Yogurt Food Photography Critique and Behind the Scenes

food-Photography-of-yougurt

Yogurt Food Photography Critique and Behind the Scenes

I tried to put together another image critique and I had some behind the scenes photos too, so I included them.  I would think that a novice food photographer would be curious to see what a food shoot looks like and to see a little of what goes on behind and in front of, the camera.  The video talks a little about what I like about the photo and maybe a little of what we take into consideration when setting up a shot like this.

The window was set up to help give the image that “light and airy” feel.  It was meant to be “blown out”, so we really didn’t need to have anything behind it.  One thing you might notice is just how crisp the shadows are, but how they pretty much go unnoticed in the final image.  That’s the key to getting amazing texture in your food photos.

Camera – Arca Swiss 6×9

Digital Back – Phase One P45+

Lens – Schneider Super Angulon 120mm f5.6 (wide angle lens for an 8×10 view camera)

Main Light – Norman 10″ freznel Spot. (strobe)

 

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Our Fearless Leader :o)

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A long shot of the food photography set. You can see the main light way off to the left and the small box is actually just for the window set.

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Here’s a shot of our food stylist adding a few final touches to the shot. Notice how crisp the shadows are. You’re actually viewing the modeling lights of the strobe. The actual light given off by the flash is a little bit softer.

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I hope you got something out of this food photography critique.  If you did or didn’t, please leave a comment below and let me know how I can improve, and what I can do to make this a better resource for you.  Happy shooting and don’t eat any props! :o)

 

10 Comments

  1. Terry Thomas Photos / Atlanta · January 19, 2015

    Thank you for taking the time to post this.

    I like how you are using a 6x9cm view camera. I have been thinking about using one of my 45 Cambo cameras.

    Terry

    Reply
    • Michael Ray · January 19, 2015

      Ya know… I’m not sure that I’m going to replace my Phase One back when it finally expires. I think that the Nikon stuff has improved to the point that I’ll probably go with that. And with the tilt / shift lenses, it’s almost like having a view camera.

      Reply
  2. Rob · January 22, 2015

    Delicious!! Well done Michael and crew! One of the many things that I enjoy about this photo is how those orange slices in the bowl in the background glow. That is really, really cool.

    Reply
  3. George Crudo · February 13, 2015

    Hi Michael!

    Thanks for sharing your knowledge here on your site. I’ve been admiring your work since signing on with StockFood a few years ago. At the time I signed on with them they mentioned your name as one of their top photographers!

    Quick question… is that Fresnel light a strobe or continuous?

    Thanks!
    George

    Reply
  4. Akram Basharath · September 3, 2017

    Thanks for sharing!. A latecomer to this post and portfolio I guess!, but I wouldn’t stop learning from this wonderful blog site that soon. Learnt tons of things about Food photography here which I couldn’t do elsewhere inspite being involved in food photography for the past three years and a pro for last 8 months. Thanks to Jerry Deutsch because of whom I came to know about this blog. God bless you Michael Ray!.

    I would like to know if using honeycomb grid with studio strobes in place of Fresnel spot lights will produce similar results.

    Reply
  5. Elina Gomez · June 8, 2020

    I think lighting is the main important thing for food photography. I feel really easy to read this article. Some important issue helps me to improve my food photography. Thank you very much for the important article.

    Reply

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