Post by Snappersforum on Jul 13, 2013 5:15:40 GMT
Well we all eat it, we all have some in the home - so here goes in the Guardian Newspaper they have this
How to photograph food and drink
From field to plate, natural light is the secret to compelling food photography
Richard I'Anson
The Guardian, Saturday 13 July 2013
Given how much time we spend talking about where, when and what to eat and drink, why not take the time to properly photograph what is dished up? When travelling or on holiday, what we eat and drink often rates among our best – and worst – memories. As a crucial cultural feature, trying the local cuisine is a must-do experience.
Whether it's a Singapore sling in the Long Bar at Singapore's Raffles Hotel or a pint of Guinness in a traditional Irish pub, sushi in Japan or butter tea in Tibet, traditional dishes and drinks always make memorable photographs. But to give your images real depth, how about tracking a meal's progress all the way from field to market to kitchen and, finally, to your table?
In the field
Some crops are particularly attractive: emerald green or golden yellow rice paddies, fields of yellow mustard, impressively tall sunflowers, orderly rows of grapes in vineyards, red and green chillies drying in the sun. Photograph crops as you would any landscape, starting with the panoramic view, then moving in to highlight details, textures and colours. Unlike natural landscapes, an agricultural scene is often alive with activity, offering wonderful opportunities to photograph people at work. Of course, it's advisable – and courteous – to seek permission first.
At the market
The way food is displayed at markets is close to being an art form. Fill the frame with a display of fruit, vegetables or grains to emphasise their colour and texture and the artistry of the stall owner. Try including several different items to add interest through contrasting shapes and colours.
Whether the produce is displayed flat or stacked high, try to keep the camera parallel with the produce to ensure a sharp focus across the entire frame. You'll often have to lean right over the display, so watch for your own shadow.
Lighting can be difficult in markets; careful observation of where the light is falling will prevent wasted time. Umbrellas or sheets of plastic cast heavy shadows, so make sure the light is even across the entire composition. Concentrate on finding subjects that are either in full shade or full sun.
Covered markets pose a particular problem: the light is low and often comes from fluorescent tubes. If you're using film, your pictures will be a horrible blue-green unless you compensate with a colour-correction filter. Digital photographers will benefit from the white-balance function that corrects colour casts automatically – or for more accuracy, choose the white-balance setting manually for the lighting you encounter.
No matter how you're capturing your images, concentrate your efforts on the stalls near the entrances and around the edges of the market. These areas are usually the brightest, and the quality of light is better.
In the kitchen
Seeing food being prepared is easier than it sounds. Markets and street stalls offer the most easily accessible kitchens, but plenty of restaurants and small eating establishments have open kitchens facing the street. You'll need to keep out of the way, but a quick word with the chef should give you freedom to take a wide shot of the kitchen and its cooks, a closer portrait of the chef at work, and tight shots of the food.
The most effective shots come when everyone is busy with their work, so if everyone stops for you, indicate they should go back to work – or wait a moment and their attention should soon return to the task at hand.
On the table
Restaurants and bars are often very attractive places, so a wide shot will be a good scene-setter for your frame-filling food and drink shots. The easiest way is to have a seat in the corner or at the end of a row of tables. A seat at the bar will let you photograph the staff pouring and making drinks, as well as the display of bottles behind the bar.
Of course, taking pictures as a paying customer is a lot easier than just walking in to take photos. Whenever you sit down to eat or drink at a street stall, cafe, bar or restaurant, a photo opportunity will soon be delivered to your table. To make the most of it, look for an area of soft, even light. Choose a table by the window or, if outdoors, in open shade or under an umbrella if it's sunny.
The best on-location food and drink shots are taken with natural light, so restrict your efforts to daylight hours. (A camera flash rarely makes food look appetising and is best avoided.) Glasses of liquid come alive with side or back lighting, which emphasises the colour and the little bubbles of a freshly poured fizzy drink.
Plan your shot before the food or drinks arrive. Is it to be a close-up of the plate, or will it include cutlery and a glass of wine? Will you use the table as the backdrop by looking down on it, or shoot from a lower angle that takes in some restaurant background too? Either way, clear the table of all distracting items unless they are to be deliberately included.
When hot food arrives, sizzling or steaming, you'll only have a few seconds to capture it. The same goes for cakes and desserts: take too long and that perfect stack of ice-cream or dollop of cream will melt away in front of your lens. The perfect head on a beer or the effervescing bubbles of sparkling wine don't give you long, either.
