Christine Chang Photography

This article from August’s issue of Food and Wine caught my eye. I know alot of you out there love taking food pics. I don’t know if all of you have noticed, but alot of travel photography involves food, even amongst the professionals; almost always food is an inbred definition of a culture. Here are some tips from Food and Wine’s pros. Enjoy!

1. Never use a flash

-If you’re in a restaurant, choose a table near a window. “The flash flattens everything out,” says photographer John Kernick. When that’s not possible, choose one of the camera’s “white balance” settings; for example, the setting indicated by a light bulb compensates for the yellow tint indoor lights can cast.

2. Get in close.

-”If you fill the frame with the dish, it can make the food look heroic,” says photographer James Baigrie. Use a camera’s macro setting to bring a part of the dish into sharper focus. Or widen the aperture to reduce the depth of field, which allows you to focus on foreground details-say, the crusty corner on a dish of macaroni and cheese–and keep the background soft.

3. Wipe glasses and plate edges.

Be sure surfaces are free of smudges and greasy fingerprints. In good light, they really stand out

4. Work quickly.

The longer it takes to set up a shot, the more salads wilt, sauces congeal.

5. Keep hands steady.

In low-light conditions, even the slightest tremor can produce a blurry photograph. Bace your elbows against the table to keep the table steady. Or try Josh friedland’s trick: He often uses the top of a water glass as a makeshift tripod.

6. Shoot a lot.

A photo may seem okay on the camera’s tiny screen, but blown up it might be out of focus or too bright. So shoot alot of the same picture, adjusting the conditions.

7. Shoot food as it’s being prepared.

“There are all sorts of great details that emterge throughout the cooking process”

8. Know what not to shoot.

The notoriously unphotogenic: a meal that’s all one color or dishes with brown sauces.

9. Do your homework.
Skim the food-photo discussion boards at flickr.com.

–Rob Willey