12 http://www.digitalcameraworld.com

TOP GEAR #

Neewer Vision5 flash head

WHEN the available window

light diminished JP set up his

Neewer Vision5 400W TTL flash

head and attached a large

Bowens-mount Phot-r softbox,

which mimicked the window’s

soft single-light source. He’s able

to change the power remotely,

using his flash triggers. He’s also

stocked a handful of spare

lithium batteries for the Vision

that can be swapped over.

SUE’S COMMENT

This fillet of beef was served

with fondant potato, cured

carrots, red cabbage hash, fennel

puree and cocoa jus. The beef was

obviously the star of the show, so we

moved the plate around to face me. We then placed it

near the large window light and used a reflector to

bounce some light back into the frame. I focused on

the cut of beef and used an aperture of f/5.6 to softly

defocus the background.

HOT

SHOT

Lens Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM

Exposure 1/160 sec, f/5.6, ISO

AF BEAM ASSIST

FOCUSING can

be hard in

low-light

scenarios, but

JP’s Neewer

VC-818TX flash

triggers have a

built-in AF assist

beam. These fire out a grid of lasers onto

subjects to help find focus faster and

accurately, even in poorly-lit rooms. They

can also dial in the power, without having

to move to the flash head to change it.

TEN TIPS TO FOOD HEAVEN

1

Build a rapport with the chef

JP suggests getting to know the chef and building a

rapport with them. He says call them by their name

• only chefs refer to the head chef as ‘chef’!

2

Find the focal point

Look for an obvious focal point, like a flower,

garnish, or main meat, to make the star of the dish.

3

Quality food – quality photos

A well put together, high quality dish is going

to make your pictures look as good as possible.

You can’t make a bad dish look good in editing.

4

Shoot quickly

Have your camera, backdrop and lighting setup

before the food is brought out. Don’t waste time!

5

BYOP – Bring your own plates!

JP takes his own decorative plates from

http://www.artis-uk.com and asks the chef to use them.

6

Move elements around

Experiment by moving little garnishes into different

positions to produce a stronger focal point.

7

Get wood grain coming towards you

If using wooden tables ensure the grain of the wood

comes towards you to avoid harsh shadows.

8

Use modelling lamps

Use the modelling light of your flash head to

visualize where light, shadows and reflections fall.

9

Avoid camera-shake

JP shoots at double the reciprocal of his focal to

avoid camera shake, so 1/200 sec or faster if

shooting at 100mm and so on.

10

Get out there!

JP uses his Instagram @faydit_photography to

showcase his work and pick up new clients.

THEAPPRENTICE