Food Photography

Food Styling.

In one of our seminars we looked at the art of food styling. I found it so interesting and it actually took me by surprise to see how many tips and tricks need to be used in order to style food. This video i found on youtube shows and insight into the work of the photographer and food stylist and how important a food stylist is. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HW-NzD9dFow

Food styling techniques are something i need to start learning more about and considering for our next shoot in food photography. As a beginner in food photography i know i need to know these skills myself as i would not have a food stylist to work with if i were asked to capture an food photographs myself.

Food photography

David Munns



David Munns is a London based food and drink photographer i came across when researching food photography on the internet. The work of David Munns follows the style of food photography i am finding myself very attracted to; Rustic, vintage, easy, home syle cooking, much like the work of my previously researched photographer; David Loftus.

What caught my eye most about David Munns work however, is the way in which the images he presents on his website, he presents side by side images of the finished dish as an outcome, and the main ingredient or ingredients next to them.

for example;


http://foodphotography.co.uk/230/

A lot of this photographers work comes across to me as fresh and summery. He uses bright vibrant colours and uses rustic backdrops like worn planks of wood or tables, again much like the work of David Loftus.



http://foodphotography.co.uk/palenta_peaches/

In some of his images two totally different dishes are placed in a piece next to one another like this image in the link above. This to the viewer looks like main course and desert set out. I think this makes the food look even more appealing as you imagine yourself being able to eat both courses. Many of his images are captured from an above angle, once again like i found in the work of David Loftus. This view point makes the viewer feel as though they are stood above the food looking down at it on a table, the viewer therefore feels more like the food is personally for them and they are about to eat it themselves.


http://foodphotography.co.uk/pasta_chair/

In this above image the half pulled out chair and the view angle looks as though it is inviting the viewer to sit down themselves; a very well thought out idea in order to make the food look more enticing.

Week 1

Photographing Fruit

Week 1.

For our first task in food photography we were assigned groups and asked to capture images of certain foods. Our group had to photograph lemons.  This task encouraged us to look creativly at a food and choose to style it in whatever way we wanted.  

Still life photography

Still Life Introduction


In our final project of second year we are studying the genre of still life photography. Within this we are set to explore the forms of food, product, documentary, nature and digital montage.

starting with one of the most difficult aspects of still life photography we have been asked to photograph and research food and the art of food photography.

During our tutor Richard's seminar we looked at various examples of food photography, food photographers and where it may be found. It was surprising to me just how many places food photography can be found. in my own time i found some magazines which came with newspapers which had brilliant examples of up to date current day food photography.

David Loftus

Food Photography. David Loftus




David Loftus is a food photographer we were introduced to during one of our seminars. I was able to relate to David Loftus' work through having many books with his photography at home. David Loftus is the photographer whom photographs all of the work by the famous chef Jamie Oliver for his cook books and magazines.

After researching this photographer in books and on his web site i chose some images which i felt caught my eye and inspired me most. 

http://www.davidloftus.com/food#45

What i find most interesting and inspiring about David Loftus' work is the contiuous style which seems to repeatedly flow throughout his work. His style often includes bright, vibrant, saturated colours. Although as we have learnt in seminars, food photographers almost always work along side a food stylist, all of the images produced by Loftus seem to follow this similar style, the food is placed quite relaxed and loose, in a messy style, however to look at the viewer wouldn't think of it as messy, the images make the food look related, like you can imagine having just cooked it at home; with knives laid on chopping boards, crumbs and herbs spread around.. 

http://www.davidloftus.com/food#4

David's images also always seem to follow quite a rustic, vintage theme with old rustic backgrounds and surfaces which the food is placed upon. Something i like about David Loftus' work is the fact his backgrounds are always varied and as a photographer myself, i can notice just as much thought is put into the backdrops and colours as the styling of the food. I think this is so important as David's work presents perfectly, the type of colour of a background often compliments the food or sets the kind of feeling or thought you want to intend from the image. 


http://www.davidloftus.com/food#18


Something which i would not have thought to do myself which David Loftus often does in his images is include peoples hands, either holding the food, or holding knifes and folks looking like they're about to dig in. Again i think this is actually a really good idea, as it relates back to that theme of making the food look relatable. Like the image in this link above, you feel although you're threre yourself, at the buffet about to join in.

Evaluation

Portraiture Evaluation


Starting this project the first inspiration i found was shown to me by one of my tutors. This was a spread in ID magazine, love edition. After being given the briefe and knowing we had to produce a series of black and white portraits first of all, our tutor showed us this spread which consisted of black and white images of couples. This straight away got me thinking as i had never really considered capturing a portrait of two people. My instant thoughts on portraiture would just be one person. In these images the models or people stood against a white background expressing all different emotions and standing in different stances. This style of portraiture seemed really relaxed and as though it would be fun to create. The magazine spread reminded me very much of the work of Richard Avedon. 

For the first part of the brief we had to use a large format camera with 5x4 film to capture images of strangers. At first i went and captured images of couples swell as individuals after being so inspired by ID Magazine. Something which straight away stood in my way in this project was having the confidence to ask strangers to have their photograph taken. If i were to do the project again i would want to somehow find to confidence to speak to strangers as i would have liked to have captured more images, meaning i would have had more images to chose from. Also as part of the brief we had to hand in one exhibition sized print and three other prints, showing different ranges of depth of field, ranging from up close, mid-length and long distance. The experimentation with depth of field was something which i came to really enjoy. As at first i felt i was only interested in capturing mid-length shots as i felt these images looked best, i actually came to throughly enjoy capturing long length shots capturing the full length of the model or chosen person. Out of the three images handed in for this part of the project the long distance shot i produced was by far my favourite. I felt i had successfully captured my model in focus and positioned her well in the image. I also really liked how the back ground was out of focus, this created a really nice contrast between the setting and the individual. 

For my final exhibition image which was enlarged, i chose to print an image of 3 people stood together however only two of the people are fully in the image. What i felt was most successful about this image and what made me chose it as my final exhibition style print was the way in which i had filled the frame using the people i had selected. I felt the composition of the image was really interesting as the viewers eye is not just drawn to one area of this image. I also think what makes the image so successful is the way in which it is a slightly candid photo. I had asked the people to stand in front of the camera to have their photography taken but managed to capture them whilst they were mid laughing and talking. this gives a really jolly kind of feeling to the image. 

For the next part of the project we had to capture coloured portraits, again of strangers in the street. For this we used the hasselblad camera and coloured film. This part of the project was what i enjoyed most as i found it much easier using the hasselblad as it was more portable to take around the streets. I also really like the quality of the images produced by the hassleblad. For this part i chose to capture individual portraits of people, with the street in the background as appose to being up against any kind of wall or back drop like many of the photographers i have researched. I chose to do so as i feel the setting a person is in can add to the portrait and create more of a story or perception around the person. 

Ive thoroughly enjoyed the fact this entire project has involved using film as this is the format i prefer to work with as appose to digital as i enjoy the process of being able to process, develop and print all your own work. Literally the only aspect i would love to change about this project, being something which i think would have improved my work would have been to have pushed myself more out of my comfort zone in oder to ask more strangers on the street for their portraits so that i would have had more images to chose from. 

coloured finals

Coloured Final 6