DPChallenge: A Digital Photography Contest You are not logged in. (log in or register
 

DPChallenge Forums >> Individual Photograph Discussion >> Food test shots
Pages:  
Showing posts 1 - 14 of 14, (reverse)
AuthorThread
01/20/2007 12:20:32 PM · #1
Here are a few test shots I did for some friends. Every thing will probably be re shot over the next few weeks but I thought I'd post them to see what you think...







01/20/2007 01:09:47 PM · #2
They look good to me! The last four seem to be a little more noisy than the others, which is fine if that is the look you are going for. Additionally food shots I normally see in cookbooks and magazines tend to have an almost blown-out brightness to their shots and yours seem to be a little more duller. Nothing wrong with that if that is the style you're going for, but if you're trying to emulate the magazine food shots then it's something to keep in mind.
01/20/2007 01:13:28 PM · #3
they look pretty good to me - nice work !


01/20/2007 01:37:13 PM · #4
Oh great.. now I'm hungry! :P

They look good. I think Trinity is on to something.. it seems like there are a few different styles of shots, so it depends what you're aiming for with them as to how well you've achieved your goal. My only suggestion would maybe be to play with the lighting or wb a bit. Something just seems a tad off there, but I don't know enough about lighting to give any suggestions.

Off to find some lunch now! :)
01/20/2007 01:42:23 PM · #5
You're doing good Steve. I take it as a given that you are trying to develop your own "style" for this stuff, and you have come a long way in that regard. You're developing a good "look", which I assume is what you are asking us.

When you shoot this stuff for real, be SURE to bracket apertures and focal points for each shot, so you end up with one that's precisely how you want it as far as DOF goes.

R.
01/20/2007 01:49:40 PM · #6
I like the styling, it's very consistent, and I'm a fan of the even lighting you've used. Personally I'd like to see a little more DOF and perhaps a bit more aggressive use of sharpening to really make the images pop.
01/20/2007 02:06:00 PM · #7
As a former chef, I do enjoy food photography, done a bit myself.
I agree great start!! but I would enjoy some more DOF as well.
Hey coincidentally I found this today, you may find something useful here
Foodie Photography

And listen to everything Bear says :)

Message edited by author 2007-01-20 14:06:49.
01/20/2007 02:12:26 PM · #8


Nice shots *drools*
01/20/2007 04:15:36 PM · #9
Overall, very good for test shots. I like the feel and the lighting you've got going on.

I agree with the others about the DOF, mostly on the shots that include a logo like the bread and cheese shot. If I were shooting this back in the film days, I'd use a 4x5 and use swings and tilts to place the focal plane along the logos to get them all equally sharp, while allowing a relatively shallow DOF. I suppose that would be something that could be done with a Tilt/Shift lens.

For the shot of the plated food, you might try turning the plat to get the logo on the plate sharp, while letting the logo in the background stay OOF, it's still recognizable as the same logo.

Some of the plates are tilted, and while I think this works in the shot with the fries being put on the plate since it's a pretty dynamic scene, in the other shots, it gives the feel that the food may slide off the plate.


01/20/2007 05:09:43 PM · #10


I appreciate the looks and advice. Like I said, just some test shots to see if I could shoot at four very busy restaurant locations while they were hopping....or slightly off peak to capture some their energy as well as their food. All the places were in roughly the same part of town, so I was able to hit them all yesterday. Candids of the staff...food....whirlwind shooting.

Rae-Ann-Really great link, I've been looking at his stuff for a while. Great backlighting.

The tilt shots and super shallow dof's are pretty much en vogue these days. Blown highlights too...What could be easier? Everything possible that DPC voters hate. I can do that.

Without question, the text in those shots should be fully in focus.

Cheers!

Message edited by author 2007-01-20 17:20:49.
01/20/2007 05:27:00 PM · #11
This is interesting to me, as I am in the process of writing a cookbook. I've been considering taking photos for it myself, but I'm not quite that far yet.

The pics posted here are great. I agree with other commenters that they could use a bit more pop.

And here's a question, why is it that food pics always have the slanted plate or glass or bowl? Is it more appetizing? :o)
01/20/2007 05:28:21 PM · #12
Great shots. I especially like the image of the chef cutting up the meat. It is not only a picture of an object, but of an action. Really good.

Zymmetrical.com
01/20/2007 05:59:44 PM · #13
Originally posted by Rae-Ann:

As a former chef, I do enjoy food photography, done a bit myself.
I agree great start!! but I would enjoy some more DOF as well.
Hey coincidentally I found this today, you may find something useful here
Foodie Photography

And listen to everything Bear says :)


I just went through this site and man oh man, I got so into it! I loved his candor. Great great tool! Oh especially the pointer about using a light source from the back of the food instead of the front.

Message edited by author 2007-01-20 18:00:20.
01/20/2007 06:05:54 PM · #14
I just re-saturated and cleaned them up some more.

Give'em another look...
Pages:  
Current Server Time: 03/28/2024 06:35:40 PM

Please log in or register to post to the forums.


Home - Challenges - Community - League - Photos - Cameras - Lenses - Learn - Prints! - Help - Terms of Use - Privacy - Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2024 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 03/28/2024 06:35:40 PM EDT.