Food Photo Contest (Page 2): You are doing documentary photography. Is the contest to select a photographer to shoot the food for the restaurant's website? Bring a mister with oil in...

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

dayranch wrote:

Subject food is salmon, the plan is to shoot fish doing cooking, and shoot fish after fish is Ready to eat, and shoot dish 10 minutes after fish cool down.

You are doing documentary photography. Is the contest to select a photographer to shoot the food for the restaurant's website?

Bring a mister with oil in it - after 10 mins the fish will look dry.

Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

"Subject food is salmon..." dayranch I'm a vegetarian so can only suggest it might be wise to rethink this entirely...

Case in point: "Recent studies surveying contaminant levels in farmed and wild-caught salmon have shown that, on average, farmed salmon contain substantially higher concentrations of a variety of persistent organic contaminants such as PCBs, dioxins, and pesticides."

Bottom Line? Might consider to avoid eating high up on the food chain... plant based diets are likely a far safer choice... as are certified "Organic" foods...

I wish you excellent health and much happiness dayranch.
All the best on your journey...

tempest101 Loc: Indiana

dayranch wrote:

Hello Fellow Photographers!

I am getting ready to do a photo shoot on food that had already been cooked and on the plate and ready to eat. I never took a Image of food at this level, but I have a ideal on lighting and composition, but I'm sure their's more to it to get a award winning Image of food on a plate. If someone out there who had done food photography, I would greatly appreciate your insight on this photography food contest shoot. Thanks to all.

Laroy Lindsey.

Hi Laroy,
I have a food blog (dusty and not updated since a while). But it’s where I blend my passion for cooking and clicking, and of course eating!! I cook and immediately take pictures after plating, which I plan while cooking..so not many elaborate props or lighting set up. I use window lighting only, and sometimes reflectors. And I eat everything that looks edible in my pictures :)
My suggestions would be to go with somewhat of a plan on plating to create a story.
Be minimalistic in props and keep focus on the food.
Find unique angles you won’t see normally, such as at eye level, or focus on a particular element in the food.
Top down views are too common in food photography but could work well if you have story going on with props and raw ingredients strategically ‘thrown’ around.
I have attached a few samples. For more you can check out: www.cant-live-without.com
Good luck with your contest!!

Collhar Loc: New York City.

Iron Sight wrote:

Searching the perfect Relleno.

My first impression was the table cloth is to busy for that picture.

Howard5252 Loc: New York / Florida (now)

Do you want to take a picture of food as has been posted here or do you want to win an award for your photos of food?
The award photos of food that you see in magazines and advertisements are probably not of the actual foods you think they are. There are tons of tricks that food photographers use to create a photo that will want you to eat what they have photographed and that is not the same thing a photographing what you had for dinner last night. Food photography goes far deeper than lighting and composition. Here is one (of many) videos you can watch to get the idea ... https://petapixel.com/2018/11/30/tricks-food-photographers-use-to-make-food-look-delicious/

Collhar Loc: New York City.

Thomas902 wrote:

"Subject food is salmon..." dayranch I'm... (show quote)

Why did you think farm-raised salmon?? Unless you can raise organic food in a bubble these products are also subject to all the various air pollutants that the planet is involved in.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

rmalarz wrote:

Laroy, any food photo that will win awards will be of food that is not going to be edible.
--Bob

Manglesphoto Loc: 70 miles south of St.Louis

rmalarz wrote:

Laroy, any food photo that will win awards will be of food that is not going to be edible.
--Bob

Lol, it's amazing what photographed food goes through.

queencitysanta Loc: Charlotte, North Carolina

Check out Peter Taylor's Photography PTP

StanMac Loc: Tennessee

There are a plethora of YouTube “how to” videos on food photography. Check them out.

I would guess how elaborate your session needs to be in regard to the setting, lighting, etc, depends on your target audience, or your client’s demands.

For the kind of images you see in food magazines and TV, Bob is right - the subject is most likely inedible, or you wouldn’t want to eat after the shoot was over.

Stan

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

Iron Sight wrote:

Searching the perfect Relleno.

Meaning no disrespect at all I love your photo but the can sitting there rather than a glass of wine, water or maybe a Margarita seems to detract from the excellence of your food photo.

Dennis

rcarol

quixdraw wrote:

I can't agree - though I can't claim to have won prizes or entered Food Picture contests. Cooking is something of a passion of mine, near to photography. I will often take a few photos of a new or attractive dish just before we sit down to eat. Results, good pix, good meals.

I agree with Bob, any photograph of food that will win a food contest will render the food inedible.

nervous2 Loc: Provo, Utah

dayranch wrote:

Hello Fellow Photographers!

I am getting ready to do a photo shoot on food that had already been cooked and on the plate and ready to eat. I never took a Image of food at this level, but I have a ideal on lighting and composition, but I'm sure their's more to it to get a award winning Image of food on a plate. If someone out there who had done food photography, I would greatly appreciate your insight on this photography food contest shoot. Thanks to all.

Laroy Lindsey.

In most instances, I would suggest taking the shots prior to beginning to eat.

G Brown Loc: Sunny Bognor Regis West Sussex UK

dayranch wrote:

Hello Fellow Photographers!

I am getting ready to do a photo shoot on food that had already been cooked and on the plate and ready to eat. I never took a Image of food at this level, but I have a ideal on lighting and composition, but I'm sure their's more to it to get a award winning Image of food on a plate. If someone out there who had done food photography, I would greatly appreciate your insight on this photography food contest shoot. Thanks to all.

Laroy Lindsey.

As a Chef.....food is the most difficult to look good in a photograph.
The look of most food changes when cold....set up times take lots of time....
Food photography is FULL of tricks - from simple glycerine to make shiny to Nitrogen to make steamy. Food colors and table ware. shape of dish and what accoutrements you use to 'enhance' the visual look....Think chinese...chop sticks, small bowls, bamboo screens, blue willow patterns, crisp white napkins in dragon napkin rings, steaming baskets etc etc etc.
Check out the internet and how Food Photography is produced and never eat what you photographed.

Have fun

ncjim Loc: Durham, nc

Here's some photos from our catering business. Taken on table, ready to serve and not in studio. Things to keep in mind are presentation, freshness and angle of photo (ie, straight overhead often doesn't work). These were all shot with a Canon flash mounted on a Canon EOS. Also, I took multiple shots and did some post-shoot processing on some of them. Have fun and enjoy. Remember-when you are served a dish, you first judge it with your EYES-if it doesn't LOOK appetizing, it may not taste appetizing.

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