I WANT critique ... so please critique-me .... tell me what you like and what you don't like, tell me what you think could be improved ...
This is my first attempt at food photography & it definitely needs work, I think the shadows are too dark but when I try and lighten the image, the roti loses the detail.
I need to know more about PS to try to fix it, so if you can advise me, please do.
@shadesofgrey Thanks ...Yes it was taken outside on a well lit but shaded balcony, I agree a reflector would have been a good idea ... pity the food is eaten now by the kids! Will just have to buy more tomorrow and try again!
You could try positioning the food/camera so your main light source is somewhat behind the food, with a reflector to fill in the shadows. A lot of food photography is done this way as it brings out lots of little specular highlights (i.e. makes it glisten), which really brings the food to life. Looks delicious :)
@bobfoto No, no, no .. there's a very grumpy roti man just down the road!
@dieter Sounds great & I will try that method next time too .. thanks!
@bryanfarley I want to submit a food shot as part of my next photography assignment so this was the first attempt with roti bread ... I just want it to be well composed, well lit and tempting to eat!
These discussions are great! We can ALL learn so much from them. Don't know much about food photography so I'm not much help there, but it's just so interesting to see the tips and hints and how one can improve.
I completely agree with you Zoe re critique. I'd love people to critique my work more as this is such a good way to learn!
OK, so I went back to kitchen so to speak, found one roti hiding in the fridge & tried again ..
What did I do differently ...
1. I used my Speedlite with diffuser
2. I used a gold reflector to bounce some light back into the shadow areas
3. I added some red chilli to the top of the dal (Thanks Jason .. great tip!)
4. Slightly different angle and composition
5. I used the Dodge tool to lighten the shadows and the roti
6. I raided my neighbours garden in search of coriander but failed .. I think it would have looked great on top of the roti
Unfortunately this roti wasn't as charred as the last one, as the colour in the roti is much better in the first shot but sadly, that one was eaten .....
I thinks it's slightly better but still needs work ... I wish the dal looked better ... and although the histogram looks great in PS, the image looks a little flat to me.
OK off to read my Food Photography book ... mmmm, maybe I should have read that first!
The garnish is great, and the lighting is improved in the second pic, but I thought your composition in the first one was spot on! Yay for veggo food!! :-)
Very nice. Just the surface of the dahl is too reflective I think. Need to have a diffuser or something blocking the direct light, or move the camera to the side so the light doesn't reflect straight on.
I like the second better for a few reasons, though I think you may have shot at the wrong place... maybe you could have shot from the different direction.
Food photography is a really strange subject, because you are trying to capture taste and smell. Some places have laws about how to companies may market food, such as soup. If you really want to shoot the soup better, use marbles so that you can certain contents rise to the top and it will look chunkier. You might also want to have your soup look hot. (If it is a hot soup)
Color is really important. You chose a bland color. Perhaps you might want to have different colors for a beginning shot. You can also sit your product next to a window and use parchment paper as a shadow box. Little mirrors can also be used to reflect tiny bits of light.
Most food shots are completely posted and fake. Even the stoves are fake in many of them, with studio lights set to look like flames. If your first shot doesn't look right, don't sweat it. Most real food shots are not real.
@zferrie First off, I think it was awesome of you to ask for critique! Second, I like your first capture the most, I think it has good balance between texture and color and I agree the second picture looks better, only because of the pop of red in the soup. I feel and this is only my opinion, that the second photo has too much glare and that was distracting to me. I think the first capture with an added popof red and maybe hot hot soup with steam coming off of it????? GREAT JOB THOUGH FOR ALL YOUR EFFORTS ON BOTH OF THEM!
Zoe I recently read that the three most important things about food photography is to use the following:
a background that contrast but does not take away from the food, gives texture or brightness without realizing it
natural light but with reflectors or white poster board to direct light
A fixed 50 lens which is what most professionals use.
If this was mine, I would have chosen a slightly lower angle for myself, a bit further from the food and more of the placemat showing in the background.
Many, many thanks to everyone who took the time to reply to this thread! I have learned so much and have picked up so many wonderful tips for next time. Its definitely a challenging area of photography but I looking forward to having another go soon ... watch this space for Nasi Lemak, Malaysia's national dish .....
Advice I took from last time and applied:
1. Used my 50mm lens
2. Got lower and closer
3. Use a reflector to bounce light back
4. Used a white plate rather than a coloured one
5. Created a heart and added a fork as areas of interest
6. Bought a neutral fabric for the tablecloth
Again this isn't perfect, the plate is messy with cocoa powder and I also discovered once I got home that you cannot remove the outer wrapping without the dessert collapsing so it unfortunately had to stay.
So any critique please on lighting, composition and overall look?
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Zoe, what are you trying to accomplish with the photo? Is there any type of food photography that you like?
@dieter Sounds great & I will try that method next time too .. thanks!
@bryanfarley I want to submit a food shot as part of my next photography assignment so this was the first attempt with roti bread ... I just want it to be well composed, well lit and tempting to eat!
@swilde It is lovely, and the dal is spicy too!
I completely agree with you Zoe re critique. I'd love people to critique my work more as this is such a good way to learn!
OK, so I went back to kitchen so to speak, found one roti hiding in the fridge & tried again ..
What did I do differently ...
1. I used my Speedlite with diffuser
2. I used a gold reflector to bounce some light back into the shadow areas
3. I added some red chilli to the top of the dal (Thanks Jason .. great tip!)
4. Slightly different angle and composition
5. I used the Dodge tool to lighten the shadows and the roti
6. I raided my neighbours garden in search of coriander but failed .. I think it would have looked great on top of the roti
Unfortunately this roti wasn't as charred as the last one, as the colour in the roti is much better in the first shot but sadly, that one was eaten .....
I thinks it's slightly better but still needs work ... I wish the dal looked better ... and although the histogram looks great in PS, the image looks a little flat to me.
OK off to read my Food Photography book ... mmmm, maybe I should have read that first!
yum, nom nom, does look nice.
Food photography is a really strange subject, because you are trying to capture taste and smell. Some places have laws about how to companies may market food, such as soup. If you really want to shoot the soup better, use marbles so that you can certain contents rise to the top and it will look chunkier. You might also want to have your soup look hot. (If it is a hot soup)
Color is really important. You chose a bland color. Perhaps you might want to have different colors for a beginning shot. You can also sit your product next to a window and use parchment paper as a shadow box. Little mirrors can also be used to reflect tiny bits of light.
Most food shots are completely posted and fake. Even the stoves are fake in many of them, with studio lights set to look like flames. If your first shot doesn't look right, don't sweat it. Most real food shots are not real.
a background that contrast but does not take away from the food, gives texture or brightness without realizing it
natural light but with reflectors or white poster board to direct light
A fixed 50 lens which is what most professionals use.
If this was mine, I would have chosen a slightly lower angle for myself, a bit further from the food and more of the placemat showing in the background.
Advice I took from last time and applied:
1. Used my 50mm lens
2. Got lower and closer
3. Use a reflector to bounce light back
4. Used a white plate rather than a coloured one
5. Created a heart and added a fork as areas of interest
6. Bought a neutral fabric for the tablecloth
Again this isn't perfect, the plate is messy with cocoa powder and I also discovered once I got home that you cannot remove the outer wrapping without the dessert collapsing so it unfortunately had to stay.
So any critique please on lighting, composition and overall look?