our approach to food photos
As much as it flatters me when I get emails asking what my secret to taking pictures is, I rarely have a good response. I don’t think of myself as a real photographer, I never learned accepted techniques and I barely know what half the buttons on the camera do. If you like my photos, you’ll probably agree you can get far without this information (though I suspect you could get further with it).
The majority of food photography advice I have read boils down to two main points: don’t use flash and style the food attractively. Honestly, these days I rarely do either.
While I of course use available light when it is, uh, available, in the evenings, when most food for this blog is cooked, I’m at a loss. Though for a long time I used a combination of available light/long exposures, a tripod and remote switch for evening pictures, I was only satisfied with the results about half the time. Often less.
These days, we’re using the Canon Speedlite 430EX flash, and it is making a world of difference. Sadly, not all flashes are created equally, and this has little in common with the ones that come built-in to cameras. It only shoots of the amount of light it determines you need, and can be angled or filtered in any direction. It’s also not cheap. But it works well enough that I often look at a picture and cannot remember whether I took it at night or in daylight. That is simply amazing to me.
A little food styling can go a long way. I’m not really into props or overly composed food. It’s not a pinafore–its dinner. I think plate smears and lightly rusted spatulas are honest, and I find that warmly appealing, but much of this comes down to personal taste. That said, white plates (as opposed to our sage green ones that seemed such a good idea at the time) that are not too patterned and a little garnish or a fork propped just so can add a lot to a picture. I have a lot of photos that make me cringe because I haven’t even done that.
However–and if you’ve read nothing else in this post, I hope you read this–the only thing that will ever make a difference in the consistent quality of your photos is practice. You can’t learn it from a blog post, a book, a manual, it doesn’t come embedded in pricy prosumer technology*–you simply need to take pictures of every single thing that you see.
Try as best as you can to identify what you like about what is before you, and find ways to make that the very essence of the picture. That’s why photography is an art and not a science–you’re letting your image tell a story about something. Look at the picture–is this what you wanted? How can you make the part that charmed you speak louder? Take it again. And again.
Soon enough, your pictures will really start telling a story and people will ask you how you do it, and you’ll shrug, because who thinks about this stuff?
“Wow, Deb, that’s so cool. So you don’t edit your photos at all?” Ha, ha, HA. Not even close. On the computer, I might crop, white balance, lighten or darken an image, but I do try to keep my edits to a minimum. The better a picture is, the less you have to do. When I find myself editing a lot, I know it’s because I didn’t take a very good picture to begin with and have been forced to compensate.
* “I can’t afford an SLR, does this mean I can’t take good pictures?” No. Wait, let me say that louder: NO! People, $10,000 in photo equipment does not a good photographer or photograph make. Good framing and composition in a photo is as evident in a five year old point-and-shoot as it is in a $2,000 digital SLR. Yes, I did just say that we have a kinda expensive flash that makes a joyous difference in the ease of our evening photographs. We do love our four year old Canon Rebel so much that we think of it as a member of our family. (Sometimes, I even pet it.) But neither can make a bad picture a good one.
The Sum of the Smitten Kitchen’s Photo Equipment:
- Canon EOS Digital Rebel 300D, which is no longer available. The latest version is the XTi. We actually gave away the kit lens to my dad when he got his XTi, we used it so little.
- Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens — I recommend that people skip the kit lens entirely, buy cameras body-only and use this lens instead. It’s sharp, lightweight, great for low-light conditions, seriously inexpensive and a perfect lens to build skills on. It’s our “grab and go” lens.
- Sigma 50mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro Lens — This is my baby, because I love taking close-ups.
- Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Telephoto Zoom Lens — This is Alex’s baby, but we mostly use it when we’re on vacation.
- Canon Remote Switch RS60 E3 — For use with the tripod for long exposure, low light pictures
- Canon 430EX Speedlite Flash — Discussed above, this thing is amazing. It’s also fantastic for people pictures.
