18 9 May 2020I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.ukI subscribe 0330 333 1113
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Technique PHOTOGRAPHING FOOD
Thefinaltouches
Foodphotographyis oftena
collaborativeprojectbetweena
photographeranda foodstylist.
Thisimagewasshotby
photographerStuartWest,and
styledbyfoodstylistTanya
Sadourian(www.tanyasadourian.
co.uk).Tanyatellsus,‘Themain
aimwastocreatea deliciousand
beautifulshotof clamscooking
in a pan.ForthefoodstylingI
tooka relaxed,andnatural
approach.Withtheimagebeing
closeup,andquitesimple,I
decidedtobringasmuchcolour
tothedishaspossible,withpops
of red,purpleandgreens.To
helpcreatethefeelingof the
clamscooking,I meltedthe
herbybutteronsetwitha torch,
justbeforewetooktheshot.We
hada versionwithoutthebutter
andwith,andit definitelyadded
thefinishingtouchhaving the
melted herb butter.’
Extraprops
Kitchenknives,sieves,
spoons,rollingpins
justtonamea few.
Havea collectionof
foodpropsthat
relatetoyour
subjecttoenhance
your image.
Finalfood
touches
Whetheryouneedsomeextra
icingsugartodustonyour
cakeorsomemeltedbutter
tomakeyourfoodlook
glossy,bypayingattentionto
thesmalldetailsthiswill
enhance the end result.
Cloth
Foodphotographycangetmessy
(especiallyif youarethrowingfood
orliquidaround).Forthatreason
havea dishclothortwoto
hand!They’llalsobeusefulto
cleantheedgesofa plateor
removethatunwantedand
distracting flake of food.
Foodpicture
Createa picturefromfoodyouhavealreadyonyourshelf
andin yourfridge.A watermelon,ricegrainsandbanana
havebeenarrangedin thissetuptocreateanumbrellaand
raincloudswiththesunshinepokingoutbehind.Toaddthe
finaltouchesthecloudsweredrawnontothegreen
background (which is a piece of A4 paper) using chalk.
Openyouraperture
Byusinga wideapertureyoucancreatea dreamyand
effectiveresult.Thisimagewastakenona tripin Indiaand
showsa youngboy’shandholdingsomeboraberries.The
greybackground,andneutraltoneof theboy’shandmakes
theberriespopandbecomethestarof theimage.The
softenedeffectof thefingertips also helps draw the eyes
back into the berries.
© STUART WEST AND TANYA SADOURIAN, PINK L ADY® FOOD PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2020
© CL AIRE GILLO
© CL AIRE GILLO
Minimise
clutter
Lessis moreand
thebackground
andsurrounding
objectsin your
imagearejustas
importantasthe
mainsubject.
Ensureyou
removeclutter,
andkeepit
simple.Mount
yourcameraonto
a tripodtohelp
youworkupan
effective
compositionand
experiment
removing/adding
componentsto
your image.
