heyjoe Loc: cincinnati ohio

My daughter is writing a cook book,she is a nutrition/dietitian,
she has been taking pics of her food,on her own,(blog),she has a canon t5 Rebel and a nice 50 1.4 lens, i let her borrow,(some time ago)she has contacted some pros and they are talking around 8,000-10,000 range,they want her to fly to California for two weeks to do the shoot,i suggested trying to find a good local (Nashville) photographer,up and coming,that would benefit with the exposure of being in the book,she has signed with a large publisher,she did get some up front money,but not enough to cover the photos, if you would like to see her photo work ,you can see them on her web site,Nutrition striped,Mckel,any help would be appreciated,

James56 Loc: Nashville, Tennessee

Good luck, most of the Pro's do want a lot of money. You might check with the guy (link below), he's does food photography here in Nashville.
http://www.dreier.com/

Here's another one:
http://www.teresablackburnfoodstyling.com/

OddJobber Loc: Portland, OR

Can you translate that into a usable link?

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Joe, that's a though call.
Food is difficult to do and like everything else, there are a lot of lousy food photogs. Think weddings, there are $200 and $10,000 shooters!
My wife has written a number of college textbooks, some illustrated and some with photographs. The publisher, McGaw Hill, has always sent its own photographers and done all its own illustrations and cover work. It's the only way they can insure the quality of their product. She should talk to the publisher. Do they specialize in cookbooks? If so, it's not their first rodeo. Good luck. ;-)
SS

lighthouse Loc: No Fixed Abode

She is quite good, maybe even good enough to do it herself ... .but its that last 5% that might count.
Yes, a professional should find that extra 5% for her, but is it worth $10K ..... line ball ... sounds like a lot of money.
I am betting that some of the professionals that she looks at will be no better, maybe even not as good as her, but ... the right one ...... now we are back to that last 5%.

heyjoe Loc: cincinnati ohio

thanks for the info

heyjoe Loc: cincinnati ohio

thanks

heyjoe Loc: cincinnati ohio

thanks i will pass that along to her

heyjoe Loc: cincinnati ohio

thank she will like to hear that

lighthouse Loc: No Fixed Abode

heyjoe,
if you hit "quote reply" rather than "reply", your replies will be more in context
regards
lighthouse

heyjoe Loc: cincinnati ohio

thanks

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

You will need a pro and a good food stylist. I've done both, and they don't come cheaply. And unless she is experienced with styling that will be best left to the pros for sure. It all depends on what the publisher wants and how much she can get the publisher to kick in for great images. A book with average images won't sell as well.

Her images are average, and don't really show the food to it's best advantage. Lighting needs a lot of help. She might want to take a look at Donna Hay's books - her food styling is quite simple, and the images are excellent. It really all depends on what she is aiming for.

If there is a culinary school, or an art school with a solid photography curriculum, she may get lucky and find a photographer and stylist that can help, and it won't cost $10K. How many shots does she need?

Keep in mind that food photography is 80% styling, and 20% photography. The stylist is far more important than the guy or gal behind the camera.

hughburden Loc: UK

If she has the money then yes, her own food photographs are ok for a blog but do not stand up to what a food photographer should produce for a quality book. (just a thought as a financial compromise, a GOOD retoucher could enhance her photographs and should be cheaper than hiring a food photographer). the bottom line, I suppose, is the market and price point that the book is aimed at...the publisher should advise.

For the record the prices quoted so far, say, $8000 is pretty good. Look at it this way- $8000 for two weeks studio shooting- this what she will get
1.An experienced specialised food photographer
2.He/she will have a fully equipped studio with a pro kitchen
3 He/she will have plethora of props- plates, table cloths, backgrounds etc to style in with each recipe.

Two weeks shooting =10 working days, that equals $800 a day for usage and shooting. I would expect on average 4 shots a long day (if everyone knows what they are doing) so that makes it $200 a shot.
Factor in at least 2 days post production-retouching, sizing making print ready etc, and its a bargain price. Taking it down to $166 a shot.

So for $166 a shot you get-
1 a studio with kitchen
2 a photographer (who pays rent/rates/insurance/book keeper/tax/updates buys equipment and software etc. etc)
3 a photographers assistant
4 a full pro kitchen
5 a stock of plates cuttlery backgorunds etc.

I think $8000 is a bit cheap $10,000 is more on the ball.
Finally too state the obvious if she decides to go the professional route - check out the portfolios carefully, look at published work and negotiate all the while assessing if she wants to work with this person for two weeks. A good atmosphere will make the shoot a pleasure..

heyjoe Loc: cincinnati ohio

thanks for your help