If you want to shoot good food, first of all, you should understand food, everything in the world has everything, and the same is true for food. Chan Mo-fai likes the artistic conception of a certain emotion conveyed by food, such as the sense of time of the years, or a certain feeling of love. A good food photograph should be done in a relatively quiet aura, quiet surroundings, a sense of stability, only the subtle feeling between yourself and the food, you can get close to carefully observe the surface of the food, the rich mechanism, the oily luster, accompanied by the unique taste of the food, sometimes trigger the beautiful feeling that you once had in the depths of your heart, as if recalling the taste of your hometown when you were a child, and gradually lead to some pictures in your heart...
Whether a food ** shoots well or not, you just need to ask yourself if you want to taste the food in the picture. If you can see the drool, then this ** must be a success. To achieve this, careful consideration is required for composition, lighting, scenery, and even a few tricks to make the food look better than "real". In this article, let's talk about how professional food photographers create food photography.
OneSelection of shots to photograph the food
1.Macro lens.
A macro lens is a lens that can photograph small objects at a very close distance, which means that the details of the cuisine can be revealed. For example, the macro lens is used to show the crumbs of bread sprinkled on ice cream, or the salt grains on steak, etc.
In order to get better image quality, it is recommended to choose a fixed-focus macro lens, that is, it cannot zoom. The most common is the EF-S 60mm F28 usm，ef 100mm f / 2.8 USM and EF 180mm F25l usm。
2.Standard lenses.
Since the field of view of the standard 50mm lens is closest to the human eye, food photos taken through this lens will be more natural. The wide-angle lens, on the other hand, produces strong perspective distortion when shooting at close range, so it is not suitable for shooting food; Telephoto lenses (non-macro) have a large minimum focusing distance, which is very limited when there is limited space in the room.
Therefore, relatively speaking, standard lenses are more suitable for shooting food, and shoot a sense of reality and presence.
II. II. IIFood photography composition
1.Tried and tested third-of-a-kind composition.
Using the "rule of thirds" will make the picture more stable and will help highlight the subject. Divide the viewfinder into nine squares. And the 4 intersection points of the nine-square grid ** are the positions that can attract attention.
So ask yourself before shooting: what is the highlight of this dish? Focusing on the four intersection points is the most practical way to compose a picture.
2.Determine the shooting angle.
In addition to using the rule of thirds in your composition, you also need to determine the angle from which you are photographing the food. A top-down view allows for a better representation of some dishes, such as a flat pizza or a cutting board full of ingredients and utensils.
The horizontal angle, on the other hand, is more suitable for expressing dishes with a certain height and layering, such as juicy burgers, which can draw the viewer's attention to lettuce, tomatoes and meat.
For scenes with tableware such as water cups as a garment, the sides of the cups and the top of the biscuits can be displayed at the same time at a 45-degree angle.
Hold the camera level and make sure the frame is horizontal and vertical. This will help the focus of the image to fall on your subject without being distracted by the lines.
3.Find the best side of your food.
Just like photographing portraits, it's important to find the best side of your food. You can even try shooting from multiple angles and look for the one that appeals to you the most.
So, before every food photograph, be sure to ask yourself: What is your focus? What's the most seductive aspect of it?
IIIFood photography sets
1.The basic idea of the set.
If the food is presented separately against a pure white background, the introduction will naturally have a role, but it will be too monotonous. Therefore, setting up a scene is the key to the advancement of food photography.
Before setting up, ask yourself what kind of atmosphere you want to create. If it's a homely meal, then you might choose a patterned plate because most people have patterned plates in their homes.
If you want the image to highlight "food", then you should consider white tablecloths and plates in solid colors.
Each detail conveys a different subliminal message, creating the mood of the picture through the set, thus showing the mood of food photography.
When setting up, you should also consider whether you want the look to be vintage or stylish, rustic or modern? Each choice affects the props and placements you use for your set.
2.Simplicity is beauty.
If the food is presented separately against a pure white background, the introduction will naturally have a role, but it will be too monotonous. Therefore, setting up a scene is the key to the advancement of food photography.
Before setting up, ask yourself what kind of atmosphere you want to create. If it's a homely meal, then you might choose a patterned plate because most people have patterned plates in their homes.
If you want the image to highlight "food", then you should consider white tablecloths and plates in solid colors.
Each detail conveys a different subliminal message, creating the mood of the picture through the set, thus showing the mood of food photography.
When setting up, you should also consider whether you want the look to be vintage or stylish, rustic or modern? Each choice affects the props and placements you use for your set.
For background selection, refer to the following methods.
Stained wood. Tablecloth.
Wall. windows (sheer curtains).
Marbled. Placemats.
Flagstone. 3. Try a messy but not messy set.
It can be seen that the current mainstream of commercial food photography is not a minimalist style, but a messy but not messy picture.
Because the slight confusion makes the scene more natural and conveys the act of going to enjoy the food, thus arousing the viewer's appetite.
So if you want to shoot commercial-level food**, you should consider adding more visual elements to the food picture.
FourthLight for food photography
1.Use natural light.
For the best food shots, natural light is key. When light shines through the curtains, it makes food look bright and even.
Finding a table by the window on a cloudy day and a table in the shade on a sunny day will both get a soft light. If at home, you may need to find a room that is not a kitchen. If you're in a restaurant, it's best to look for a window table.
If the sun is too strong outside, you can use a white curtain, or hang a piece of silk or other tools from the window to reduce the intensity of the light.
2.The charm of the side light.
Side-lit food is usually the most beautiful. Because if the light is coming from behind you, then the shadows may fall on the plate and darken the details. Backlighting dishes often makes the shadows too heavy, so they are not suitable for dishes, but they are very suitable for transparent alcohol.
3.Avoid using artificial light for everyday shooting.
As a normal flash creates harsh reflections and glare and makes the food look unnatural, as if it were floating in space.
So if you don't have the professional-grade flash and diffuser of a professional photography studio, try not to shoot food with flash. Indoor lighting, on the other hand, can easily bring color casts to the picture, causing the food to appear yellow or green, which seriously affects the aesthetics.
Therefore, soft natural light is the best light to photograph food.
FiveA few tips for food photography
Photograph flawless cuisine. The food should be perfect in shape and color, and it takes patience to find it or carefully craft, or to photograph the best side.
It is better not to choose the meat with packaging, but to let the seller cut the meat well. For example, vacuum-packed chicken or steak looks good inside the package, but once opened, the edges are rough. Also, the raw meat in photography rarely looks delicious.
A footage of the production process is shown. Compared to the final food image, the image of the production process can not only introduce the ingredients, but also may produce a different aesthetic.
The ornament must be edible. The decorations used to plate the food can beautify the picture, but it must be edible, otherwise the picture will not be delicious.
A way to express the melting of food. Using a portable steamer or heated spatula can give preheated melted food a sense of flow.
Spraying vegetables with water mist can make food more delicious.
Don't fill your plate with food, as this will give the food a more refined look.
The steam coming out of the food will give the impression of "fresh out of the pan".
For meat foods, you can apply a layer of cooking oil before shooting, as shiny foods are more attractive.
A good life needs to be recorded from the heart, and the birth of every food is started by the preparation of various raw materials, which are slowly crushed, kneaded or stirred, and a beautiful experience is produced in the process of slow contact between the palm and the ingredients, and finally the food is formed. A good food photographer should not only record the state of the food with the lens, but also record a certain feeling of the food experience...