Professional looking food photography / Discuss

Electrigrapher    says:

Thank you for sharing.
Posted 48 months ago. (permalink)

Tom Robbrecht says:

Ok, I'll play along.
Here's some bread pudding.
Recipe on the photo page.


Setup :


Cheers,
Tom.
Posted 48 months ago. (permalink)

JToddM    says:

Thanks, Tom. That's a great looking shot!
Posted 48 months ago. (permalink)

Carlos Rodrigues Photo    says:

It´s a great topic but only wo photographers have the gut to show ther "secrets". This weekend i will try to do some photo and post my setup here for avaliation.

thanks
Posted 48 months ago. (permalink)

JToddM    says:

Looking forward to your shot, Carlos.
Posted 48 months ago. (permalink)

Joeri van Veen    says:

Home made macaron:


Setup:

Posted 47 months ago. (permalink)

JToddM    says:

Cool! Great to see a setup with the big strobe.
Posted 47 months ago. (permalink)

Joeri van Veen    says:

Thanks JToddM, I try to use it as "sun" or as "a window". I'm learning at the moment :-) I love the fact that the light is soo soft compared to the old SB26's I used. Though they certainly work well when you know what you're doing, of course; I find this big strobe is more "natural" and gives more "freedom".
Posted 47 months ago. (permalink)

AlexCampagna says:

My first try at food photography:


Setup shot:

Posted 46 months ago. (permalink)

MatthewA [deleted] says:

I've got tons of stuff showing my set ups, let me dig it up and I'll post here! Cool thread!
Posted 46 months ago. (permalink)

CY Phang    says:

Yeah Matt, we want to see the guru's!
Posted 46 months ago. (permalink)

bobby__emm    says:

paty was doing some practicing for an eastern european mcdonalds commercial here (she sometimes works as a food stylist).
i'm not a pro but i do have a few cool toys. she's doing some recipie testing for an upcoming cookbook in the next few weeks and i'll try and pop off a few pix.
Posted 46 months ago. (permalink)

*estudia.14* says:

it's really nice to see other's studio setting with cool stuff that i don't think i'll ever have them.
Posted 46 months ago. (permalink)

JToddM    says:

I'm excited to see some more postings to this thread. Thanks everyone!
Posted 46 months ago. (permalink)

JRSlaterPhoto [deleted] says:

I have to admit I don't have any food shots but these set up shots have helped and encouraged me to give this a try.
Posted 46 months ago. (permalink)

Junglefrog    says:

This is a great thread! I just hardly ever take photos of my setup but will do so from now on! This is a great learning tool!
Posted 46 months ago. (permalink)

~Danish says:

:)


Setup:


And:


Setup:


:)
Dan
Posted 46 months ago. (permalink)

Swet! says:

I've only attempted shooting food a couple of times, but I'll play the game...


Setup:

Posted 46 months ago. (permalink)

JToddM    says:

Great shots, everyone! Keep 'em coming.
Posted 46 months ago. (permalink)

the camera is a toy.    says:

I recently took pictures of some delicious fruit as well! Results, and then setup below. I used my Canon 55-250mm f/4-5.6 USM at 250mm (give or take) for most of the shots. I've got lots of space, and I like this lens far better than my nifty fifty. :)

Shots: (more in my set)




Setup: (click for details. more details on my DIY "home studio" in this set)



Originally posted 46 months ago. (permalink)
the camera is a toy. edited this topic 46 months ago.

*estudia.14* says:

Here is my setup to photograph the products at work. I am lucky to sit in the corner with big windows, plenty of sunlight.



and this is one of the photos:


Originally posted 46 months ago. (permalink)
*estudia.14* edited this topic 46 months ago.

Steve Buchanan says:

My setup at a client's restaurant


the resulting photo

Posted 46 months ago. (permalink)

MatthewA [deleted] says:

Sorry this took me so long!

Here's my set up:


And here's the final image:



Notes about the photo: Because I had enough light coming through the garage door and wanted a very high contrast image I didn't fill or reflect a thing. Just arranged and shot!
Originally posted 46 months ago. (permalink)
MatthewA edited this topic 46 months ago.