- The next time we rob a bank: Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM SLR Lens — We’d love a wide-angle lens.
Better Food Photography Advice, elsewhere:
- Food Photography Tips at 101 Cookbooks
- Notes About Photography from MattBites
- Photography on Simply Recipes
- Chocolate & Zucchini on food photography in her book
- Still Life With… an entire blog about food photography
- Food photography in Ratatouille at Becks & Posh
Lastly, a Question: Alex, the CTO, CFO and Assistant Photographer of Smitten Kitchen wants to know if I were to sell prints of some of our photos, would anyone be interested?
One year ago: Cranberry Sauce, Three Ways
thanks for taking the time to put that out there, deb. i have a little cannon elph. point and shoot. it is all i have ever used on my blog. yet folks love my pics… crazy! anyway, it’s time to do better… and christmas is coming!
Well, I would be interested in the two of you coming with me to B & H next month when I buy a whole new camera. My Digital Rebel has had enough of this punk rock life. I really want your flash. Anyway? A date?
I say, set up a corner of your site to sell prints. If it doesn’t work out, bag it. I think people would buy them for sure, though
I’d hang pics from your site in my kitchen.
This is one of the most useful posts I’ve read about food photography. I love your photos, they have that natural, not overly-styled quality that is so precious.
I don’t know - willyou autograph? :-)
I’d say it is your sense of detail that makes your pictures. You just don’t toss together something and slab in on a plate — you look at things. Form there on, photography is all about lighting. Do you have your flash on the camera or on a light stand? If not the latter, I recommend a fantastic website called Strobist http://strobist.blogspot.com/ . It’s the coolest thing to realize one doesn’t have to have an entire tuck load of gear to take great pictures. Just a lot of patience, imagination and time.
Just a suggestion on the print-selling idea: a favorite knitblogger of mine recently opened up an Etsy shop and started selling cards with prints of her photos on them. While I don’t always have a spot on my walls for a new print, I love being able to give people really special cards instead of the usual Hallmark stuff.
I think it would depend completely on the price and subject matter, but I’d buy some.
I think the prints would work nicely as cards or postcards? Or maybe that’s just a personal bias because I love to take pics and make them into cards. :-)
Ooh, they’d make such great gifts for housewarmings!
In answer to Alex’s question; YES! Personally I would like to see a cookbook from the both of you. You have it written already in your blog posts and you certainly have the pictures. Do a lulu.com book. I would buy it in a heartbeat.
As for prints, I would love a calendar with collages of your photos for each month. I know someone who did a calendar like that with Pugs and she sold them for $19.99 each on the internet. I personally purchased three of them. There are so many cool things you and Alex could do wiht your photos.
I’m thinking Smitten Kitchen cookbook, of course with lovely full-color photos. :)
Seriously, though, your photos are always lovely and inspiring and REAL. There’s a sort of intimacy about them that I just love, like we’re right there with you in your home, chatting at the counter while you put the finishing touches on a dish, or polishing off the bottle of wine while elbow deep in soapsuds post-meal.
Thanks for the tutorial! I’m a point & shoot kinda gal, but I’m trying to get better. I’ve tried it without using the flash, but I’m a regular Dr. Shakeyhands and the results are pretty terrible. I’ll keep practicing!
Aww… thanks guys for all the ideas and support. You’ve totally made my day.
Christianne and anyone else struggling with the no-flash/available light thing– You might consider a tiny table-top tripod, or one of those bendy ones. They’re inexpensive and easy to use; a great starter tripod and many fold right into camera bags.
You know, I love the calendar idea - you have so many beautiful pictures that aren’t necessarily food related, so space those in with foods from a particular time period/season/month as a collage (like 9 or 12 pictures per month)- I would totally buy that. Definitely include the bowl of cherries picture and the picture of the cut limes on the wooden cutting board with the light blue background - that might be my most favorite pic you’ve taken.