Outdoor restaurants and food markets offer the best opportunities to photograph people as they eat. Just remember that diners rarely look dignified when they are about to consume a forkfull of food, mouth wide open!
www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2013/jul/13/how-to-photograph-food-and-drink
How to photograph food and drink
From field to plate, natural light is the secret to compelling food photography
Richard I'Anson
The Guardian, Saturday 13 July 2013
Given how much time we spend talking about where, when and what to eat and drink, why not take the time to properly photograph what is dished up? When travelling or on holiday, what we eat and drink often rates among our best – and worst – memories. As a crucial cultural feature, trying the local cuisine is a must-do experience.
Whether it's a Singapore sling in the Long Bar at Singapore's Raffles Hotel or a pint of Guinness in a traditional Irish pub, sushi in Japan or butter tea in Tibet, traditional dishes and drinks always make memorable photographs. But to give your images real depth, how about tracking a meal's progress all the way from field to market to kitchen and, finally, to your table?
In the field
Some crops are particularly attractive: emerald green or golden yellow rice paddies, fields of yellow mustard, impressively tall sunflowers, orderly rows of grapes in vineyards, red and green chillies drying in the sun. Photograph crops as you would any landscape, starting with the panoramic view, then moving in to highlight details, textures and colours. Unlike natural landscapes, an agricultural scene is often alive with activity, offering wonderful opportunities to photograph people at work. Of course, it's advisable – and courteous – to seek permission first.
At the market
The way food is displayed at markets is close to being an art form. Fill the frame with a display of fruit, vegetables or grains to emphasise their colour and texture and the artistry of the stall owner. Try including several different items to add interest through contrasting shapes and colours.
Whether the produce is displayed flat or stacked high, try to keep the camera parallel with the produce to ensure a sharp focus across the entire frame. You'll often have to lean right over the display, so watch for your own shadow.
Lighting can be difficult in markets; careful observation of where the light is falling will prevent wasted time. Umbrellas or sheets of plastic cast heavy shadows, so make sure the light is even across the entire composition. Concentrate on finding subjects that are either in full shade or full sun.
Covered markets pose a particular problem: the light is low and often comes from fluorescent tubes. If you're using film, your pictures will be a horrible blue-green unless you compensate with a colour-correction filter. Digital photographers will benefit from the white-balance function that corrects colour casts automatically – or for more accuracy, choose the white-balance setting manually for the lighting you encounter.
No matter how you're capturing your images, concentrate your efforts on the stalls near the entrances and around the edges of the market. These areas are usually the brightest, and the quality of light is better.
In the kitchen
Seeing food being prepared is easier than it sounds. Markets and street stalls offer the most easily accessible kitchens, but plenty of restaurants and small eating establishments have open kitchens facing the street. You'll need to keep out of the way, but a quick word with the chef should give you freedom to take a wide shot of the kitchen and its cooks, a closer portrait of the chef at work, and tight shots of the food.
The most effective shots come when everyone is busy with their work, so if everyone stops for you, indicate they should go back to work – or wait a moment and their attention should soon return to the task at hand.
On the table
Restaurants and bars are often very attractive places, so a wide shot will be a good scene-setter for your frame-filling food and drink shots. The easiest way is to have a seat in the corner or at the end of a row of tables. A seat at the bar will let you photograph the staff pouring and making drinks, as well as the display of bottles behind the bar.
Of course, taking pictures as a paying customer is a lot easier than just walking in to take photos. Whenever you sit down to eat or drink at a street stall, cafe, bar or restaurant, a photo opportunity will soon be delivered to your table. To make the most of it, look for an area of soft, even light. Choose a table by the window or, if outdoors, in open shade or under an umbrella if it's sunny.
The best on-location food and drink shots are taken with natural light, so restrict your efforts to daylight hours. (A camera flash rarely makes food look appetising and is best avoided.) Glasses of liquid come alive with side or back lighting, which emphasises the colour and the little bubbles of a freshly poured fizzy drink.
Plan your shot before the food or drinks arrive. Is it to be a close-up of the plate, or will it include cutlery and a glass of wine? Will you use the table as the backdrop by looking down on it, or shoot from a lower angle that takes in some restaurant background too? Either way, clear the table of all distracting items unless they are to be deliberately included.
When hot food arrives, sizzling or steaming, you'll only have a few seconds to capture it. The same goes for cakes and desserts: take too long and that perfect stack of ice-cream or dollop of cream will melt away in front of your lens. The perfect head on a beer or the effervescing bubbles of sparkling wine don't give you long, either.
Outdoor restaurants and food markets offer the best opportunities to photograph people as they eat. Just remember that diners rarely look dignified when they are about to consume a forkfull of food, mouth wide open!
www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2013/jul/13/how-to-photograph-food-and-drink