SezzySue says:

omg guys this is awesome, exactly what I needed to see. I just started a food class and my first assignment is this weekend.
Posted 46 months ago. (permalink)

Tom Robbrecht says:

My wife made apple cake this morning. Yummy !

Recipe and setup info on the photo page.

Setup :

Notes on settings on the photo page.
Originally posted 45 months ago. (permalink)
Tom Robbrecht edited this topic 45 months ago.

Nirdesha Munasinghe says:

My setup



A - Cardboard folder with white paper pasted on one wide to work as a reflector
B - Tripod
C - White curtain on window to defuse light
D - Desk lamp covered with a piece of clothe to defuse light


Posted 45 months ago. (permalink)

Doc-G    says:

My setup for this pic:

Arun_Manohar says:

can we more of these please. ;-)
Posted 44 months ago. (permalink)

JToddM    says:

Thanks everyone for all of the great contributions to this topic. I hadn't been by in a couple of weeks and was excited to seem some more images!
Posted 43 months ago. (permalink)

Tafari    says:

Wow, what great set-ups. Now I do not feel alone.
Posted 43 months ago. (permalink)

Flugga says:

This have been a great thread. I love to see other people's set-ups, I don't feel so pathetic working out of my basement.
Posted 43 months ago. (permalink)

MatthewA [deleted] says:

Hey, never feel bad about where you shoot. I shot a great deal of my stuff in my messy garage!
Posted 43 months ago. (permalink)

JToddM    says:

I agree with Matt. I think that a lot of people would be shocked if they saw where a lot of pictures are shot. I recently watched a video showing a number of portrait artists studios. I was really surprised at how messy thing were in a lot of them just out of the frame.
Posted 43 months ago. (permalink)

Mark Verner    says:

Great set-ups! These all give me great ideas on how to set-up my shots. Thanks!
Posted 43 months ago. (permalink)

J o y s h a says:

This might be OT from this thread but... For those who use light coming from the window and strobes, how do you set your white balance? Will the gray card do alone?
Posted 43 months ago. (permalink)

Mac V.    says:

I have no garage as i live in a shoebox on the 24th floor in Hong Kong so i need to remodel the living room when i shoot:

setup:

Image:

Posted 43 months ago. (permalink)

CY Phang    says:

Here's mine:



and the setup:



For other photos in the same series, visit my photostream
Originally posted 43 months ago. (permalink)
CY Phang edited this topic 43 months ago.

Arun_Manohar says:

I really appreciate the big guys coming forward and showing the setups. :) It really helps.- thanks guys.
Posted 43 months ago. (permalink)

JToddM    says:

Great stuff, everyone. Thanks for keeping this thread going!
Posted 42 months ago. (permalink)

danilew    says:

this is a great thread - excellent work! I'm glad I found this group so that I learn and grow.
Posted 42 months ago. (permalink)

Queen Kaughan says:

All of these images are amazing. Clearly I am no pro, but your group has inspired me to start playing with my food. So here is my first real attempt at food photography, and my set up. (Next time I will be sure to cut the brownie in a square!




My daughter the future food stylist, was very patient with my bathtub set up, and was more than happy to help with "clean up".
Natural light from window above tub, and just out of frame is the back of my bathroom door being used as a reflector.
Posted 40 months ago. (permalink)

Paul Esposito says:

This is my favorite set-up, only because it was so quick and easy using only one speedlight and a closed widow blind.



I shot it on Christmas and had to crop out half the cake because it had already been eaten. A later version of the image had to be Photoshoped to clean up some of the frosting.


Posted 40 months ago. (permalink)

albertlo325 says:

nice work !!
Posted 40 months ago. (permalink)

deia_bersot says:

I´m new in the group and I just love it! Very nice works here, and that´s so cool to see the setup of others potographers.
Thanks and Congrats!!
Posted 40 months ago. (permalink)

t.sullivan photography    says:

I'm still working on mastering lighting for food and I have to say, this thread is AWESOME. One of the best I've ever come across on Flickr in almost 4 years!
Posted 40 months ago. (permalink)

Jorge Takeshita    says:

My setup (click to see equipment detail)


Making it


Detail


Ready to be served

Posted 40 months ago. (permalink)

Daniel Cormier    says:

Originally posted 40 months ago. (permalink)
Daniel Cormier edited this topic 37 months ago.