I like kasey’s idea of making the photos into cards. I’d definitely buy those. I know a few people that I would gift those to.
I’m just going to jump in here & second your suggestion for skipping the lens kit & purchasing individual lenses. I’m also going to say that I own the same 50mm lens, I think, and it’s fabulous! Shooting with fixed lenses is much nicer than using the zooms, particularly when shooting food - after all, it’s not like you don’t have the time to change lenses, and the difference in sharpness & in the lens speed make all the difference in the world!
I love checking in and seeing what awesome photos you’ve posted - I would absolutely buy some!
This is a little stalker-y, but I have a post-it note with tags/titles of Smitten Kitchen photos I’d like to hang in my kitchen. So, yes! If cost allows, I would totally take you up on buying prints. I sadly admit that we are not so much rolling in the dough, so most original art is out of reach. I second the autograph suggestion!
When I tell people about your site, I mention the photographs. I would buy notecards in a heartbeat.
I would buy prints!
There was a place about 20 years ago in the lower level of the Prudential Building in Chicago, right when you came off the train, that had fabulous photos (like yours) that they gave away as a monthly calendar or something, with their daily specials (soups, sandwiches, etc.), as I remember. Of course the calendar parts are long gone, but I still have many of those pictures, which were framed as art in my kitchen back then. So, I’m thinking, maybe a calendar with some of your best shots with accompanying recipes? That, I’d buy.
Fantastic post! Thank you. As for selling photos: personally, I think a few smaller (4×6? 5×7?) brightly colored food photos clumped together in matching frames would look great in a kitchen. My old kitchen had the perfect wall for 3 or 4 in a row and I would have been quite interested in them then. Now, though, that just wouldn’t make sense in this house. But I think there is potential in trying to sell them!
I would definitely purchase copies of your prints, particularly your sweet/chocolate shots. I’m still thinking about that block of Callebaut chocolate you posted recently.
Your photos are divine and an inspiration for me to start taking photos of my own. Thank you for sharing your techniques and for proving that you don’t need $25,000 equipment and other fancy stuff to take the quality of photos that you’re taking. Talent and passion counts for something. Yay!
DaviMack - Although Deb and Alex have “loaned” the kit zoom lens to me, I have purchased the 50mm 1.8 lens and it IS far superior. Of course the zoom is more convenient at times, but as you noted, changing lenses isn’t all that difficult. :-)
Deb - The plum and the cherry started my salivation.
Plum? Maybe nectarine?
Would I buy prints ? OMG Yeah.
Hi! Tell the CFO, CTO and Assistant Photographer, that I have already on occassion looked through your blog for photos to use in my design work. Sadly nothing had quite what I was looking for at the time, but, if there was something on your site that I could purchase, then the answer is a loud yes!
If you look at the stock photo libraries, and what is available in the food section, you will see that there is a huge market for good food photography. Particularly series that match. Currently I’m searching for a series of shots for a fruit and vegetable retailer and can not get the 5-6 shots that I need.
So again I say, YES PLEASE!
Would I buy prints? Does water make chocolate seize?
Keep in mind that you’d want a set of distribution procedures, price scales, and licensing agreements that would cover the gamut from nice dye-sub prints to non-commercial downloads to hi-res commercial stock photography. (Oops — what am I saying? You’re immersed in the tech world, you must already be all over this.)
As others have mentioned, it would be nice to purchase prints in sets. If you can figure out some way to allow users to create their own custom sets from the full lineup of images, that would be exciting, and probably foster sales.
That’s very nice of you two to share all your tips! I’ve been really struggling with the low light recently and had been wondering about buying some fancy lights but the speedlite flash is probably much more suitable, I just didn’t know it…
I definitely second your tip of skipping the kit lens and going for the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8. It’s so good and not even particularly expensive.
