I’ve gotten a bunch of emails asking for advice about food photography. So, here it is. =)
- In my oh-so-humble opinion, photographing is a very small part of food photography. People who tell me they love a photo often follow it up with “What camera do you use?” Of course I’m willing to share what camera I have, but a good camera doesn’t guarantee a good photo. The unsung heros on all sets (be it food, fashion, or film) are the stylists, set designers, and art directors. These are the people who create something beautiful to photograph. It doesn’t matter how talented a Director of Photography or photographer is, if there is not something beautiful to capture, they won’t get the photo. The best move I’ve made was putting aside my camera and spending some time really focusing on what I’m photographing.
- A photograph is a piece of art. When setting up for a photo I find it helpful to keep the elements of art in the back of my mind the entire time. The elements of two-dimensional art are line, shape, color, texture, space, and value (a range of light from very dark to very light). When setting up a photo I go through a mental checklist of-sorts. What line will my eye follow? Do I have repeating & overlapping shapes? Do I have a good color scheme (I try not to have more than 3 colors)? Do I have a variety of textures- liquid, cloth, paper, metal, etc.? Do I have the entire value scale? If I answer yes to all of these, I’m usually headed in a good direction.
- I try to tell a story or give a sense of environment in my photos. The first step toward making this happen is to decide where I want my scene to be. Is it morning at the breakfast table? Is it a bar? A library? Once I decide, I try to make every element in that photo work toward creating that feeling. That means the props, the lighting, the color scheme, the color tone, etc. are all working towards conveying that sense of place.
- Collect props! The image above is just a small amount of the props I’ve accumulated since starting food photography. I always have my prop radar up. I have found some really great stuff at yard sales, thrift stores, vintage stores, Bed Bath & Beyond, Pearl River, Etsy, and Specialty Bottle - just to name a few. Feel free to leave some of your resources in the comments. =)
- I find planks of wood and stain/paint each side of them a different color. These become my tabletop.
- I buy lots of foam-core and spray-paint each side a different color. These act as my wall/backdrop.
- I am constantly studying food photography that I like – trying to put my finger on what it is that I like about a certain photo. Here are some great food photographers that I find inspiring: Tartelette, 6 Bittersweets, The Sophisticated Gourmet, Minimally Invasive, Honey & Jam, Great Food Photos, Chasing Delicious, Roost, La Petite Cusine, PureVege, Licking The Plate, What Katie Ate, In The Little Red House and Chris Court. If you know of a great food photographers, please feel free to share their website in the comments.
- …The camera. Let me start by saying that you don’t need a crazy expensive camera to get great photos. I’ve seen some amazing food photos (with great light and styling) taken with the iPhone. However, if you want to take your photos to the next level, you may consider buying and learning how to work a DSLR camera.
- The lens. For those of you going the DSLR route, I will tell ya that I rarely take the 50mm lens off my camera. I highly recommend it.
- Undercook the food you are photographing. Cooked foods shrink and lose their color.
- Spray cold food w/ olive oil to make it look hot.
Please feel free to ask me any questions or share your tips. =)
Reem | Simply Reem - I know this comment is like WAY late but seriously all I want to say is how much I love your photography…
The other day I was reading on instagram a post by Naomi(bakersroyale) about the equipment she purchased on ur advise and mentioned this post.. I came back to read it again…
An Authentic Life - Fun tips!
Thank you!
Linda - Thanks so much for your tips! I totally agree that a photo is nothing without a good stylist. In regards to my favorite food photography site, have you ever checked out http://sproutedkitchen? Hugh is a genius!
shipra - been immersed in your beautiful work for an hour now! Thank you so very much for this incredibly enlightening and helpful tutorial. It’s good to know that a good still-life photograph doesn’t just always happen… you have to help it along. I photograph people almost exclusively and to challenge myself, I’ve been trying to take more time to photograph things without people in them (extremely hard for me to ‘see’ an image without a beating heart in it (in someone that is, not on a table!) Thank you, thank you, Vanessa! I’ll be back :)
Amanda Areias - That’s really great, thanks for sharing! By the way, I love your checklist!
Prerna@IndianSimmer - Got directed towards your website by one of my lovely friends Kamran’s tweet and I am embarrassed that I never visited you sooner! That a great post and you have a gorgeous space here. Will be a frequent visitor :-)
kamran siddiqi (the sophisticated gourmet) - My heavens! To be categorized with such inspiring people, and to be recognized by such a talented photographer, as yourself, just makes me smile! Thanks so much for the kind mention, Vanessa!
As for the post itself- love it! I couldn’t agree with you more on so many points. I am by far, not a professional and am far from perfect; my prop collection is still growing (slowly), but natural light and thought in the entire photographing process really are key, as you said.
