The number one thing you'll want for food, or any product type shots is a tripod and a remote shutter release. This will allow you to use pleasing ambient light without sacrificing depth of field or resorting to really high ISO to get the shot you want. A good off-camera flash can be very helpful as well to help you create lighting you otherwise don't have, but above all else it's a tripod.
looking at your eagle shoot vs the mushrooms what I see is the need for that soft lighting... the bird had nature soft light... you need that same thing for the food... try shooting a strobe into a large white sheet to create a huge soft light source (google light diffusers)
I'm strictly amateur but have taken loads of pleasing food photos. Pleasing to me anyway! I am also quite a harsh critic of anyone else's food photos especially pros. I find the number one thing is lighting, second would be to have interesting accessories - bowls, plates, boards, cutlery etc.
Many of my food shots are in the kitchen where two strip lights reflect off white tiles as well as natural light from one side (a large window) which gives an interesting light (I reckon)
Are you aiming for ingredient shots or whole meals? I find ingredient shots easier (eg. http://365project.org/ukcam/365/2011-05-01 - you have more time to arrange things before the subject it taken away and eaten!) There are some people on here doing excellent meal shots eg. @nemo who incredibly only has a few followers - do you guys not like food? :)
@ukcam - OK, I have looked at some of the food shots you have done. Very good. You are right, I particularly like the ingredient shots. I have tried a few of these myself but not very well yet. I think I agree with you and @icywarm that soft and very difuse light is a good way to go. Trouble is that I lack the space to set up and the light in my working room is too poor, as is my kitchen. So I will have to think about this more closely.
@ukcam by the way, are you a vegetarian? I notice you use miso. Not often seen in the cooking of non-veggies. I use it a lot and love it. I am a vegetarian of long standing and have been using miso since the mid-70s. Its an ingredient that is not allowed to run out in my house - an essential!
@netkonnexion thanks for the comments you left on my food shots :) If you're into ingredient shots then all's well - you can move to a brighter location with them and experiment a bit. I also get good light in my bathroom (!) which is directly above the kitchen so has the same aspect.
@netkonnexion I'm mostly veggie - my wife is strict vegetarian and the kids eat a little meat. I do love miso it has excellent flavour and variety - I can see why the Japanese consider miso soup soul food. In the same vein I like tofu. I am really looking forward to your food shots now :)
What brand of miso do you use and where do you get it from? I use the soup sachets from supermarkets (bulk buy when they are reduced) but have seen jars of paste which might be more economical. The stuff I had has some fish stock in it which I don't mind but Julie is put off by this.
I buy all my specialist foods from a supplier of great organic and specialist foods for people with special diets. I have been buying from them and thier ancestor company since the 1970s. They are...
http://www.goodnessdirect.co.uk/
I only eat organic misos as virtually every other miso on the market is pasturised and therefore worthless in health terms, although tasty. I use organic miso in most of the food I cook as either a stock or as a health giver. You can find the miso page here... miso
I sometimes buy the jars for various different flavours, but the main miso I use is in a tub. A tub will last about a month in our house. Sometimes six weeks. I buy eight of these and they last about a year. You get free delivery if you buy more than a certain amount so I buy at least that many. Usually a years supply. You do not need to refridgerate the tubs until you open them. They naturally preserve themeselves if you keep them in a cool place. Sometimes they get a white mould on top. But you stir it back in as it is the natural mould that is used to ferment the beans and grains. Miso is simply the most wonderful food and proper miso soup for breakfast is the worlds most warming food.
@netkonnexion Ohh... that sounds delicious. I have had the Clearspring stuff from the supermarket before and it does taste good. I had the trad Japanese breakfast of rice balls, pickle, tea and miso when I worked there briefly and took to it really well, it's a great start to the day. The lunchtime miso was good too with tiny mushrooms and shreds of onion...
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Many of my food shots are in the kitchen where two strip lights reflect off white tiles as well as natural light from one side (a large window) which gives an interesting light (I reckon)
Are you aiming for ingredient shots or whole meals? I find ingredient shots easier (eg. http://365project.org/ukcam/365/2011-05-01 - you have more time to arrange things before the subject it taken away and eaten!) There are some people on here doing excellent meal shots eg. @nemo who incredibly only has a few followers - do you guys not like food? :)
Any ideas about presentation people?
What brand of miso do you use and where do you get it from? I use the soup sachets from supermarkets (bulk buy when they are reduced) but have seen jars of paste which might be more economical. The stuff I had has some fish stock in it which I don't mind but Julie is put off by this.
http://www.goodnessdirect.co.uk/
I only eat organic misos as virtually every other miso on the market is pasturised and therefore worthless in health terms, although tasty. I use organic miso in most of the food I cook as either a stock or as a health giver. You can find the miso page here...
miso
I sometimes buy the jars for various different flavours, but the main miso I use is in a tub. A tub will last about a month in our house. Sometimes six weeks. I buy eight of these and they last about a year. You get free delivery if you buy more than a certain amount so I buy at least that many. Usually a years supply. You do not need to refridgerate the tubs until you open them. They naturally preserve themeselves if you keep them in a cool place. Sometimes they get a white mould on top. But you stir it back in as it is the natural mould that is used to ferment the beans and grains. Miso is simply the most wonderful food and proper miso soup for breakfast is the worlds most warming food.
Here is the URL for the tubs I buy...
http://www.goodnessdirect.co.uk/cgi-local/frameset/detail/403025_Clearspring_Organic_Barley_Miso__1kg.html
Enjoy. Eating miso is a journey!
http://thepioneerwoman.com/photography/2011/01/ten-important-things-ive-learned-about-food-photography/