I would buy a print, if personalized delivery was included.
you are an inspiration. The dark evenings depress me and I struggle with photography. The flash is going on my shopping list immediately. I am not even waiting for Christmas. Thanks for the tip - I have been kind of scared about flashes - but since you seem to take photos the same way I do I think I might be able to handle it.
Yes! Make a calendar, a la dooce - perhaps with a recipe each month?
photos for sale - YES!!!! especially if we can custom order from thumbnails. I would love to have some of yours hanging in my kitchen!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Absolutely! I would love prints but I even more taken with the idea of notecards or postcards (maybe incorporating recipes too).
definitely would be interested in purchasing photos
I would buy prints if the price was good. I second fay’s calendar idea; that’d be really exciting.
I recently purchased the Speedlite 430EX too, and it’s making my photos look infinitely better. I used to wonder if/how it was possible to have nice photos on a food blog when natural light is not an option at dinnertime. Thanks for all the great tips and great photos (yes, I want to lick my screen).
i would buy cards.. for sure.
Depending on price, I’d buy a print. I like photography and food, so, you know…good match.
postcards/notecards would be great…
Wow, thank you for all of this advice. I read your blog religiously and adore your photos, food and style.
great post! i’m not a big fan of flash and rarely use it and the same goes with editing photos. try to stay away from it. thanks for sharing! it’s always fun to see what goes on “behind the scenes”. you’re photos are gorgeous!
I do love your photos. They remind me of the photographs in Nigel Slater’s Real Food (UK edition).
Great Post… thanks so much for sharing your insight on food photography. It’s useful to know how other non-professionals approach food styling and food photography as I try to develop some “style” of my own. Also relieved to know that I don’t need to mortgage the house for camera supplies!
I’d probably be inclined to purchase stunning food photography (yes, yours qualifies) in the form of greeting cards… or a calendar.
What a great post! With daylight savings time and it being dark at dinner time, I am so struggling with evening photos. I’ll have to look into a new flash…sounds like a great Christmas present.
Nice post! And I would definitely buy a print or cards, depending on price.
Now one more question for you: How did you get your poached eggs perfectly formed like that? Special pan or tool? I am pretty good at the whirlpool method and they usually look decent, but not like that!
Your post couldn’t have come at a better time. I have been having major frustration and consternation over my photos. I wrote a whole post about it this morning. I’ve been ready to throw in the towel, but now I’m going to try some of the tips I’ve learned. Thanks!
you two, without question, have the best fblog (food blog) on the web, and i’ve seen plenty. plus, y’all add just the right amount of spoonfuls (TBS.) of love to the mixture, along with a few cupfuls (cups) of adoration and the perfect temperature (350 degrees) for all of us to follow right along. the photos? well, they just add to the ambiance, like candles and low lighting and soft jazz music. bravo.
Handy tips! I also recommend the Gorillapod, which is small and super-flexible. I just got one and love it.
sell em! make them cheap - put em on etsy! Do it! I’ll buy the red onions one right now.
Yes, yes, and yes. My walls are in need of some decor.
Hmm, I might have to splurge on that Cannon flash. My camera has this crazy intense flash that completely washes out everything, so I never use it. I just turn up the lights as bright as they go and later tinker with the lighting digitally.
I would totally buy some of your prints to decorate my kitchen and dining room. And probably the rest of my house.
That was a really helpful and informative blog post. Thank you! You two post some of the best food pictures out there in the food blogosphere. Keep up the good work!
I’d love to hang some of those lovely shots in my kitchen!
(You know- to look at while I eat cereal for dinner…Ha!)
My 2 cents goes towards a calendar- something smaller in scale that could go on a fridge would be great (and a good gift).
I love the idea of creating post cards with your photos on them…sold in sets of 6 or ten using various “themes.” Chocolate, Produce, Etc. I also really love the idea of creating a DIY inexpensive cookbook (thinking maybe $10-15) that showcases your photos and coordinating recipes. It’s a great hostess gift idea for the holidays…or stocking stuffer!
