68 PracticalPhotograPhy
T
herecanbe nothing
moreappealingfora viewer
and moresatisfyingfor
a photographerthana
mouthwateringdisplayof
fo od– it’sreallyno wonder
thatfoodphotographyis
sucha populargenre.if you wantto
achievea highstandardof thistypeof
shot,you’llfindit’snottoodifficult– it
doesn’trequirelotsof gearor an intricate
setup.Feastyoureyeson howto create
the perfectfoodstilllife.
Colouris key
althoughthemechanicsof capturing
a st illlifefoodshotaresimpleenough,
the settingof thesceneis of vital
importanceandtakessomeplanning,
unlessyouraimis to displaya chaotic
mess. beforeyoustart,decideon a colour
scheme.thisis thegluethatwillhold
yourshottogether.We’vegonefora red
and bluethemehere,as choosingbright
redsanddarkersubduedbluesreally
makestheredpopoutof theimage.
butyoucanoptforanycolourscheme,
thenthinkabouttherelevantfoodsthat
you cangetyourhandson.
Li ghttheshot
Foodphotographyis oftenlit withflash,
but we’regoingto takea muchsimpler
approach.Setup yourfoodarraynextto
a windowandusethewindowlightlike
a softbox.thiswillgivea softfill light
toreducetheharshnessof anyshadows.
Shootin thedaytimearoundmidday
onan overcastday,or by a north-facing
windowforbestresults.if youfindthis
gi vesharshshadows,adda reflectorto
throwsomelightbackintothescene
fr omthefarside.if you don’town
a reflector,anylargewhitesurfaceor
a pi eceof cardcoatedin tinfoilwilldo.
Setup thescene
takesometimeto arrangeyourchosen
ingredientsin a pleasingcomposition.
aimto keepthenumberof elementsto
anoddnumber,as thistendsto create
a betterbalanceto theeyethaneven
numbers.graba 50mmlensif youhave
one– youcango longerif youlike,
but anywiderandyou’llstartto get
di stortiontowardstheedgesof the
fr ame.you’l l needto keepeverything
infocus,butsinceyou’reshootingfrom
abovetherewillbe verylittledistance
betweenthefrontandthebackof the
shot,so youdon’tneeda smallaperture
- f/ 8 shouldbe fine.Withall thisdone,
you’rereadyto getstuckin...
creaTe a seasonal
flaTlay food spread
projecT #2
Tip
Turnon
sT abilisaTion
Imagestabilisationwill
gr eatlyhelpreduceany
movementbluryou may
encounterwhile
shooting.
