Photographing Food and Products

Everyday customers are treated with images of products almost everywhere we look.  You’ll find advertising in Newspapers, Flyers, Magazines, T.V., and on the subway.  Advertising with picture perfect products and food that have never looked so good to the consumer.  Problem is, when you get it, you feel a little cheated as it looks nothing like the one in the picture.
 Just the other day I came across an amazing video posted by McDonald’s Canada.  The marketing team answers a question from Isabel B from Toronto who asked the question, "Why does your food look different in the advertising than what is in the store”?

In the video, McDonald’s marketing team buys a burger and head to the studio where all their product marketing is photographed.  We are allowed a behind the scenes look on how each item is prepared, photographed and then enhanced on the computer.  I personally thought it was a great piece that breaks down some of the barriers and questions we all might ask with regards to product photography.

Have a look at the video below.

Staying with the theme of product photography, I added a couple of really great resources through the library that will help you out if and when you need to shoot some of your products for marketing them.

Food Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots
By: Nicole S. Young

This book is on Safari Books Online, click here (Library Card Needed)

Are you a "foodie" looking to take beautiful, eye-catching photos of your culinary concoctions? Do you have a food blog that you'd like enhance with better visuals? Do you want your photos to conjure up the flavors and aromas of your favorite foods but are lacking the photographic technique to make it happen? Then this book is for you!

In Food Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots, photographer Nicole S. Young dishes up the basics on getting the right camera equipment—from lights to lenses and reflectors—and takes you through the key photographic principles—aperture, ISO, and shutter speed. She then explains the fundamentals of lighting and composing your shots and offers food styling ideas, such as using props, fabrics, and tabletops to enhance the look of your images. Finally, she shows you tips and tricks for improving your photos through sharpening, color enhancement, and touchup work to best showcase your food.

Beautifully illustrated with large, vibrant photos, this book teaches you how to take control of your photography to get the food images you want every time you pick up your camera.

MORE Digital Food Photography
By: Bill Brady

This book is on Safari Books Online, click here (Library Card Needed)

The balance of light, composition, and subject is essential to any great photograph. But a food image must possess something extra: it should evoke an emotional response and urge the viewer toward a specific call to action. Great food photography possesses what author Bill Brady calls the "yum factor" and delivers just such a reaction. Even though viewers can't taste, smell, or feel the food in the photograph, the visual impact is so overpowering it can stand on its own -- it compensates for the absence of other sensory input and entices the viewer to buy into the fantasy.

Lighting Digital Field Guide
By: Brian McLernon

 

This book is on Safari Books Online, click here (Library Card Needed)

One of the most important aspects of photography is lighting, but getting the lighting right is tricky. When should you use flash? Are a camera's automatic settings dependable? Should you use reflectors or diffusers and where do you place them? This handy, portable reference will show you when, where, and how to create and capture perfect light, every time. The book includes a color checker card to help you maintain true color, as well as examples of stunningly-lit photos of people, wildlife, and landscapes to inspire you.

Have fun!!
Greg