Dessert Food Photography
Sketchbook Specs:
- 2 page spread
- address the background
- 1 Thumbnail and 1 inspirational photo for each type of photograph
1. Product Shot - Individual and Multiple
2. Ingredients (one or all)
3. Human Interaction with final product
4. Human Interaction while cooking
5. In progress (no human)
6. Unconventional Food Photo (extra credit)
- Thumbnails need to be labeled with (surface type, light direction, props, etc)
A product shot is an attractive image of the food in it's completed state. For this particular type, it is of a single cookie or food item. The environment should aid in the food image and not distract.
1. Product Shot
Individual and Multiple
An ingredient shot is the raw materials used to create the meal. For example, you can use whole almonds, for an almond cookie.
2. Ingredients (one or all)
bite, cutting, stacking, putting away, serving, etc
3. Human Interaction with final product
during the making of the food
4. Human Interaction while cooking
These are the images of your food at an inbetween stage. Inbetween raw ingredients and final product.
5. In progress (no human)
6. Outshots
They are quick photos that showcase how you set up your scene and plated your food. They are not edited
Some of the examples are diptychs, you do not need to do this.
1. Research
- Don't reinvent the wheel. Look at lots of food photography. Look at your specific cookie, look at photos of ingredients. Do you like how they plated the food? do something similar.
2. Do a trial run of your food
- See how your food bakes, do the cookies spread out really thin? Make a bigger mound of dough. Too dark? take the cookies out sooner.
3. Use white plates
- Other plating can be distracting and take away from the food itself. Clear plates are too reflective and distract the viewer as well.
4. Daylight, but not in direct sunlight
- Shoot in daylight, not in direct sunlight. Sunlight is too harsh for highlights and shadows
5. Backlight
- Food photos need depth to show the dimension of the food. The direction of the light is usually from top to bottom.
6. Background / environment
- Similar to plating, the background should not distract from the food.
7. Food photography does not need to be 100% authentic
- Tables are fake, backgrounds are fake, spacing / depth is deceitful. When plating your food, add crumbs, move the food so it looks good in front of the camera.
8. Use a tripod
- You will be manipulating the food to the crumb level. If your point of view is the consistent, it allows you to manipulate your scene with a purpose.
9. Add Color (not always needed for desserts)
- garnish your food, use other food dishes, use backdrops or props to bring color into your scene.
10. Garnish
- use ingredients to give the image dept.