btec photography food photography
TRANSCRIPT
FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY
What is it?
Food photography is still life commercial
photography in which images of food are taken to
use in advertisements.
Why is it used?
Food photography can be used for a number of
reasons such as advertisements, menus,
cookbooks and cookbooks.
FOOD PHOTOGRAPHYLighting techniques:The ambient light needs to be white, this means there will not be a tint to the photography. This can be achieved by setting the white balance on the camera
The exposure on the camera needs to be set correctly otherwise the image could be under or overexposed.
Flash tends to make the image have uneven shadows which is not wanted for food photography.
The ISO can be good for allowing more light into an image however adjusting this too much allows for blurry images. However if the ISO is fast, the image most likely wont be blurred but may be too dark.
Natural lighting is the best with food photography however can be hard to achieve a perfect image as you need to rely on the lighting of the day. This could lead to inconsistent colours.
The key light is just the main light source used in photography.
A fill light is the second source light used in photography . The term stems from the concept of filling in the shadows created by the main light with more light. Fill Light is used to fill in shadows as well as increase the brightness of the subject overall
Backlighting a subject can benefit an image in many ways, such as getting rid of unwanted shadows and reflections. It can also help with the colours and seeing the shape of the object.
FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY
Compositional Techniques:
Rotate: Some food looks best when looking directly down on it, while
other food has an interesting side profile that can only be seen
when shooting across the food at its level. Slightly tilting the
camera clockwise or counter clockwise can add some interest to
an otherwise dull photo.
Zoom: Whether you are using a prime lens or a zoom lens, you can
always get in close to magnify a detail of the food or loosen the
shot up to show the food as a component of a larger meal.
The rule of thirds/triangle: In general, the rule of thirds helps to easily
give you compositionally strong photos, and this holds true not
only for landscapes and action shots but for food as well
If you have multiple food subjects available to you (like multiple
cupcakes to choose from), use only the best examples
FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY
The use of colour:
Colour is directly linked to the light source and is
extremely important in photography and
especially food photography. Any type of light
source will produces different colour
temperature. Even the Sun changes its colour
temperature throughout the day.
The use of lighting can alter the colours in the
image. By changing the camera settings, the
way the subject can change dramatically.
Editing an image can be beneficial to a
photograph to improve the colours and to make
the product more aesthetically pleasing.
FOOD PHOTOGRAPHYManipulation:
Photo manipulation is the application of image editing techniques to
photographs in order to create an illusion or deception after the
original photographing took place
Airbrushing usually means to alter a photo digitally. Computer
'touch-ups' are done to existing digital photos, using programs like
Photoshop.
The clone stamp tool on Photoshop is used to copy part of the image
and paste it onto the same image in order to allow the image to look
perfect.
The spot heal on Photoshop takes similar colours around the area
that has been pressed and essentially covers the imperfection with
the colour.
Colour grading is the process of altering and enhancing the colour
of an image. This makes the image looks better and therefore
appealing.
This techniques are all particularly important in food photography in
order make the image look more aesthetically pleasing.