#IFBC18: Food Photography & Food Styling

Karen and Gavin from Couple in the Kitchen photograph content in their home studio as well as at various restaurants and hotels around the world. They will share the 5 P’s to Perfect Photos: Prep, Props, Positioning, Photography, and Process. Whether you are a recipe developer conducting a photo shoot at home, or a food blogger striving to get the perfect shot with uncontrollable restaurant conditions, this workshop will provide you insights and tips to strengthen your food photography and image editing skills. More tips here: http://www.coupleinthekitchen.com/blog/foodphoto

Transcript

2. 5 “P”s to Successful Food Photography Karen Reinsberg & Gavin Booth CoupleInTheKitchen.com @coupleinthekitchen
3. Agenda • Introduction • Prep • Props • Positioning • Photography • Process • Q&A @coupleinthekitchen
4. Introduction Karen Reinsberg + Gavin Booth Founders & Editors of CoupleInTheKitchen.com @coupleinthekitchen This whole presentation can be accessed online at: coupleinthekitchen.com/blog/foodphoto @coupleinthekitchen
5. The 5 Ps of Food Photography • Prep • Props • Positioning • Photography • Process @coupleinthekitchen
6. Prep @coupleinthekitchen
7. Prep – Equipment Essentials @coupleinthekitchen
8. Prep – Equipment Essentials • Lighting is the most important aspect of food photography • For recipe shots, you’ll want a good source of diffused light. A window with a sheer curtain works, or invest in a lighting kit. • The only flash you should use in an external top emitting flash. • This is how we take photos at restaurants in the evenings where there is no natural light. • Bounces light off of the ceiling or a wall. @coupleinthekitchen
9. Prep – Equipment Essentials • Space • Make sure you have enough space on your camera! • Sync up with cloud-based backup like Google Photos • Get a big enough memory card with wifi capabilities if your camera isn’t Wi-Fi enabled. • Lens Wipes • Especially if you’re using a camera phone – CLEAN YOUR LENS! @coupleinthekitchen
10. Prep – Equipment Essentials • Tripod with remote shutter • Don’t trust a stranger with the shot of you dining out. • Many cameras have a remote shutter embedded with their app. • You can even buy a remote shutter for your camera phone. @coupleinthekitchen
11. Prep – Shot List • Literally make a checklist before each shoot. • Do you need to photograph… • Ingredients? • Steps in a process? • Recipe components? • A human element? • Differing angles? • Video for social media? • Space for text? @coupleinthekitchen
12. Prep – Shot List • Include photos in landscape and portrait orientation, wide angle as well as up close. • Take enough shots to fulfill your blog requirements AND optimize social media. @coupleinthekitchen
13. Props @coupleinthekitchen
14. Props • The best props are the ingredients in your recipe! • Buy 2-3x more produce ingredients than you need • Be persnickety when picking fruits & veggies @coupleinthekitchen
15. Props • Simple is better when it comes to plates and textiles • Busy patterns take away from the beauty of your food • Don’t miss a stop to the fresh herbs and floral section of the supermarket • Get the greenery, it helps fill white space, when needed @coupleinthekitchen
16. Positioning @coupleinthekitchen
17. Positioning • What are you shooting? • Top down: Best for capturing a tablescape scene and foods with details on the top like soups or intricately plated dishes. • 45 degree-ish angle: Can be used for most general food photography, varying the angle based on the height of the of food. • Straight on: Best for foods that have more detail on the sides/inside such as sandwiches, pancakes, burgers, etc. • Pick your point of focus @coupleinthekitchen
18. Positioning – The Rule of Odds • Images are more appealing when there are an odd number of subjects. • If using more than one subject, consider using 3, 5, or 7. • Any more than 7 the rule doesn’t usually hold true, as it just appears that there are many items in the photo. @coupleinthekitchen
19. Positioning – The Rule of Thirds • Utilize the grid on your camera to follow the rule of thirds. • The crossed segments on the grid are the main points of focus. • Place your subject on or near one of more points of focus. @coupleinthekitchen
20. Positioning – Inspiration is everywhere! @coupleinthekitchen
21. Positioning – Inspiration is everywhere! @coupleinthekitchen
22. Positioning – Quick Tips • Glare on product packaging can be tricky, dust it with hair spray to cut the glare. • Use fake ice cubes to better control cocktail photos. • Slice a bit off the bottom to prevent rolling & tipping of heavier or round fruits. @coupleinthekitchen
23. Photography @coupleinthekitchen
24. Photography Basics • Aperture =Depth of Field • Control the lighting and focus of the photograph • Lower Fstop = more blur, more light • Higher Fstop = wider focus, less light
25. Photography Basics • Shutter Speed = movement • Quick shutter speed equals clearer action, less light (1/125 sec) • Slower shutter speed - blurrier action, more light (1 sec) @coupleinthekitchen
26. Photography Basics • ISO = Additional Brightness/Light • Even when setting your camera or phone in manual this setting is typically set to Auto • When taken off of auto the baseline is typically ISO 100 • Increase for more light, brighter photo • Decrease for less light • Warning! If you go too high, your images will get grainy (which could be cool if that’s your style) @coupleinthekitchen
27. Photography Basics • White balance = Color Tone • Camera auto settings are actually usually fine • If you’re in a restaurant, look for the tungsten to equal out the yellow light • If you’re shooting in natural light you can shoot in a day light or shade setting to equal out blueish elements • Take photos in Lightroom CC Mobile to set your white balance against a white napkin/tablecloth/etc. • If all else fails, you can adjust the color of the photo to be “bluer” or more “yellow” while editing to cancel out your surroundings when shooting. @coupleinthekitchen
28. Process @coupleinthekitchen
29. Process • If you’re not a great food photographer, be a great photo editor! • Photo editing is essential for changing light/shadows, adjusting white balance, and saturating the main event in the photo • Lightroom Mobile CC’s camera also upgrades your existing phone photography! @coupleinthekitchen
30. Process – Lightroom Demo • Phone photography enhancements • Lighting • Color Mix • Clarity & Sharpening • Masking @coupleinthekitchen
31. Editing Before & After @coupleinthekitchen
32. Q&A @coupleinthekitchen