ッ Andrei says:

Hi this is my first post in this group. I just joined today and thought I'd share this with you guys. I tried to light up the laptop's screen. The lamp I added for the original shot.

salfrico [deleted] says:

An SB-800 reflected in a 36" umbrella at 1/4 power and a standing 6' reflector to the on the other side to provide fill light, with a small white card to highlight the cake. Shot with a Nikon D300 using the CLS to control the SB-800

[http://www.flickr.com/photos/salfrico/3348662061/in/photostream/]
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/salfrico/3349433528/in/photostream]
Posted 39 months ago. (permalink)

annems1    says:

I am sooo impressed by the willingness to show how to!!
I shoot using available light and perhaps off camera hand held flash, sometimes a basic halogen lamp, and kitchen tungsten style down lighting. Nothing fancy - but I am loving the effects of the white/black backgrounds people are using and am encouraged to try something different!
Thank you all. . . .
Originally posted 39 months ago. (permalink)
annems1 edited this topic 39 months ago.

Jorge Takeshita    says:

Posted 39 months ago. (permalink)

Jorge Takeshita    says:

Posted 39 months ago. (permalink)

johnche says:

love this thread!
Posted 39 months ago. (permalink)

Nirdesha Munasinghe says:

@J o y s h a:

That's a good question how to set the white balance while using both strobes and natural light.

I don't think a gray card alone will do if the color temperature of the sun's light is different to the color temperature of the strobe. Simply, if you have two light sources with two different color temperatures in your setup, you will not be able to set an appropriate white blanace at all.

What I do is, depending on the time of the day, I select the CFL light source with a color temperature to match the color temperature of the sun's light at the time. True, it's hard to guess it but with a little know how of the sun's kelvin values at different times of the day and your light source's kelvin value, you can get it a 99% acurate WB most of the time. Since I shoot RAW I can adjust the rest later.
Posted 39 months ago. (permalink)

Nirdesha Munasinghe says:

Here's something I did recently at home with natural light from the window of my room, a single CFL bulb and lots of reflectors:



The Photo:

Originally posted 39 months ago. (permalink)
Nirdesha Munasinghe edited this topic 39 months ago.

Nirdesha Munasinghe says:

Another one of the series:


Posted 39 months ago. (permalink)

coog31 says:

what an absolutely incredible thread/topic!!! thank you EVERYONE for posting!! Im so glad Im a member of the group and I believe this is truly what flickr is all about!! Now its time to set-up my own studio, just like you guys!!! ;-)
Posted 38 months ago. (permalink)

cherriza    says:

this is great! I love seeing what everyone does. I'm overthinking mine.
Posted 38 months ago. (permalink)

JToddM    says:

Would love to see some more shots added to this thread!
Posted 37 months ago. (permalink)

д§mд says:

absolutely loving the ideas :)
Posted 37 months ago. (permalink)

Courtney Lynn Robertson    says:

To the person who says that only "brave" photographers will shows their "secrets".....the one thing I learned at photography school was that there are no secrets. lol
Originally posted 37 months ago. (permalink)
Courtney Lynn Robertson edited this topic 37 months ago.

thelittlekitchenthatcould    says:

uh oh... i just realized I might never get the photos I really want for my food blog! I started a cooking blog not too long ago (http://www.thelittlekitchenthatcould.blogspot.com ) and thought I would just start with the little canon I have and hopefully upgrade the pictures later... however, I don't think I will ever have all this wonderful equipment... does anyone have any tips on getting decent shots without all of the extra lights and boards??
Posted 37 months ago. (permalink)

Altaf KW says:

amazing......!!!!
Posted 36 months ago. (permalink)

Jose Cruz photography says:

here's mine

sunshinemomsblog    says:

Thank you so much! I was looking for exactly this kind of tutorial!
Posted 36 months ago. (permalink)

al_alex says:

Really cool... now i see how it's done, i thougt that profesionally looking photos could be made just with a camera and no other facilities.
I definetely need to move to a spacious apartment :)
Posted 36 months ago. (permalink)

Velocity Girl - Christina Børding    says:

The photo:


and the set-up:

Posted 35 months ago. (permalink)

Vicco Gallo    says:

Hi everyone,
now I can also make a contribution. I tried to shoot a plate with nachos, some with guacamole, some with chili.

