The Art of Food Photography

Last week I talked a bit about finding other food blogs online and that one of my favorite resources to find new links are food photography sites like Food Gawker and Taste Spotting.

It got me thinking about food photography in general and how much I’ve learned about it over the last two years. I found the above video about a food photographer who doesn’t mind sharing his behind the scenes tricks to capture the perfect shot for his clients.

He talks about how he got his first taste of food photography as a child when he watched his friend’s dad developing pictures in his dark room. He then started out on his own doing fashion shoots before expanding his portfolio into food photography.

Though the at-home cook probably doesn’t need to employ tweezers to style their food, if you’re interested in food photography it’s important to keep several elements in mind: lighting, props, cropping, and a good macro setting or lens.

I found a few sites and blogs that go into more detail about how to get that perfect shot:

~ Cookography writes about lighting sources and flash, and how to use both to your advantage.

~ Photojojo provides ten great tips on food photography, including the basics like setting and lighting, and also color balance, zoom, and capturing the small details.

~ I like this article from Lifehacker about taking photographs of your food when you’re out in public at a restaurant. It gives a few etiquette tips on how to not be obnoxious to everyone else around you.