Food Photography - It's about the details

Most novices to the photographic industry would think that "motion" photography takes longer than "still" photography, but in reality, the opposite is true. The thing about still photography that makes it take longer to shoot is because the motion image is only there in front of the viewer for a second or two, while with still photography, the viewer can sit there as long as they care to, and analyze the picture to death if they want. The still food photographer has to keep that in mind when he approaches his task.



I was listening to NPR a few years ago and someone was interviewing a member of the Bee-Gees (sp?). The interviewer said something like, “How do go about writing good music?) The musician said something to the effect of… “Most songs are about three minutes long, and I try to fill every moment of that time with something interesting”. That statement stuck with me over the years and I think that you can apply that same principle to photography. A photograph is a piece of paper (or file) with a defined area. It’s your job as a photographer to fill that space, all the space, with something interesting. The elements in your photo should be interesting to look at. Yes, you have to be careful that the wrong things in the image don’t look too interesting, and take attention away from the main subject of your photo, but they should look interesting none-the-less…



I’ve included three images from today’s shoot. We actually did four shots today, but I didn’t really like the fourth, so why share stuff you don’t like…? :+) One the third image, I’ve included a couple of close-ups to illustrate the point about how the details are important.

Here are three images taken as the shot was being built.



This shot looks pretty good, right? Ok, take a look at this shot and the next.



Here's the area to look at.



compare it to this area...



These details aren't even in focus, (on purpose) and I still thnk that they're really important in making a good photo.

Here's a little difference. It's just a little mirror into the rice and front of the fish





See how this shot has just a little more life...
And here way the last tweak I made. Most people wouldn't even have noticed it,but to me, it makes the shot. I think little things like this is what separates me from my competitors.


Before



After



Early



Final

Okay, that's it for this week. The whether is nice for a change and I'm going for a motorcycle ride!

Have a great weekend!