تويت
التصوير الفوتوغرافي الحديث
التصوير التجاري
جوانب التصوير التجاري
تصوير الطعام
THE PHOTOGRAPHY OF FOOD
The photography of food , either in its natural state such as fruits and vegetables , or in its prepared state from a bowl of soup to a full meal , can be a very lucrative part of any commercial photographer's business . There is a considerable demand for this type of photography , as you can see for yourself by leafing through the advertising sections of any magazine intended for use in the home by the average customer . The equipment and facilities required to turn out highly successful pictures are quite simple and the studio space required is small indeed . Any corner of the studio in which a small table can be set up will serve for the majority of food shots .
Figure 67 Since one bowl of soup looks very much like another , the emphasis here is on the eating of the soup and the evident pleasure it gives to the young eater . The advertising copy accompanying this picture , of course , dwells strongly on such intangibles as nutritional value and taste .
Courtesy of Campbell Soup Co.
For more elaborate set - ups , a kitchen interior may be found very useful . As a matter of fact , a good many photographers who do studio work , set up a corner of their studios as a kitchen and use it as a set - up for a wide variety of advertising pictures connected with the housewive's activities or needs . Usually the facilities of the kitchen are functioning - that is the refrigerator , electric range and sink are all hooked up so that action pictures may be taken as necessary and food may actually be prepared so that it is fresh and appears to best photographic advantage .
The preparation of the food before the exposure is actually made is of the utmost importance . Figure 68 shows an actual kitchen set with two home economists adding the final touches to the turkey which is slated to be the main attraction . Figure 69 was photographed in this manner .
Courtesy of Martha Logan Kitchens , Swift & Company .
The client for the better food pictures is usually some processor or editor who employs a home economist on a regular basis , and it is the home economist with whom the photographer works .
The photography of food poses some rather special problems , although they are not at all difficult to handle . Primarily these arise from the fact that some foods are highly perishable , while others will not stand up under the heat of ordinary studio lighting . Another consideration involved is that highly intangible factor of what makes a prepared item of food look appetizing . Insofar as photographic technique in general is concerned , there are no particularly difficult problems which any competent photographer cannot solve . It becomes a matter , therefore , of the special operating techniques which a smart photographer can employ to keep his food looking fresh and appetizing . Of course , a good knowledge of composition and lighting , as well as good taste in working up the basic composition , are also all highly desirable but these attributes are necessary for success in most fields of photography .
Packaged breakfast foods are designed to have a universal appeal everybody eats break fast . This series of photo graphs ( Figure 70 75 ) is designed to channel universal appeal to the specific audi ences which are most likely to see the advertising matter . Here the photographic approach is the same , but the background accessories are sufficiently different so that each picture aims the selling story to a specific audience .
Courtesy of Kellogg Co.
A good food picture must be planned in advance . The food must be prepared and this usually means that it must be cooked just before the shooting session . The cooking may be done in the photographer's studio kitchen , or elsewhere by the home economist and brought to the studio . The former is generally better . The layout must be worked up in advance . Usually this is done by the client and the photographer simply follows the layout submitted to him , or lets the home economist lay out the food as she desires .
This does not mean that the photographer should not concern himself with the food arrangement - quite the contrary . He is responsible for the success of the picture , and he is supposed to know far more about composition and lighting than a home economist . If the arrangement does not meet with his approval for any reason , it is up to him to make suggestions for its improvement . If he cannot overrule the economist , it may sometimes be necessary to take two pictures , one for the economist and one for himself and use the better of the two .
The photographer may often be called upon to supply such basic foods as fruits and vegetables , either as the main picture element , or as supporting elements to the picture of the food itself . Because must know where the finest fruits and vegetables may be purchased in his locality . For example , a slight blemish in an apple , that would pass unnoticed if it was simply a question of picking an apple to eat , could stand out so strongly that it would ruin a photograph . The photographer must select any fruits , vegetables and similar items of food with extreme care . There are stores which cater to the high - priced trade . and they carry a line of special fancy products with a great deal of eye appeal . If possible , the photographer should make some arrangement with a store of this kind to permit him to select any food he buys with special attention to its photographic quality .
