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 Start shooting pictures when the dish is just done and ready to serve.
The dishes created in your kitchen are living entities. That's why they must be captured at the point of presentation if you expect to achieve maximum visual impact.
Use natural window light effectively to create appetizing food pictures.
Sunlight coming through a window works best for capturing beautiful pictures of culinary creations. Avoid flash or room lighting, Try using backlight or sidelight.
Control the brightness level to capture outstanding food images.
Visually check brightness by shooting pictures at different exposure values, Carefully compare the results to select the optimum brightness level for your particular subject.
Soften the foreground and background to focus attention on the subject.
To draw the viewer's eye by capturing only the main subject in sharp focus, select Aperture Priority AE mode and use a wide aperture (small f/number) setting to minimize depth of field. Think of f/2.8 as your standard f/stop, and adjust the aperture to a higher or lower number until you achieve a zone of sharpness and softness that that accords with your taste. Remember that the grater the distance between the main subject and the background or foreground, the softer the background or foreground becomes at any given aperture. You can also soften the background or foreground by shooting from subject level, and at an angle to the subject, rather than from above.
Determine the main subject and which elements play supporting roles.
Decide on which subject is the "main player" in your culinary "drama" and arrange the "bit players" to showcase the main subject before taking the shot. Use a tripod if possible to maintain your basic composition while arranging the supporting elements. You can recreate an actual dining experience for the viewer by including small items and drinks that you typically serve to accompany the main dishes.To those who lament to themselves, "I just bought a new macro lens but I simply cannot find an appropriate subject to take advantage of it," I strongly recommend that you take that new lens and march straight into your kitchen where you'll find an endless array of deliciously photogenic subjects that appeal to practically everyone! Yes I am talking about the marvelous culinary specialties on which you lavish so much care and attention-. You may never thought of them as prime photographic subjects, but creating artistic, appetizing pictures of food dishes is a respected photographic specialty that can rise to the level of art, as you can see by leafing through the pages of any gourmet food magazine. The beauty of this approach is that you don't need to look very far to find great subjects, and your shots can help make your recipes more appealing and easier to understand. Best of all, the picture remains long after the food is consumed, so you can literally have your cake and eat it too!
If I have whetted your appetite and you' are now "hungry" to take up the challenge of culinary photography, I suggest you review the tips and methods covered in Session 5 "Capturing detailed images of collectibles and small objects" before you proceed. You will find that many of these concepts also apply to culinary photography. ![LESSON[1] Selecting the optimum brightness level and the lighting angle are the most crucial factors in capturing compelling close-ups of culinary specialties.](images/lesson1.gif) Faithfully reproducing the colors and textures of each dish to make it look as appetizing as possible is your goal. It is achieved by determining the optimum brightness level (exposure) for the subject, and selecting the lighting angle that best captures it as a person seated at the dining table would see it. Making effective use of the sunlight streaming through the window is the easiest way to make your dish look natural and implicitly delicious. If the sunlight is too strong, move the table farther away from the window or use a window curtain to soften and diffuse the light. Picture A is a typical close-up shot of a dish taken in the simplest possible manner, but it also shows how important it is to pay close attention to the angle at which the light strikes the subject. By placing the dish directly in front of the window the subject is backlit, so it's necessary to add fill light to the front of the subject by holding a sheet of white paper angled toward the subject from the camera side as a reflector. Select Aperture Priority AE mode and use an aperture in the f/2.8 to f/4 range to limit depth of field. Check the out-of-focus effects and determine any exposure compensation needed by shooting and assessing a series of test shots. Begin by using a round white plate for your dishes because its simple shape facilitates framing and composition. |
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Picture B is a shot of a table set for two people - the host and a guest. The first spaghetti plate is treated as the main subject while a second spaghetti plate and side dishes are used in supporting roles. To make the picture more attractive, I intentionally arranged plates in a subtle S-shape on the table. The arrangement was different from the actual setting used when we dined. You can also enjoy this kind of artistic freedom when arranging your own dishes to photograph at home.
