Food photography (Page 3): Years ago I was involved with a gentleman at work to put his salsa on the web. He needed photos of his product to put on the web site so he asked me to do it...

marine73 Loc: Modesto California

Years ago I was involved with a gentleman at work to put his salsa on the web. He needed photos of his product to put on the web site so he asked me to do it I told him that I would find someone to do it which I did. I took three samples of the product to the photographer and she photographed them outside on a covered table top using a handheld camera and reflectors to create different lighting scenes. I delivered the photos to him but soon after he got sick and passed away. So his dream of leaving a growing business to his son never came about. He passed away a couple of weeks before the first production which would have been a limited run. And his salsa was kosher.

xt2 Loc: British Columbia, Canada

PotoFotos wrote:

Hi folks, my son has a restaurant in Seattle and would like to improve his food products photos. He’s been using his cell phone for years and does pretty well but now he asked me for a recommendation of a relatively inexpensive camera for this purpose. Fellow photographers, do you have any suggestions?
Thx, PotoFotos

Almost any camera will work (he is using a cell phone at present after all) providing there is adequate lighting. Lighting is the trick and maybe he could spend some time on You Tube learning a bit about food photography, and then acquire desirable hardware to make it all happen…. Cheers!

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

In a seminar given some years ago by an accomplished food photographer for a local newspaper, she said she routinely used a Canon 5D3 with Canon’s EF 50mm f2.5 macro lens and typically used natural (window) lighting. Her work was excellent.
Any decent resolution DSLR or MILC camera will do - it’s the composition, lighting and the lens that’s important. And if she goes with Canon, the 50mm f2.5 macro is tack sharp, with unnoticeable distortion and close up capability for a bargain price pf around $150. The autofocus is slow, but not an issue shooting food.

msbanks720 Loc: western washington

PotoFotos wrote:

Hi folks, my son has a restaurant in Seattle and would like to improve his food products photos. He’s been using his cell phone for years and does pretty well but now he asked me for a recommendation of a relatively inexpensive camera for this purpose. Fellow photographers, do you have any suggestions?
Thx, PotoFotos

Hi...having been a chef for 20 years or so and taken many food pics along with cooking class zoom videos, perhaps I can help...considering the quality of phone cameras these days I am not sure that different hardware is the solution...it would help to know why he is not pleased with current results. And the end product...is he looking for website pics? Compiling a cookbook? Printing menus? Many times, the picture looks flat or cold - it doesn't pop... adjusting the white balance or lighting might help. I he ave never im'd before but if you want to reach out and talk more I am happy to kibitz...I live in the Seattle area, worked at Ray's boathouse and other places, have all the equipment...if you are interested, I'm in

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

As usual, everyone is suggesting equipment or various lighting approaches. The truth is, you can use any practical light source, flash (monolights with modelig lamps). conditions light sources such as LEDs or tungsten lamps, ordinary light bulbs, a candle, window light, or out-of-doors natural light. The proviso is, that you have to understand various lighting principles and techniques.

If the OP's son is running a restaurant, not a commercial studio, he needs a system that's easily available any time of day or night regardless of the weather. I doubt if he wants to head out on the street or the backyard with plates of food. He needs to be able to carefully arrange food on a plate and place it on a table with an easily adjustable overhead light source- preferably a medium-sized softbox. That, plus a reflector or two will do the job in most cases.

The light is on a boom stand/arm, over the product and slightly behind. It is feathered slightly so the edge of the beam strikes the reflector(s) which will provide fill. See the diagram.

Any decent camera with a zoom lens should suffice. A 50mm focal length on a full-frame body or the equivalent will address most situations. The zoom will be handy if he wants to force or compress the perspective or zoom in on a small item.

gwilliams6

E.L.. Shapiro wrote:

Greetings! br br I do food photograhy profession... (show quote)

delder Loc: Maryland

Never did serious food photography myself BUT articles I have read on the subject go into great detail on staging and lighting. There are LOTS of opportunities for improvement in this artwork. One I particularly remember is the staging of the subject, so that the entire Image tells a story. A slice of 🥧 pie being cut from the pie for example.

gwilliams6

From Adobe: Food photography tips, tricks, and ideas

https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/photography/discover/food-photography.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjwusunBhCYARIsAFBsUP_1kFHVbV-cS9mrdznyOdw3sYOjrVEwNvQ8TJiQESYd8UWaFSRdFwsaAunmEALw_wcB&ef_id=Cj0KCQjwusunBhCYARIsAFBsUP_1kFHVbV-cS9mrdznyOdw3sYOjrVEwNvQ8TJiQESYd8UWaFSRdFwsaAunmEALw_wcB%3AG%3As&s_kwcid=AL%213085%213%21271656765088%21%21%21g%21%21%211413573331%2155719868215&mv=search

