Feedback on product lighting

[asmainphotography]

Hello,<br />

I was recently asked to take some photographs of chocolates for my sisters new business. It's not something I've

done before and I had to work around what kit I had available (i.e. no macro!). With everybody wanting their photos

ten minutes after they asked for them nowadays it was a bit of a rush job too.<br />

She wanted simple, elegant photos with a neutral background but apart from that it was entirely up to me. I've posted

it in the lighting forum because at the moment I'm more unsure of lighting macro shots then any other aspect.<br />

Any constructive advice would be greatly appreciated.

<br />

Thanks,

<br /><br />

Adam

<br /><br />

<a href="http://www.asmainphotography.co.uk/viewing/NCSample_07.jpg">Shot 1</a>

<br />

<a href="http://www.asmainphotography.co.uk/viewing/NCSample_09.jpg">Shot 2</a>

[ellis_vener_photography]

Try checking out Sara Remington's work at http://www.sararemington.com, thinking about her lighting and composition, and then trying again.

[ellis_vener_photography]

Sorry, bad link. Use http://www.sararemington.net instead

[asmainphotography]

Thanks for that. I had a quick look at her <a href="http://sararemington.blogspot.com/">blog</a>, and now feel suitably put in my place. It looks like a bit of a rim light would have helped a lot. Having a rustic, 1920s' kitchen would have helped too.

[mcpoljak2003]

See also http://www.foodportfolio.com

 

You can also check out the blog that has articles and instructional tutorials on various aspects of food photography, lighting, equipment etc.

[tony_clark]

Ellis, Thanks for the link to Sara's website. I have made the transition from fashion to shooting food and love to see others

images. My favorites are Noel Barnhurst, Maria Grossman and Claudia Uribe. My humble site is www.tcphoto.org

[tim_ludwig2]

Adam,

 

You've got a good start for someone who is not used to shooting food. You've also had some good suggestions as

to looking at the great work of some others.

 

Here are a couple more.

 

One is to invest in three books:

 

"Food Shots" from the Pro Lighting series by Roger Hicks and Frances Schultz

 

"Food in Focus" by Charlotte Plimmer

 

"Food Photography and Styling" by John Carafoli

 

All will offer you some fantastic insights. Also take a look at Bon Appetite magazine and go to the web site for

foodnetwork.com just to enjoy some fantastic food images for examples.

 

As to lighting: If you have a softbox available, try using it at a high and to the rear position on your sets to

get rim light and a beautiful back to front transition. Then use reflectors which could be tiny mirrors,

crumbled aluminum foil, etc; to bounce that light back into the subject so that you highlight whatever features

you want seen most. You might also try simple side window light with a white or gold reflector from the other

side and the same mirrors to again highlight features in front as needed. For some wonderful examples of this

style, search for Christopher Broadbent and take a look at his work. (If you can't find him in other ways, go to

the site

Large Format Photography Forum and search the member list under C and then open his home page.)

 

You can also experiment with your depth of field settings to get different effects along with the extremely

isolating techniques that you are showing here.

 

Good luck.

 

Tim

[mark u]

If you are going to be doing this kind of shooting regularly you might also want to look out for Nikon's new tilt/shift lenses. The 45mm and 85mm are useful for product photography and are capable of sufficient magnification for this kind of work. The advantage is that you can alter the plane of sharpest focus and avoid being constrained to compositions where it is at right angles to your viewing axis.

[richard_quindry]

One thing that will help is a small brush to clean up the chocolates and around them. Also a hair dryer on low for a couple

of seconds at a distance will soften the chocolates and make them look creamy. (I wouldn't try this on the ones with the

shavings on top.)

 

Rich Quindry

 

www.Quindry.com

[steve_robb1]

G'day Adam,

 

I've never tried food photography, but I was a cook at a resort many years ago when it was first opening up and getting running, so I had a bit of a say as to which shots of dishes and wotnot got included in advertising material and art around the place. The first thing I noticed about your pics, is that they look just like my "product" type shots! I think I always go a little too minimalist, you know, product on an infinate background. What really stood out about the product shots at the resort, if that they were all put into context. One idea I'd suggest (and am thinking I'll have a go at myself now, just for fun!) is perhaps get a somewhat ornate looking tea cup and saucer from a thrift shop (if you don't have them around home), and set it in the background, and slightly off to the side, so it's just out of your depth of field, then set the choccies on a matching side plate, or even the saucer. ...know what I mean?

 

I'm just thinking of what chocolate means to me (self confessed chocoholic here...), it is warmth, comfort etc etc, and elegant chocolates like your sister is makeing look like they belong at the end of an exuisite meal. So perhaps set up a table as though yuo've just finished dinner in a nice restaurant, I'd even lean your colour balamce slightly to the warm side (indicative of low lighting, and an open fire).

 

Anyway, like I said, at this stage, your pics look just like mine would have if I were to have given it a go, so take my suggestions with that in mind!

 

 

...hmmm, if I can 'visualise' all this, why the heck can't I SHOOT it?!

[asmainphotography]

Just as an update, my sister was over the moon with the photos. Thanks to you lot, I'm not. It's a good thing though. <br />

I'm really excited about getting some more work done for her so that I can put all of your suggestions in to practice. It was a bit of a sideline from my normal line of work, so I don't think I'll be rushing out for a PC lens just yet; I was paid the standard sibling rate. Nowt.<br />

Thanks to everybody for their help.<br /> <br />

Adam

[g._armour_van_horn]

I think you're on the right track, although I do wonder about the extreme short depth in Shot 1. You don't have anything else in the frame from which you need to isolate the chocolates, so it seems somewhat affected to me.</P>

 

<p>I don't have a lot of experience shooting chocolates, four or five hours total probably. In fact, I think all the chocolate I've ever shot is on the <a href="http://www.chocolatesbygeorge.com/shop.html">Chocolates by George</a> website. It probably wasn't good that I started with the products in tubes or boxes and only later moved on to the bare stuff. I haven't tried shooting individual truffles yet.</p>

 

<p>I did talk to the chocolatier earlier today, and he has some new products to add. From the first shots I did (tubes of "shells") to the last (the golf balls in Seasonal Gifts) I got a lot better at it, and I added some gear (a wall boom and more framed diffusers) that made things work better. A diffuser you can mount overhead with a boom-mounted head above it should come close to the effect of a softbox, and I don't have any softboxes yet.</p>

 

<p>I wouldn't try this without a macro lens, but then I'm not sure I have anything else in the 60-110mm range. On the other hand, you seem to be able to get perfectly good focus in the range you need, so it shouldn't make any difference unless your sister wants poster-sized prints of individual pieces, closely cropped. Like I said, you're definitely on the right track. You do need to work on your pricing, but there's nothing wrong with getting paid in merchandise. Just remember that any chocolate you handle during a shoot cannot be sold, and thus has no commercial value. You should be able to eat anything you shoot without having to pay for it!</p>

 

<p>Van