Hi all,

This is my first attempt at food photogrpahy...... I would really like some critique on how to do it right and what specifically I am doing wrong!



Thank you for your time....
Khoj

I kinda like it. Food is one of the more difficult aspects of photography to get right.

It must be appealing.
It must make your mouth water.
It must make the viewer want to taste it.

Setup is difficult
Composition
Framing
Background
Appealing utensils, flatware etc
Lighting proves to be the most difficult.

You have done well in all aspects!

Cranky MIZ

Nice job.  The composition is real nice.  Think "complementary colors" when arranging your set pieces.  Also, unless you are dead set on eating the subject matter, you could consider doctoring the food a bit.  A little vegetable oil on the shiny parts can go a long way toward making things glisten. 

It looks like your lighting came from the side, or from slightly behind.  Which is good.  Unlike a lot of product stock, you want to ensure your food has good contrast and beautiful texture.  The common "even light from the front" approach does not work very well with food - it leaves it lifeless.

I cannot tell from the small size, but it does appear your image might be a bit soft.  Where did you focus?  I probably would have made the cherry my focal point, which I "think" you did too...but just cannot tell at this resolution.  But that might create a depth of field problem considering how far back in the picture the cherry is. 

Now that I think about it...shooting near wide open (2.8 to 4.0) with the focus on the back cherry might make for a very cool picture.

Anyhow...good job and keep at it.  Food photography is all about making the dish look very appealing.  Really move around the plate a lot with your camera - "explore" the food through the lens' eye.  You'll find all sorts of interesting angles to show off your subject.

And taking pictures of food is a lot more fun than taking pictures of post-it notes and cell phones, even if the latter is where the big bucks are.   

Khoj -

Here's one of my favorite food stock images, from David Smith (hhltdave5) at Shutterstock:



This is a great example of what can be achieved, and what you can shoot for.  The lighting setup emphasizes the ribs and their texture very well.  Set pieces are complementary, and the shot is kept simple and clean.  Great pop/color.

Besides that, Dave is also one of the most active and helpful posters on the SS boards.  Great guy, great talent.

I think food shots that cut off the subject in the frame are annoying.

Cranky MIZ

I have had shots like that rejected due to lack of DOF. and ons site uses "focus or focus point is not where we would expect.".

Quote from: Roadrunner on May 12, 2008, 18:47
I have had shots like that rejected due to lack of DOF. and ons site uses "focus or focus point is not where we would expect.".

I have had some of those rejections as well, but last week they accepted this image, with very very shallow DOF.  go figure...

Boy thats a GREAT shot!
I'm hungry now

Cranky MIZ

Quote from: rjmiz on May 12, 2008, 20:02
Boy thats a GREAT shot!
I'm hungry now

Cranky MIZ

You should be annoyed, this picture cuts off the subject 

I was over come by the hunger it caused me.

Actually it's framed very nicely.
That other photo was not

Cranky MIZ

PS boy you're annoying

Very nice Lior.  Notice how the greens, yellow, and reds all complement one another in the "tablescape?"  Excellent composition too, I love it!