From WixPhotography: 15 Food Photography Tips for Capturing Mouthwatering Images

https://www.wix.com/blog/photography/food-photography-tips?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=12188669214^114296906861&experiment_id=^^497047742397^^_DSA&gclid=Cj0KCQjwusunBhCYARIsAFBsUP8unWNq_4R9L-S5C_6LaRNgYNzbOW703SqejRQcSpNoGKuA1O_bL3gaAt5IEALw_wcB

From Shopify: Food Photography 101: How to Take Perfect Pictures of Your Food
https://www.shopify.com/blog/food-photography-tips

From Digital Photography School: Food Photography – An Introduction
https://digital-photography-school.com/food-photography-an-introduction/

Cheers and best to you.

MJPerini

There are many ways to do good Food photography, I've done many including 4x5, 8x10 and tilt shift lenses.
But the first thing I would recommend for your son, is to stick with the best cell phone camera, but add two things,
a small (perhaps 2'x3' softbox) with color correct full spectrum continuous lighting ( recommend continuous because it makes it easier to see the light, but flash is fine too), and a small tripod with a phone adapter.
Proper color is VERY important to having food look its best. More than that, his photographs will look consistent from one to the next. Once the light is up it is easy to switch out dishes. A single sheet of white 'foam core' can be cut up to make some front fill reflectors.
These alone will raise his game by an order of magnitude . Should he choose to buy a camera he will still need these things.
Apple's iPhone 14 ProMax has an astonishingly good 12MP sensor, give it good light and his pictures will be great.
I am certainly not against buying a camera, but spend a few hundred on good light and support and learn to use them before spending thousands on new cameras.

clint f. Loc: Priest Lake Idaho, Spokane Wa

gwilliams6 wrote:

As a longtime photojournalist I have used all the ... (show quote)

Excellent work!!!

Bfree2 Loc: Grants Pass, Or

I do food photography. I use two of my cameras. Both Sony mirrorless an APS-C a6400, and a a7rIII. The aps-c is fine. The lenses I use are a 28-70mm, 50mm prime, and 90mm prime. However, depending on the plan of thought I have used other lenses.
Now BOTH Cannon and Nikon have great cameras too, but I got into the “mirrorless” Sony systems before the other two and now have a lot invested.
NOW.. for your son. He could go on YouTube look up “bite shot”. The woman is also a professional food photographer and has many reels with great information to learn from.
But if he’s struggling then I suggest to find a local photographer who specializes in this area
Gear ? If his phone is an iPhone 14 Pro Max
He can get great captures. And if it is this iPhone then to use the “portrait mode” “contour setting” and he will be amazed. If that’s not his camera…Sorry.
Camera body? Any of the three Sony, Nikon, Cannon. Pick one and then buy a ‘Prime’ lens 20, 30, 50 mm just one to start. And then learn camera, and start shooting.
There used to be a really great camera store in Seattle nearby the Mayflower. They ( if still there) could give you a wealth of information as well
G’Luck

FrankN Loc: Maryland, USA

Concur with this advice. With good lighting the iPhone may be all he needs!

Bill_de Loc: US

PotoFotos wrote:

Hi folks, my son has a restaurant in Seattle and would like to improve his food products photos. He’s been using his cell phone for years and does pretty well but now he asked me for a recommendation of a relatively inexpensive camera for this purpose. Fellow photographers, do you have any suggestions?
Thx, PotoFotos

Food Photography 101: How to Take Perfect Pictures of Your Food

Prepare your food to be photo-ready: Arrange your food to show-off its best features. Choose complementary surfaces and cutlery. Plate the main subject of your photo in the middle of your plate and leave room on the edges.

Get the lighting right: Light from the side, rather than the front. Use natural light whenever possible, softer light when not. Watch for harsh shadows.

Experiment with framing: Try photographing from different angles. Use warmer, more appetizing colors that are true-to-life. Use depth-of-field to focus on the most appetizing aspects of your photo.

Edit your food photos like a professional: Sharpen your image. Adjust the white balance to negate cooler colors and bring out warm ones. Increase contrast, brightness, and saturation, but only slightly.

Don’t be afraid to get creative: Rules are made to be broken. A unique angle, perspective, color palette, or composition can help make your food photos stand-out.

Scroll down past the 6 tips.

https://www.shopify.com/blog/food-photography-tips

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gwilliams6

clint f. wrote:

Excellent work!!!

Thanks so much.

Cheers and best to you.

gwilliams6

Bill_de wrote:

b Food Photography 101: How to Take Perfect Pictu... (show quote)

Yes, posted that same Food Photography 101 link in my comment above, along with links to other tips and tutorials.

Cheers and best to you Bill.