I love FOOD photography!

On 24th Septermber 2012, Ms Soo has shared with us some useful photography tips as shown below:

                              1. Make sure the food looks good to start with

                              2. Shoot from a lower angle than you think you should

                              3. Learn the Light

                              4. Get in close, crop in tightly

                              5. Avoid the blur

                              6. Use shallow depth of field

                              7. Add a little oil

                              8. Don't over prop or set yourself up wide

Besides, there are also some rules that we have to obey such as 

Triangle Rule : We can imagine there are lines going through the picture and form imaginary triangles. Therefore, when shooting, we can frame the objects or food items in triangles. It need not be precise, a rough framing will do. 

Triangle Rule

Rule of thirds : We have to make sure that the ratio of food items and the background is 1:3 or 2:3. Ms Soo also showed us some wedding photographs on Rule of Thirds. For example, the photo could consist of 2/3 background and 1/3 objects if we find the scenery breathtaking. 

Of course, we can also use props such as chopsticks to help achieve any of the rules above. We can also make use of garnishes such as sesame, parsley to provide colours to our food if the food item is too plain. 

Remember, oval plates are for savoury food while round plate is for sweet food like desserts. 

After a short introductory course by Ms Soo, we are given the opportunity to apply what we have learnt. Below are a few snippets of our trial and errors of the day.
                                      

First attempt : arrange the donuts and strawberries in triangle form.

We tried to shoot it close.

We chose a better background to match our accessories but the lighting is dim at the back. 

   

We shot from a lower angle. 

Another setting with triangle rule.

We felt that the background is too complicated. 

We tried to focus on the donut and blurred the background.

It is indeed not easy to use correct photography techniques. After this session, i will be more particular in taking photo by applying the rules and tips that I have learnt in class. Practice makes perfect. I believe that our photography skills will definitely improve.

- Vivian Lee -