Creating mouth-watering food images requires more than just a love of food and access to a kitchen. With the popularity of food blogs and photography how-tos, it’s tempting to think that anyone can photograph food, but it’s another thing entirely to shoot for a tight ad layout with the pressure of your client watching over your shoulder.
Commercial food photographer Teri Campbell has been called a “lighting master,” and in this beautifully illustrated book, he not only shares his detailed lighting set-ups and shooting techniques for a wide range of food and drink shots, but also offers candid advice on how to set up a studio, use the right equipment, market your work, find clients, bid on assignments, hire food and prop stylists, and communicate effectively with everyone on the set.
Campbell shares his expertise on dozens of commercial assignments–from shooting beignets on location in New Orleans, to creating perfect ice tea pours, to photographing beans on real flames in his studio. Learn how he creates dynamic compositions, uses studio strobes, and arranges light diffusers, reflectors, fill cards, and mirrors, to create the perfect capture. Campbell also discusses his post-processing techniques in Adobe Camera Raw and Adobe Photoshop to create images that are irresistible.
This guide for intermediate and advanced users provides the insider details to help you expand your photography skills or turn your passion for food and images into a professional career.
Author(s): Teri Campbell
Edition: 1
Publisher: New Riders Pub
Year: 2012
Language: English
Pages: 273
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION: Food and Me
Part 1
1 What Makes Shooting Food so Difficult
Creating Images That Are Irresistible
Other Considerations
Current Conditions of Commercial Food Photography
2 The Space
My First Real Studio at Longworth Hall
Our Studio Today at Central Parkway
I Love This Studio!
Starting Over
3 The Tools
The Right Camera
Lens Choice
The Workstation
Lights and Light Modifiers
Tripods and Studio Stands
Taking Care of Business
Tools for a Digital Artist
4 The People and Their Roles
Home Team
Visiting Team
You Are Here
5 The Process
The Job Begins with an Estimate
A Final Thought About Estimates
Confirmation
Pre-Production Planning
The Day of the Shoot
Post-Production
The Job Ends with an Invoice
6 Marketing and Business Considerations
Getting Started
Building a Portfolio
Marketing Your Business
Advertising
Hiring Representation
Customized Promotions
Part 2
ONE: Shrimp Creole, Po-Boys, and Beignets
The Big Easy
Preparations for the Shoot
Palace Café
Parkway Bakery
Café Du Monde
Image Post-Production
New Orleans Redux
TWO: Ice Cream Scoops and Shakes
Ice Cream Headaches
Ice Cream Scoops
More Scoops
Is That Legal?
Shake It Up
Final Thoughts on Ice Cream
THREE: Would You Like a Drink with That?
Liquid Pours & Splashes
Get Your Ice Cold Drinks Here!
Coca-Cola
Silk Milk
Spilled Milk
FOUR: Pizza, Stromboli, and Pizza Pulls
In the Brick Oven
Via Vite Ristorante
Donatos Pizza
Stromboli
What Is a Pizza Pull?
Carino’s Italian
The Pull of Cheese
FIVE: Looks Like Daylight
Natural Light with Flash
Breakfast Cereal
My Front Door
Wheat Field
Pasta and Clams
Get Out There
SIX: Chocolate, Candy, and Cookies
At the Bakery
After-Hours with Chocolate
Like a Box of Chocolates
Powdered Donuts
Edible Arts and Crafts
Waffles to Macaroons
Final Thoughts on Sweets
SEVEN: Burgers and Fries
An American Classic
How a Product Rollout Works
Summer Daze
The Big Burger
Waffle Fries
Chicken, Not a Burger
Take Out
EIGHT: Shooting Food for Packaging
In the Supermarket Aisles
Pringles Potato Crisps
Bush’s Beans
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Self-Checkout
NINE: Courting Fried Chicken and Potato Wedges
With Colonel Sanders
A New Look
The Beginning
Potato Wedges
The Famous Bowl
Dessert, Anyone?
Our First Anniversary
Index
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
Bonus Chapters
TEN: Honey, Tea, and Bourbon More Pours and Splashes
More Pours and Splashes
ELEVEN: Steak and Potatoes on the Grill Playing with Fire
Playing with Fire
TWELVE: Airheads, Hush Puppies, and Coffee Post-Production Saves the Day
Post-Production Saves the Day
