I don’t think that I’ve written about food before, photographing food that is. A local coffee house hired me a few times over the years to photograph sandwiches and sides, coffee with barista-made foam designs on top, smoothies, and, most recently, their new selection of salads. Some of these images ended up on signs placed in the front window to advertise their menu.
My very limited training for the coffee house jobs came from an on-line class on lynda.com. I found it quite useful. In addition to providing information on what I hoped to learn, like getting the best out of natural lighting, camera angles to use for foods, and how different reflectors affected the quality of light, it also discussed things I had not thought about like food styling, props, and effects. The instructor was Bill Robbins.
When I was at Photoshop World last summer in Las Vegas, they offered a short workshop on food photography. Though I’m not pursuing food as a regular subject of photographs, I thought it wouldn’t hurt to learn a little more from a live instructor while having the opportunity to practice and ask questions at the same time. Tables were setup in an area near a bank of windows so that we could photograph in natural light. The instructor was Joe Glyda. He demonstrated a few things like how to use cards to reflect and balance the light and what camera angles work best for these types of images. Most of the time was spent allowing us to practice taking pictures and ask for help when needed. I found the informal nature of this mini-workshop to be a very good way to work. Some people did more talking, some did more shooting.
As you can see from the photos above, I focused on desserts. Actually, most of the items set out for us were desserts. Unfortunately, when the class ended we were not allowed to eat the subject matter. The class obviously had an impact on me because that evening, while dining at the Excalibur Buffet, I suddenly had the urge to photograph my food!