The lighting must also be planned in advance so that the exposure can be taken with the least possible delay after the food is put on the table . Ice cream , for example , will start melting within a few minutes after it is taken out of the refrigerator , and unless the lighting is all set up in advance , the ice cream will be so badly melted that it will be impossible to use it by the time the lights are set up . The best way of solving this problem is to use a stand - in as they do in the movies . Crumple up some paper so that it is approximately the same size and shape as the ice cream to be photographed . Place it in the dish and then go ahead . with the set - up and lighting . When everything is ready , substitute the ice cream for the paper and make your exposure .
The use of a stand - in can be applied with necessary modifications , to any perishable food or any food which tends to wilt or dry up within the time it takes for the photographer to complete his preparations . Some cakes , for example , are at their best only for a few minutes . After that the cake loses its appetizing moist look . One good trick to use in such cases is to get everything ready with the whole cake in place and then cut it just before the exposure is made . If additional exposures are equired and the cake begins to lose its freshness , a thin slice can be taken from the cut end , thus exposing a new surface . In this way , several exposures can be made with the same cake . Where quite a few pictures are to be made , it is often best to have two cakes , one for reserve .
The heat from ordinary studio lights also presents some difficulties . The way around this is to use flash , as the circumstances may dictate . The large commercial electronic flash units are equipped with their own built - in tungsten lamps to permit the photographer to see exactly what lighting he will get in his final . picture . If you don't have such equipment , you can use the following trick . Light up the shot with ordinary flood lamps , using small lamps and reflectors . After you have arrived at satisfactory lighting arrangement , unscrew the lamps from their sockets and replace them with flashbulbs . You can use flashbulbs which fit the medium screw base of your lighting fixtures , or you can use smaller flashbulbs . with appropriate adapters .
Another method is to clamp a reflectorflood on the stand just below the reflector of a flash unit . Light the subject properly with the reflectorflood , then turn out the lights and measure the distance between the center of the reflectorflood and the center of the flash bulb . Lower the flash unit this amount and you are ready to shoot .
There are a number of tricks and special techniques which every good photographer of food uses to help him in his work . Some of the most useful are given here .
Be sure you have a good assortment of sharp knives for carving , slicing and cutting the food to be photographed . These knives must be sharp so they make clean cuts and do not crush or tear the food . In addition , you should have a supply of the usual kitchen aids to good cooking , and these must be attractive in appearance as well as in useable condition so that they may be used as props as well as for food handling .
Figure 76 Courtesy of Del Monte Kitchens , Del Monte Corporation Figures 76 throu 78 good examples of food photography . All three are simple arrangements with only the minimum of accessories so that the food itself gets all the attention .
Prepared foods must be cooked for their appearance , and not for their taste . Vegetables , for example , should receive a minimum of cooking so they are still firm and attractive . Overcooked vegetables take on a dull and mushy appearance . Roasts and steaks appear at their best when they are rare rather than well - done . This may require some special searing techniques so that the surface color is attractive . Some foods look best when moist enough to have a noticeable surface sheen . When dry out , their sheen is lost and they photograph poorly . In such cases , a dilute glycerin solution can be sprayed or sprinkled on the surface to replace the moisture . A dilute glycerin solution is better than plain water because the glycerin holds moisture and slows the drying process . Mashed potatoes respond well to this type of rejuvenation ..
Coffee generally photographs too dark , and tea too light . If a cup of coffee is part of the picture , make it half strength ; if tea is used , make it quite strong .. Gelatin desserts should generally be made about three times as concentrated as for normal use . In other words , use three packages of the gelatin mixture instead of one for the quantity of water called for . If this results in too dark a color , one or two of the packages should be a light color such as lemon or vanilla .
Most fruit and vegetables , such as apples , pears and tomatoes , are much more attractive when they have a high polish . If the natural polish is insufficient to give you the effect you want , apply a thin coating of a cooking or salad oil . Cut fruit sometimes appears too light and lifeless ; if so , an appropriate vegetable dye may be applied to the cut surface with a small brush . Use a very dilute solution . and apply it carefully . Beef hamburger has a tendency to appear too dark . Using a meat mixture made up equally of beef and veal is lighter in color and usually firmer in appearance .
Figure 79 A simple composition coupled with the technically brilliant lighting which still shows all important detail beautifully results in a photograph which can be used with equal effect to sell the fruit or the fruit bowl . Courtesy of International Silver Photomedia .