This is the result:

Vicco Gallo    says:

Creme brulee a Lou Manna

Ok, the creme and the shot is from me, but the idea and the arrangement is stolen from the book : Digital Food Photography from Lou Manna (p. 185)! For details regarding the setup: cmp. the setup shot.

Zakiya's Creations says:

Amazing
Posted 35 months ago. (permalink)

L. Sanders    says:

Thanks to all who contributed. These shots are really helpful for the technically challenged. Hmmmm.... suddenly, Im very hungry!!
Posted 35 months ago. (permalink)

Derek Cooper Photography says:

Not sure if it counts, but I created a behind-the-scenes video of one of our food shoots for a client. Our setups are always pretty simple - almost always back-light natural light, some scrims, some white foamcore, almost NEVER strobes. You'd be amazed with what you can do with natural light alone. But that's my style.

Here a link to my blog with the video. Enjoy!
Posted 34 months ago. (permalink)

JToddM    says:

Great video Derek. Thanks!
Posted 34 months ago. (permalink)

Joel Finnigen    says:

I just joined this group and i mean just... like a few minutes ago. This topic has proven to be enlightening and very informative for me as I have only been taking photos of food with only my on-camera flash in restaurants (can you imagine my date's embarrassment? lol my girlfriend is very tolerant!) and at home. Thanks for sharing your setups.
Posted 34 months ago. (permalink)

pichado photography says:

I just joined this group as well, literally only a few minutes ago.

As a full-time photographer, I am always looking for different gigs to cover, be it fashion, weddings, events, musicians, etc... but I have yet to try food photography.

I know I have almost all the gear that 'could' be used (but is not necessary) in order to obtain a great image, but I do not have the portfolio. As I don't know how to cook either, I've been thinking about trying to cater to some local, family-owned restaurants, and doing a pro bono gig or two for them. This is to help them with visuals for their website, menus, etc., and to gain some experience dealing with an entirely different clientele demographic.

I know, I know, you're probably sneering at my avatar wondering 'Who is this punk, willing to go out and work for FREE!?'

I know, because that's a very typical (and quite understandable) response from pro's to 'amateurs' when working for free with potentially paying customers - I've been there, done that.

I have a favorite Italian restaurant - I would love to work with them (or in this case, 'for them') for a shoot or two, to get both my feet wet, and to help a struggling company in any way I can (aside from eating all their food). They've given me many a free meal from time to time, and it's utterly delicious.

Just thinking it'd be a nice way to 'give back' in this trying economy, when sometimes it feels like everyone else is trying to take what they can from it...

Anyway - long comment short - I just wanted to say that the shots in the group, and especially this discussion, have inspired me to go out and approach the restaurant with my proposal today.

Chris
Posted 34 months ago. (permalink)

~Danish says:

Pic
Setup:
Posted 34 months ago. (permalink)

fraserkwakfotografie [deleted] says:

Hi, I'm brandnew in this group.
I love the pics and I'm learning by wathing them!

Great!
Posted 34 months ago. (permalink)

HarisAwang says:

The setup:

kiwinky    says:

I use:
1) The nearest window / sun / clouds
2) A fast lens.
3) A healthy appetite.

www.flickr.com/photos/kiwinky/sets/72157622298155843/
Posted 32 months ago. (permalink)

GDJ.Photography says:

Thanks for sharing your setups.

Inspired by this I have recently got 3 foam boards / foam core. Will be placing them on a table next to a window.

The only problem is I do not have a table that has a equivalent height of the table, it will be low, is it fine.

3 boards - background, right and base. Left would be lit from the window light.

All help welcome.
Posted 27 months ago. (permalink)

foodiesathome.com says:

Here's mine

KMJPhotography (TillyDog)    says:

Here is a naturally lit studio shot. The natural light gives a great fresh tone to the photo. Here the Canon 5DmkII is tethered to the macbook for instant results. - The finished photo is posted in this group.


