Food Photography Workshop

Well, hello!  I recently had the wonderful opportunity to attend a Food Photography Workshop in Boston (actually Somerville, part of Boston).  It was a 3-hour workshop and I will tell you time just flew by.

There were six attendees, including me, and everyone had different reasons and goals for learning more about food photography.  I was the only food blogger, there were two others that were starting a lifestyle/recipes/travel blog, and a few others that just liked to photograph food.

We learned how to photograph food using manual mode on our cameras, something I had not done before.  I learned how to quickly and easily change the settings on my camera and to use Live View to view and set up shots.  There were food displays set on tables for each of us and we all had a light source (not natural light).  I shoot all my food photographs in natural light near a window but appreciated learning how artificial light can also work. I also used my tripod for the first time.  I bought this tripod last year and finally took some time to learn about it. Everything I have read and has been told leads me to believe the tripod will definitively produce better, clearer, crisper photos.

Here are some of my favorite shots of the day. I reduced the size of photos but did not edit them at all (no lightening, sharpening, etc.. that I usually do before posting photos).  I wanted you to see the unedited photos as I took them in the class.  They were taken with my Nikon D5100, prime lens – 35mm, F/1/8G.

Manual Mode, Aperture: F/8, ISO 400, Shutter Speed: 1/2.5s

Photo with Editing (brightening and cropping)

Manual mode, Aperture F/8, ISO 400, Shutter Speed, 1/2.5s

Photo with Editing (brightening)

 We learned many tips in the class and here are a few:

A great tip that we learned is to spend about 2 minutes or so with our camera, handheld, and walk around our food display looking for the best composition and light.  During this time, adjustments to the setting on the camera can be made and test shots can be performed.  Once the best composition and shot position are determined, we can attach the camera to the tripod and take photos from this best location.

Another tip that we learned is to consider using extension tubes.  Most food photography is done with a macro lens and I have actually been looking into buying one.  Well, I can hold off for a bit by buying extension tubes which are much less expensive than a macro lens but will let my camera closer to the subject – food.  I will be getting a set of these and trying them out.  I will let you know how it goes. 🙂

If you would like to take this class, it is offered by Camera Eye Studios, in Somerville.  My instructor was Chris Sanchez and the food stylist was Kathrin Havrilla.  It is a beginner food photography class that was well worth my time. (1/5/2016 Update:  Chris Sanchez is currently offering classes through his website.)

I walked away with some great input and advice to get me to the next level.  As I gain more experience, I will be looking forward to more workshops like this in the future.