التصوير التجاري
جوانب التصوير التجاري
تصوير الطعام
THE PHOTOGRAPHY OF FOOD
The photography of food , either in its natural state such as fruits and vegetables , or in its prepared state from a bowl of soup to a full meal , can be a very lucrative part of any commercial photographer's business . There is a considerable demand for this type of photography , as you can see for yourself by leafing through the advertising sections of any magazine intended for use in the home by the average customer . The equipment and facilities required to turn out highly successful pictures are quite simple and the studio space required is small indeed . Any corner of the studio in which a small table can be set up will serve for the majority of food shots .
Figure 67 Since one bowl of soup looks very much like another , the emphasis here is on the eating of the soup and the evident pleasure it gives to the young eater . The advertising copy accompanying this picture , of course , dwells strongly on such intangibles as nutritional value and taste .
Courtesy of Campbell Soup Co.
For more elaborate set - ups , a kitchen interior may be found very useful . As a matter of fact , a good many photographers who do studio work , set up a corner of their studios as a kitchen and use it as a set - up for a wide variety of advertising pictures connected with the housewive's activities or needs . Usually the facilities of the kitchen are functioning - that is the refrigerator , electric range and sink are all hooked up so that action pictures may be taken as necessary and food may actually be prepared so that it is fresh and appears to best photographic advantage .
The preparation of the food before the exposure is actually made is of the utmost importance . Figure 68 shows an actual kitchen set with two home economists adding the final touches to the turkey which is slated to be the main attraction . Figure 69 was photographed in this manner .
Courtesy of Martha Logan Kitchens , Swift & Company .
The client for the better food pictures is usually some processor or editor who employs a home economist on a regular basis , and it is the home economist with whom the photographer works .
The photography of food poses some rather special problems , although they are not at all difficult to handle . Primarily these arise from the fact that some foods are highly perishable , while others will not stand up under the heat of ordinary studio lighting . Another consideration involved is that highly intangible factor of what makes a prepared item of food look appetizing . Insofar as photographic technique in general is concerned , there are no particularly difficult problems which any competent photographer cannot solve . It becomes a matter , therefore , of the special operating techniques which a smart photographer can employ to keep his food looking fresh and appetizing . Of course , a good knowledge of composition and lighting , as well as good taste in working up the basic composition , are also all highly desirable but these attributes are necessary for success in most fields of photography .
Packaged breakfast foods are designed to have a universal appeal everybody eats break fast . This series of photo graphs ( Figure 70 75 ) is designed to channel universal appeal to the specific audi ences which are most likely to see the advertising matter . Here the photographic approach is the same , but the background accessories are sufficiently different so that each picture aims the selling story to a specific audience .
Courtesy of Kellogg Co.
A good food picture must be planned in advance . The food must be prepared and this usually means that it must be cooked just before the shooting session . The cooking may be done in the photographer's studio kitchen , or elsewhere by the home economist and brought to the studio . The former is generally better . The layout must be worked up in advance . Usually this is done by the client and the photographer simply follows the layout submitted to him , or lets the home economist lay out the food as she desires .
This does not mean that the photographer should not concern himself with the food arrangement - quite the contrary . He is responsible for the success of the picture , and he is supposed to know far more about composition and lighting than a home economist . If the arrangement does not meet with his approval for any reason , it is up to him to make suggestions for its improvement . If he cannot overrule the economist , it may sometimes be necessary to take two pictures , one for the economist and one for himself and use the better of the two .
The photographer may often be called upon to supply such basic foods as fruits and vegetables , either as the main picture element , or as supporting elements to the picture of the food itself . Because must know where the finest fruits and vegetables may be purchased in his locality . For example , a slight blemish in an apple , that would pass unnoticed if it was simply a question of picking an apple to eat , could stand out so strongly that it would ruin a photograph . The photographer must select any fruits , vegetables and similar items of food with extreme care . There are stores which cater to the high - priced trade . and they carry a line of special fancy products with a great deal of eye appeal . If possible , the photographer should make some arrangement with a store of this kind to permit him to select any food he buys with special attention to its photographic quality .