Amanda - I just adore your perspective in this. Its so fascinating to me to see “behind the scenes” so to speak.
One thing I am learning to do is bookmark photos I like, then try and dissect why I like them. Which inevitably leads to me blog stalking of course! ;)
Kristen - As you know, huge fan… these tips and the opportunity to peek into your creative brain a bit is wonderful. Thanks :)
Amilia @justeverydayme - This is a great post! You have such incredible food set-ups. I love how you process your pictures and would love to learn more about your method with that!
vkrees - Everyone – Thank you for all kind words! =)
S&S – I totally understand! I can tell you that the more I set up a scene, the faster I get at it. And if I only have 5 minutes, then bygod I try to get it done in 5 minutes! =) If you have to shoot w/ artificial light in your house, try playing around w/ the lights you have to see which ones photograph the best.
Scissors and Spice - Thanks so much for your tips! How long do you normally spend from start to finish (making your prep to break down of shoot) I so want to be able to “set a scene” but with two kids, I find it hard to even photograph my dishes before they need to be eaten… now because of lack of sunlight at dinner time, I’m mostly using overhead light. Any more tips? :)
Yelena from Cooking Melangery - I love your stile very much. I discover your blog not a long time ago and become a big fan.
Your post is very informational. I usually buy my stuff for photos in local thrift shop – so chip :-)
10-20 c for something very unique. Thank you and nice to meet you :-)
Ashlae - I LOVE this post! And I have to add, West Elm has some of the greatest props! Pricey, but totally worth it.
christelle is flabbergasting - It’s always great to read about other process/ way of photographing/ styling… thanks a lot for sharing… and well, you have such an impressive props collection ! (and your cat looks a lot like mine! ;))
And oh, regarding the other photographers: I am a big fan of Ditte Isager, Dietlind Wolf or Anna Williams work, to name a few.
Angela - This is so awesome, thanks so much for sharing this info. I have such limited supplies here but am really looking forward to building-up my little “prop table” once I get back to Canada. I’ve never used reflectors… need to try that!
vkrees - Oooo, Stevie, good idea. =)
Stevie - This is definitely a great post, but I think you missed a great resource for props: your friends and fans! I bet that if you announced you were looking for stuff, people would lend you their cool vintage saucer or grandmother’s teaspoon or whatnot. Off hand I think people would be psyched to see their things in your photos. (I’m getting ahead of myself here, but maybe they’d lend you something sentimental AND a recipe that goes with it, like an antique bundt pan and their great aunt’s recipe for you to veagn-ize and document.)
Sanda - Great post and really usefull tips,thanks.
Sherry - You can never have too many napkins and prop wax for a shoot. That’s what I’ve learned.
vkrees - Egle- Thank you so much! xx
vkrees - Lacey- Yay Shepherd!!! =)
dana @ my little celebration - great tips! Thanks for sharing. It helped a lot!
Egle - Though I discovered your blog just week ago, I just wanted to stop by and say that I’m totally in loooooove with your photos. Absolutely amazing.
Lacey Walker - Making Shepherd proud :) eloquently put and good tip with the undercooking of food!
Adam Parsons - Heth from Heth and Jed posted your page on their facebook and that’s how I found you. I’m currently taking a class in photography. I’m more of a creative than a photographer but a gentleman recently approached me about setting up a business with him and part of that involved taking photography classes, so I’ve gained a keen interest.
I think your photography is simply wonderful. The mix of color and texture… depth and detail… I just love it all and I wanted to let you know how impressed I was with your work and have reposted it to many of my friends.
Sincerely,
Adam Parsons
Kulsum at Journey Kitchen - Oh lovely tips. It certainly helps to read others opinion on how to go about photography. I certainly have a serious prop envy and going to check out the places to mentioned
Denise - Incredible tips. It’s the second time I hear about undercooking food for photography. I think u can add “make sure a hungry cat is around for good company” as a tip too :D love your pictures always
Xiaolu @ 6 Bittersweets - Great post! Wow I was totally shocked to be included in the list of your inspirations. Thank you so much! I recently discovered your site and am in love with your style =D. It’s so great that we can inspire each other to be more and more creative with our photography =). Have a great day!
Kris - I completely agree with all of this – some great suggestions here. I have some painted wood backdrops and my whiteboards are my best photography props! I recently switched to my 50mm (from a 35) and I am liking it so far.
Beth - Thanks for this post! I am still so new to food photography, but trying to learn as much as possible.
Soma - Bookmarked. You fascinate me lady:)
Evan Thomas - I love your photography so I’ll definitely be learning from these. Making recipes is the easy part of food blogging for me. When it comes to getting behind the camera, I feel completely lost. But I kind of like being pushed to do better in that way.