EditorialggI attended a master class by Alexander Slyadnev, a world-famous food photographer originally from
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1. Get the right technique
The most important lens, according to the photographer.
Alexander only shoots on Canon equipment (otherwisewould, of course, we would see him at a master class under the patronage of some other brand of technology). In his opinion, the camera itself is of third importance, but lenses are all.
Telephoto lenses are suitable for shooting food. That is what is above 90 millimeters. Alexander Slyadnev has three lenses (apparently, he advises the same to you). The first is 90 millimeters of the Canon Tilt Shift. This is a lens that has a tilt angle. That is, it tilts, due to this, you can adjust the sharpness in the frame. The second lens is the Canon EF 100 mm f / 2.8 L IS USM Macro for shooting land and other small items. And the third lens is 135 millimeters. The photographer’s favorite lens, which gives the most perfect picture. For beginners Alexander, we recommend a 100 mm lens, then maybe 135, and the Tilt Shift is not suitable for everyone.
As for cameras, Slyadnev has three of them.The Canon 5D Mark DSLR is good for everyone, but together with the lens it weighs 2 kilograms. The mirrorless Canon EOS M3, in addition to its small volume and weight, has two more advantages: using a special adapter, you can connect any lens from the professional line to it, and thanks to the presence of Wi-Fi, you can send a photo to your smartphone, and from there to Instagram. Well, the iPhone, if you have “steady” hands and knowledge of technology, the iPhone is also suitable, but to photograph food you should connect special lenses to it (this stuff can easily be found on the Internet today, the lenses should also be “telephoto”).
VSCO Cam is an excellent program for processing pictures taken on a smartphone.
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If you decide that a smartphone for food photography will be enough, try improving photos using this application. It is free, but it has paid content.
Download for iOS or Android.
2. Recommended settings: aperture 8,ISO 100 or 200, preferably using pulsed light
In most cases, Alexander films withaperture 8 for sufficient sharpness throughout the entire image, in rare cases 5.6. It is not recommended to shoot in natural light if there are several dishes ahead; it can change many times. Pulsed light – his advice for those who are serious about food and photography. In this case, you should set ISO 100 or 200. If you forgot the flash light at home, then ISO 400 – and follow the sun.
3. The atmosphere of the frame creates the background
Therefore, it must be carefully selected (ifthe waiter or your grandmother do not mind). A mirror surface, a beautiful plate, old wood and other “antiquities” that a photographer has to carry, beat off in rival fights at competitors in flea markets or store in expensive restaurants - all this will be useful for a novice food photographer. Without the right background, which somewhere will give the frame a touch of light, somewhere it will focus on how the product was created, somewhere it will hint at home comfort or a high level of the establishment, nowhere. More accessible about the background will be able to tell these photos.
4. The light should be soft so that the dish looks appetizing
All in order to make the food look natural. Therefore, direct sunlight in most cases is not suitable. To soften the light from the window, you can cover it with white parchment paper. Alexander takes 90% of his photographs with one light source.
5. The light should be behind the dish
It is advisable to be as close to it as possible. It is also desirable that the source is as wide as possible.
The dish, camera, light source and reflector should be positioned as shown on this slide.
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By the way, the photographer assures that professionalit doesn't have a reflector. But this function in an establishment, when photographing food, is perfectly handled by a waiter or another overly curious witness of what is happening (that’s why a restaurant is better – in such a situation your grandmother would have already hit you on the neck and kicked you out from the table!) with a sheet of white A3 paper. In special cases - with a sheet of food foil or salmon foil packaging. The waiter is also a first-class replacement for a tripod that you don’t have to carry around.
6. It is worth taking pictures of food at the angle from which we usually look at it
For an adult, it's about 45 degrees,in some cases - from above, for the child - it is from the side. We humans love our habits, and food taken against our habits to look at it will not look so attractive.
7. To build a composition in a frame, use the rule of the “golden ratio” and “rule of diagonals” (see slide)
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Composition is our everything, just like the right lens, light, background, angle.
Rule of “golden ratio” saysthat the frame must be conditionally divided into three unequal parts: two eighths, three eighths and three eighths. These imaginary lines are semantic horizons. Intersection points are semantic points in the frame. Hint #1: if the components of a dish or objects on the table do not fit into the golden ratio rule, you can move them a little. But if the chef of a restaurant has worldwide recognition, Michelin stars and oriental origins, there is a risk that the matter will end in scandal and expulsion. Tip #2: Cameras usually have a mode in which lines are displayed. It's worth using until you develop a habit.
“Rule of diagonals” says that to make it beautiful, food should be placed diagonally.
A few colorful shots to illustrate the above.
8. The number of objects in the frame should correspond to the Fibonacci numbers
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Fibonacci numbers are the order in which eachthe next number is equal to the sum of the two previous numbers: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, etc. The number of homogeneous objects in the frame should, according to the photographer, each time correspond to one of the numbers in the row so that the composition looks pleasant to the human eye. You can start with any number - at least from one, even from five.
9. Tell a story in every frame
Ideally, the contents of the frame should giveadditional information to the user. For example, in this frame, which is an advertisement for a whiskey club, it indicates what kind of drink we are talking about (this is what the correct glass of whiskey looks like and the correct serving of this drink, and not with ice or, God forbid, cola), the status the audience (the man is dressed expensively and tastefully), and the atmosphere (a slightly unbuttoned shirt, a relaxed posture – the man is tired from a working day and can afford to relax in pleasant company over an excellent drink).
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10. Post your photos on social networks, following Alexander’s example, on social networks after 18:00
If you put into practice all of the aboveadvice, but after that you were still not kicked out of the restaurant (or from your grandmother’s dacha), probably you still have a talent and the restaurant is pleased that you are enthusiastically photographing his dish. This good, of course, must be shared on social networks. The ideal time is after 6 pm. So the photos will look more attractive in the eyes of the starving and dieting and will cause more emotions from the audience. And you have every chance to become the star of the scandal and increase the attendance of the filmed institution.
P.S. Yes, and if you plan to take photos of food professionally, get ready to travel a lot and eat a lot
A suitcase weighing several tens of kilograms(a generator, a tripod, several lenses, a favorite background, a camera or two, a pair of T-shirts and shorts, and who knows what else), weeks and months of spending the night on airplanes and trains, but still extra pounds at the waist. Alas (or fortunately) the prose of the life of a food photographer is as follows.
How to shoot food