The lighting must also be planned in advance so that the exposure can be taken with the least possible delay after the food is put on the table . Ice cream , for example , will start melting within a few minutes after it is taken out of the refrigerator , and unless the lighting is all set up in advance , the ice cream will be so badly melted that it will be impossible to use it by the time the lights are set up . The best way of solving this problem is to use a stand - in as they do in the movies . Crumple up some paper so that it is approximately the same size and shape as the ice cream to be photographed . Place it in the dish and then go ahead . with the set - up and lighting . When everything is ready , substitute the ice cream for the paper and make your exposure .
The use of a stand - in can be applied with necessary modifications , to any perishable food or any food which tends to wilt or dry up within the time it takes for the photographer to complete his preparations . Some cakes , for example , are at their best only for a few minutes . After that the cake loses its appetizing moist look . One good trick to use in such cases is to get everything ready with the whole cake in place and then cut it just before the exposure is made . If additional exposures are equired and the cake begins to lose its freshness , a thin slice can be taken from the cut end , thus exposing a new surface . In this way , several exposures can be made with the same cake . Where quite a few pictures are to be made , it is often best to have two cakes , one for reserve .
The heat from ordinary studio lights also presents some difficulties . The way around this is to use flash , as the circumstances may dictate . The large commercial electronic flash units are equipped with their own built - in tungsten lamps to permit the photographer to see exactly what lighting he will get in his final . picture . If you don't have such equipment , you can use the following trick . Light up the shot with ordinary flood lamps , using small lamps and reflectors . After you have arrived at satisfactory lighting arrangement , unscrew the lamps from their sockets and replace them with flashbulbs . You can use flashbulbs which fit the medium screw base of your lighting fixtures , or you can use smaller flashbulbs . with appropriate adapters .
Another method is to clamp a reflectorflood on the stand just below the reflector of a flash unit . Light the subject properly with the reflectorflood , then turn out the lights and measure the distance between the center of the reflectorflood and the center of the flash bulb . Lower the flash unit this amount and you are ready to shoot .
There are a number of tricks and special techniques which every good photographer of food uses to help him in his work . Some of the most useful are given here .
Be sure you have a good assortment of sharp knives for carving , slicing and cutting the food to be photographed . These knives must be sharp so they make clean cuts and do not crush or tear the food . In addition , you should have a supply of the usual kitchen aids to good cooking , and these must be attractive in appearance as well as in useable condition so that they may be used as props as well as for food handling .
Figure 76 Courtesy of Del Monte Kitchens , Del Monte Corporation Figures 76 throu 78 good examples of food photography . All three are simple arrangements with only the minimum of accessories so that the food itself gets all the attention .
Prepared foods must be cooked for their appearance , and not for their taste . Vegetables , for example , should receive a minimum of cooking so they are still firm and attractive . Overcooked vegetables take on a dull and mushy appearance . Roasts and steaks appear at their best when they are rare rather than well - done . This may require some special searing techniques so that the surface color is attractive . Some foods look best when moist enough to have a noticeable surface sheen . When dry out , their sheen is lost and they photograph poorly . In such cases , a dilute glycerin solution can be sprayed or sprinkled on the surface to replace the moisture . A dilute glycerin solution is better than plain water because the glycerin holds moisture and slows the drying process . Mashed potatoes respond well to this type of rejuvenation ..
Coffee generally photographs too dark , and tea too light . If a cup of coffee is part of the picture , make it half strength ; if tea is used , make it quite strong .. Gelatin desserts should generally be made about three times as concentrated as for normal use . In other words , use three packages of the gelatin mixture instead of one for the quantity of water called for . If this results in too dark a color , one or two of the packages should be a light color such as lemon or vanilla .
Most fruit and vegetables , such as apples , pears and tomatoes , are much more attractive when they have a high polish . If the natural polish is insufficient to give you the effect you want , apply a thin coating of a cooking or salad oil . Cut fruit sometimes appears too light and lifeless ; if so , an appropriate vegetable dye may be applied to the cut surface with a small brush . Use a very dilute solution . and apply it carefully . Beef hamburger has a tendency to appear too dark . Using a meat mixture made up equally of beef and veal is lighter in color and usually firmer in appearance .
Figure 79 A simple composition coupled with the technically brilliant lighting which still shows all important detail beautifully results in a photograph which can be used with equal effect to sell the fruit or the fruit bowl . Courtesy of International Silver Photomedia .
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