Intro to Professional Food Photography Welcome to the Intro
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Intro to Professional Food Photography Welcome to the Intro to Professional Food Photography class. The first in an ongoing series designed to help those interested in pursuing food photography, whether you have been shooting other subjects professionally or are just curious about what it takes to turn food into published photography. Starting a career in food photography or styling is a challenge. While some art schools allow for specialist study, few offer in- depth classes covering food photography. While more general classes, such as dramatic portraiture or still life, sometimes cover subjects similar to food photography, few of them really prepare you for real-world shoots. This class aims to help those photographers who have a passion for food learn how to get started in the industry, to understand how the industry has developed, and to see where it is going in the future. To get the most out of this class you need to have a solid understanding of the basic principles of both photography and lighting. This class isn’t a guide to being a food stylist, which is a highly skilled profession requiring strong culinary and artistic talents. Instead, this class describes the roles of stylists and photographers, and how they work together to produce great food images. In the first lesson of this 2 week intro class, we will cover the different types of food photography projects that are available to pro shooters, as well as walk you through the workflow of a typical shoot. You’ll learn how to build your portfolio, and get the level of critical feedback needed to ensure your best work is being featured. Be prepared to hear constructive criticism... as this is a pro-level class, we won’t be pulling any punches with our feedback. Next week’s lesson will move on to cover more business aspects, including releases, license agreements, and how to get started finding work. Follow-up classes in this series will dive more deeply into specific genres of food photography: editorial, commercial and stock. As in all the PPSOP classes, you’ll get more from the class if you use the forums and ask questions as you have them. You are also welcome to email us directly, if you prefer to ask your question privately [email protected] or [email protected] Types of Food Photography One of the beautiful things about food photography is the myriad of different niches within the category. While the first thought might be a photographer in a restaurant shooting photos of finished plated dishes, the reality is that there is a wide array of food photography that each need different skill sets. At a high level, there are two distinct camps of assignment food photography: editorial and commercial. Editorial food photography spans the gamut of everything from lifestyle shots in magazines to finished dishes in cookbooks or even photos of farmers in their fields. Editorial photos are about communicating a story. Commercial food photography, on the other hand, is about sales and marketing of a brand. This includes photos for packaging as well as advertisement. Commercial food photography is almost always produced in a studio, under very controlled (and reproducible) lighting conditions. Commercial or editorial photography don't necessarily imply a specific look or style, and most photographers do a mix of both. In addition to assignment shoots, there is a great opportunity for food photographers in stock imagery. Stock food imagery is used both commercially and editorially. Stock agencies such as Getty or StockFood USA both do a great job of working with member photographers to request the images they are looking for. For example, here’s a list from StockFood USA from November 2011: o Plated pot roast (with the traditional vegetables) o Plated bone-in picnic pork o Molasses cookies o Melt-away cookies o Split chicken breast (cooked) o White empty serving tray (rectangle or square) o Hand dipping bread in oil o Deviled eggs o Still life of foods that follow diet for acid reflux (no citrus or tomato) o Deep dish pizza o Cocktail hotdogs o Couple with holiday cheer vibe at restaurant o Boneless prime rib o Caraway seeds o Crumbled cooked sausage o Food coloring bottles Working with A Team Traditionally, a food photography shoot (particular those in the studio or for commercial assignments) are comprised of a full team of stylists and assistants, as well as the client who is typically represented by an art director. Even in smaller food shoots, photographers typically work with a stylist to prepare and plate the food while the photographer focuses on lighting and composition. More recently, these roles are changing. With the increasing popularity and quality of food blogs, more photographers are doing their own prop and food styling for smaller shoots, often without any assistants. With pressures on budgets due to the economic downturn worldwide, cookbook authors are often being asked to style and shoot their own books. While this may work well for smaller shoots, or shoots without time pressures, larger shoots that require 15 to 20 plated dish shots per day really require a full team. Although any shoot may vary due to the strengths of the individual members on the team, here are the typical role breakdowns: Photographer (and photography assistants) Plans for, sets up and manages all camera and lighting gear May scout the location, if needed May hire and pay stylists Sets the composition, usually in conjunction with the art director Takes the photo Image post processing and delivery Billing, release forms, etc Food Stylist Grocery shopping and/or receiving product Preparing all food for the set Adjusting any food on set Often is also a prop stylist Prop Stylist Coordinates & delivers a full selection of props, either from personal collection or shops Designs the set, and places props, backdrops, etc Adjusts props on the set Responsible for returning all props as needed Art Director Coordinates pre-production meeting with photographers & stylists May scout the location, if needed Communicates any design or layout requirements, and provides sample shots May hire and pay stylists Communicates with the client Approves final shots A Professional Food Photo Shoot Workflow Because there are so many different types of food photography, there isn’t one way a shoot will run. However, here are some things to think about whether you are shooting in the studio for editorial, commercial use or stock. Location shoots where a restaurant is supplying the plated dishes will leave out some of these steps. Planning Any photo shoot starts with a review of the required shots. On larger-budget assignments, this planning is typically done at a pre-production meeting, where the photographer, stylists, and, if it’s a separate role, the art director will all get together. The meeting may also include the client and designer. On smaller shoots, this meeting could be replaced by a series of emails between the photographer, stylist and client intended to define the shoot requirements, including such things as: • Where the shoot will take place and who will be involved • Recipes and/or products to be shot. • Example photographs that depict the lighting and propping styles similar to the required shots. • Layouts indicating the crop and space needed for overlays, and often illustrations of the composition. It’s a good idea to have a standard form with all of the questions you need answered from new clients (or before each project). See the sample New Client Checklist document posted in the Q&A forum for the basic questions to think about. Scheduling The photographer/stylists work to develop a shoot and shopping schedule based on the product requirements. Considerations could include: • Related recipes or recipes using similar ingredients to be scheduled back to back to minimize costs and time. • Shorter and simpler recipes to be interspersed between longer lead time recipes to keep the set busy. • Products with shorter life spans to be scheduled earlier in the day to shoot them at their freshest. But a good shoot schedule will always allow room for complications along the way. Once the schedule is understood, the photographer can then begin to plan the lighting for the shoot. This will be done either at a general level—such as, natural, bright daylight-looking, intimate evening setting—or on a more detailed, shot-by-shot basis—for example, sidelight from the right, with a highlight on the product—if specific layouts have already been provided. Shopping The food stylists and prop stylists (or their assistants) are typically responsible for all the shopping related to a photo shoot, including buying the surfaces, tableware, and ingredients. The stylists must work to a specified budget, and they are often responsible for paying any out-of-pocket expenses, which are reimbursed at the end of the shoot. For large shoots, however, a stylist may request an upfront deposit to cover these expenses. The food stylist prepares a shopping list of the recipe ingredients or products needed, as well as a list of styling equipment needed for the shoot. The shopping may be done for everything all at once, or it can divided between different shoot days to ensure the freshest looking ingredients. The food stylist must make sure that there is enough product for the shoot to get the best looking hero, as well as allow for any reshoots. This may mean buying three to four times the quantities required by each recipe. Most food shoots require careful attention to portion size. This is particularly important for any images that are associated with food nutrition data, such as packaging, some advertising, and some recipes.