I have found it is best to complete setting up culinary subjects for photography before starting to cook your dishes. It is difficult to concentrate on two things at once, so arrange the empty plates at their intended positions beforehand. As previously indicated, it is important to take pictures the moment the food is ready to serve; otherwise it loses its fresh appearance. If everything is prepared in advance, you'll be able to shoot pictures promptly Needless to say, using a tripod is highly recommended. |
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 Picture BTo begin with, decide on the position of the main plate and establish your basic composition and framing. Then, place the subordinate plates. Remember that the greater the distance any object is from the main subject, the softer its image becomes. Here, the direction of the window light is the same as in Picture A. In other words, the subject is backlit. I used a pink tablecloth to create a festive atmosphere. Taken with the Canon EOS 50D and Tamron SP AF60mm F/2 Di II MACRO 1:1 (Model G005). Aperture priority AE (f/2.8, 1/90 sec), +1exposure compensation, ISO200, WB: AWB. * Click on the picture to see an enlarged image. |
Picture C is an image of "a cafe table" set up at home. To take pictures like this, first select a table of the desired color and arrange small articles to serve as "bit players" in the total image. In this case, a wooden plate placed on the table add svisual interest.
While Picture C is backlit, as are Pictures A and B., here I tried something different. I intentionally framed it to include a portion of the window in the background to emphasize the impression that the picture was taken indoors.
I was able to faithfully capture the juicy looking surface of the hamburger and the translucent colors of the milk glasses behind it by using backlight. However, to get the precise effect you want you'll have to shoot several shots since the quality of light on the hamburger varies considerably depending upon the camera angle.
Picture D shows the same hamburger as in Picture C, but captured in a another setting to create a different feeling entirely. Here, side lighting was used in order to bring out (saturate) the colors and create a more graphic image. I intentionally used an intense red background and light green tablecloth to emphasize the red color of the tomato and the green of the lettuce.
While Picture C is backlit, as are Pictures A and B., here I tried something different. I intentionally framed it to include a portion of the window in the background to emphasize the impression that the picture was taken indoors.
I was able to faithfully capture the juicy looking surface of the hamburger and the translucent colors of the milk glasses behind it by using backlight. However, to get the precise effect you want you'll have to shoot several shots since the quality of light on the hamburger varies considerably depending upon the camera angle.
Picture D shows the same hamburger as in Picture C, but captured in a another setting to create a different feeling entirely. Here, side lighting was used in order to bring out (saturate) the colors and create a more graphic image. I intentionally used an intense red background and light green tablecloth to emphasize the red color of the tomato and the green of the lettuce.
Picture CI tried to create the feeling of "a cafe table at home" by including cups for soft drinks and some small articles. The white balance was set to Sunlight in this case in order to capture the actual warm color of the afternoon light. Taken with the Canon EOS 7D and Tamron SP AF60mm F/2 Di II MACRO 1:1 (Model G005). Aperture priority AE (f/2.8, 0.3 sec), +1exposure compensation, ISO200, WB: Daylight. |
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Picture D It's easy to capture compelling images by moving in close to radically crop the main subject like this. A kitchen cloth works as a background if you smooth out the creases. Taken with the Canon EOS 7D and Tamron SP AF60mm F/2 Di II MACRO 1:1 (Model G005). Aperture priority AE (f/2.8, 1/8 sec), +1exposure compensation, ISO200, WB: AWB. * Click on the picture to see an enlarged image. |
![LESSON [2] Arrange small articles to add spice when a cake is the main subject.](images/lesson2.gif){kind=small}
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Cakes can be excellent (and delicious!) photographic subjects.
Picture E shows a steamed pumpkin cupcake. Materials and kitchen utensils used in preparing the dish make good subsidiary subjects that add depth and context to pictures of culinary specialties. Here I used small pumpkins as background subjects though the pumpkins actually used to prepare the dish were larger, In short, use your imagination but make sure every element supports your visual concept. The most important thing in taking pictures of food dishes or cakes is to shoot them when they're fresh. To that end, prior preparation is essential. Complete the preliminary placement of all elements before actually starting to take pictures. By doing this, you will be able to take better pictures more promptly, and then enjoy eating the food while it's still hot! If it is not possible to set up everything in advance, make sure the cakes you select are delicious when eaten at room temperature. Tip: Compelling close-ups of your favorite specialties are great subjects for postcards. |
| Picture E I took this picture using moderately strong backlight. I captured the warm feeling of early autumn sunlight by accenting the contrast between highlight and shadow areas. Taken with the Canon EOS 50D and Tamron SP AF60mm F/2 Di II MACRO 1:1 (Model G005). Aperture priority AE (f/2.8, 1/45 sec), +1exposure compensation, ISO200, WB: AWB. * Click on the picture to see an enlarged image. |
 
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This is the last of 6 sessions in Maki Kawai's Seminar on Creating Compelling Macro Photographs with the Unique Tamron AF60mm F/2.8 Macro Lens. Thank you for visiting our website. We hope you found this series enjoyable and useful. If you have visited this page for the first time and found it worthwhile, please return to the top page of the seminar and view the other 5 sessions.
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