Posted 27 months ago. (permalink)

broadcastmarc says:

Here is my setup....i use only natural daylight and sometimes a reflector.My camera is an pocketcamera Nikon coolpix P5000.




Originally posted 24 months ago. (permalink)
broadcastmarc edited this topic 24 months ago.

kitchenbeard    says:

I took this a few months ago setting up a shot.


Posted 24 months ago. (permalink)

FotoosVanRobin    says:

I don't want to spend more than a few minutes on making a photograph, so I have these two simple set-ups.

One for when there's still enough daylight:



One for when there's no daylight, so that's used most during wintertime:



Both more or less permanent as I make photographs of what we eat almost daily and I hate cold food. They're still beta-versions that could be improved, but I'm lazy and they work good enough for me.

I've seen some nice tips in this topic for reflector boards though. Thanks!

(for more info, go to my blog Kok Robin or click on the photos)
Posted 24 months ago. (permalink)

Will Hayles says:

Sandy Phimester    says:

First ever attempt at real food photography.

Here is our set up video.


[http://www.flickr.com/photos/sandyphimester/4773962764/]
Posted 23 months ago. (permalink)

Sir Jabez Flap    says:

There's comfort in knowing that I'm not alone in using tin foil as a reflector. Just joined this group and loving the openess of its contributors :)
Posted 23 months ago. (permalink)

girlieroses    says:

this is such a great idea and learning opportunity, thanks for posting and thanks to everyone for sharing!
Posted 23 months ago. (permalink)

Mhel63 says:

Very interesting :) It's funny to see how innovative people are (even on a bath tub?) when it comes to food photography...Guess, I also have to take a picture of my set up next time so that I can contribute here, too :) Never thought about that...
Posted 22 months ago. (permalink)

neenahkay says:

this thread is awesome! i'm a beginner in both the photography and food styling worlds, and looking at all of these setups is super inspirational and a huge help! thanks all for sharing! :D
Posted 22 months ago. (permalink)

Sébastien Brodeur    says:

Global Photographics    says:

Hi all ...the photos I just added were from a client shoot, I cannot unfortunately show you my setup as I didnt take a photo ...silly me, however it was very similar to "FotoosVanRobin" with the plain white card paper and close to natural light, I also used a little flash fill.
Posted 22 months ago. (permalink)

surfnturf.4 says:

glühwein

crphotoboy    says:

Posted 17 months ago. (permalink)

sped98    says:

My Basic setup... On a bed , pieces of cheap card , 2 cheap cheap lights and a pair of old boots.
Im happy with the results , Do i need to spend more ?






Originally posted 17 months ago. (permalink)
sped98 edited this topic 17 months ago.

sped98    says:

Here`s another simpler than simple set up on my living room floor.It was just to show off some nice Home made Xmas biscuits.






Posted 17 months ago. (permalink)

kimberly taylor images says:

What a fabulous and inspiring thread! Thank you to all of you who posted!
Posted 17 months ago. (permalink)

Amante Domingo Photography says:

Fir.. says:

Taken using natural light from my kitchen window and two greeting cards as reflector :)


Posted 15 months ago. (permalink)

bertrand_mignot says:

hi, thanks for all you postings, it helped me a lot.
only the tipp with the wet cotton put in the micro-wave (in order to create smoke) didn't work well.

for the following one, I used
1/60 sec , f / 5.6 at ISO 100
Camera: Samsung GX10 (identical with Pentax K10)
Lens: Sigma 70-200 2.8 HSM II

set up with professional lightning, pics taken from the ladder

alaczek says:

This topic is a GREAT idea! For someone just starting this knowledge is really priceless. Hope I'll be able to post here soon to!
Posted 15 months ago. (permalink)

snapshots&portraits says:

WOW. I'm just staring to like FOOD photography and you guys are great! Thank you for sharing! More blessings! :)
Posted 15 months ago. (permalink)

Toyin Dawudu    says:

I am absolutely amazed by everybody work in the thread!!!! I am inspired by the prospect of building a FOOD photography portfolio
Posted 15 months ago. (permalink)

markie_oliver says:

Heres mine: