things, my workspace isn’t too different from what it was just a few years ago when I was make-shifting in my living room.
When I first started taking pictures of food, I lasted about three days in the kitchen. It wasn’t long before I was moving my plates to a small wooden coffee table in the living room for photos. As much as I tried to keep a small space on the counter—conveniently located for light and tools—our lifestyle just doesn’t allow for that space to remain clutter-free.
Plus, being a former chef, I spend long hours in my kitchen. It’s the center of our family life, and I am far too much of a worrier to risk flour or grease on my camera. And since my hands shake naturally, I needed to start using a dedicated tripod rather than setting the camera on a cookie jar, hoping for the best.
Our little coffee table did just fine for more than a year! And for the type of food photography I was shooting, my point and shoot was all I needed in this small space. I used boards and linens to change surfaces, and our black leather sofa served as a natural backdrop. Although sometimes I’d drape a cloth over it to change things a bit.
My light streamed in from two large windows. So when I discovered the impact of bouncing light, another world opened for me. Indeed, I was quite the happy camper in the living room for a while.
Eventually I realized that my food photography work was a lot more than just a hobby. So my camera gear began to evolve—as did the amount and the quality of dishes and flatware I began using for props. Yet my studio still does not look like the storage room of Crate&Barrel or Pottery Barn.
Here are some tips to help you get a setup you can use for successful photography.
A table, some props and the food … My kind of super production!
f/3.2, ISO 2000, 50mm
Before anything else, start this process by figuring out what type of photography you want to do. Figure out how much time you’ll spend taking pictures and how much space you’re going to need. Much like the process of buying real estate, always keep location and accessibility top of mind.
Location
If you take photographs with natural light, locate the best source for it in your house. Try different light orientations (e.g., north- or south-facing windows) to decide which works best for you. You may find that it’s not your kitchen or your living room. My studio is what used to be a big guest bedroom. The light in there is fantasic.
Start with the obviously convenient locations for shooting food subjects: the ki
tchen, dining room, breakfast nook. And observe the light in these areas. Find the place(s) where natural light is abundant, keeping in mind that this will change with the season. You’ll just want to make sure you have plenty throughout the day to work with—to diffuse, reflect and bounce—depending on the effect you want to achieve. See if you can clear a space in this area to take your photographs.
If nothing works next to the kitchen, try to find enough space in a sunroom, office or bedroom. Anywhere that provides good natual light and has a spot for you to set a plate down and take some shots will work. Of course, I’m not suggesting that you re-assign the entire family to new quarters, but if your style of photography requires an easy setup and break down, then a folding table or some desk space may be quite enough for now.
See the Light
Even if you do most of your work at a time or place that requires artificial light, there is still value in learning where the best natural light is in your house … and establishing a work area there to use it. On days when you are able to use some natural light, even if partially, you’ll know where to go and how to manage the light. Whenever possible, try to use artificial light as a filler instead of making it your primary light source.
And if you find that the best light is in the bathroom, then it’s time to renovate! No, no … I’m not being serious! Don’t do it! But this space could be a lifesaver one day, when you need to add a shot that doesn’t require much styling or composing. Which reminds me of a story …
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