Or, you could combine the two and have a booklet of tearout postcards…each with a short, but sweet recipe worked into the design. If you need help finding a printer, just let me know!
The last line made me chuckle out loud. My fiance has a NY Islanders blog and participates in their BlogBox and takes ALOT of pictures. As a result of observing his photography equipment expenses, I’ve found myself asking on nearly a weekly basis if he’s going to ever try to sell any pictures. He first says no one would buy them (I disagree), and then laughs and ignores any follow-up questions. I do also use the camera, but am continuously amazed at how much equipment costs. I’m amused at not being the only spouse/significant other who has thought of selling prints, lol.
I think you do a fine job w/ the food photography you present here
I’ve been a lurker for some time, someone I know has tagged your posts in his del.icio.us and I have been coming back for me tempting tid-bits and such since spying the posts he’s bookmarked
another good friend worked w/ Tyler Florence, she gave me a copy of his book http://www.amazon.com/Eat-This-Book-Cooking-Flavors/dp/1400052378 and I thought the food photography he included in that book was most XLNT - I believe it was shot at his house and such, nothing too fancy-schmancy in terms of equipment and such…
MatthewA on Flickr has a great collection of food photography as well if you are ever in need of any inspiration http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewa/sets/135232/
his online portfolio is quite appealing as well
http://www.mattarmendariz.com/
Practice, absolutely. All of the above teachniques, but also “Personality” is important.
When I visit here, I always look at the photography and know instantly that it’s yours, because you inject your own personality into each shot.
I love your photos and would snap up a package of notecards, no question. I think the key to your photos’ charm is that not only are they visually pleasing, they somehow highlight the non-visual, sensual qualitites of the subject food: the viscous yolk of that poached egg dripping down the toast, the pliancy of the roll of uncooked dough, the creaminess of the risotto.
Deb — I second Amber. Please tell us how you poach your eggs. I’m tempted to lick my screen.
p.s. The best tasting egg I ever cooked/ate was one I poached in whipping cream. Yeah, I know, not something I’d do everyday, but the cream was leftover and I couldn’t throw it out — could I? Also, I bought the eggs at Trader Joe’s. Their eggs taste like the ones I had as a kid, when my mom would buy them at a farm. Yum.
I actually use the whirlpool method as well, but I’m pretty bad at it. I always lose a bit of the white, and the eggs typically sink anyway and I find myself shoveling them off the bottom. Really, I’m that bad at it. Every one in three I get a pretty one, like above, but it’s dumb luck! That said, I have tried every method known to man (I LOVE poached eggs) and the whirlpool really is the easiest and most natural. (As in, no cooked edges from a poacher, ring, etc. which is the exact reason I prefer poached eggs anyway.) Good luck!
Wow, this is really helpful. I’m still learning, but you’re right that practice makes perfect (or at least, much better). I try to get home whlie it’s still light out, but that’s pretty difficult when it’s dark by 4:30 in NYC this winter! But I definitely take a lot of picture on the weekends — which is when I have the most free time to cook, so it works out. I’m going to write down the name of the flash you recommend though — maybe santa will bring it this year? :-)
First of all, it’s lunchtime and I have a loaf of artisan pumpkinseed bread in the kitchen and your runny egg photo just cinched the deal on what to eat.
Second, I’ve drawn a lot of inspiration from your photos in terms of the props you use, or the way you “style” the dish . . . for instance, by taking a bite or breaking into it . . . or just showing the empty dish! It’s really made me think. So thank you!
And . . . if you haven’t already, please stop by http://www.generouspour.com to help me raise money for Share Our Strength towards ending hunger in America. You don’t have to buy anything, pay anything or even do anything — other than download a cool song by Corinne Bailey Rae and pick up some new holiday recipes. Thanks for your support!
great info, thanks so much. Your pictures are beautiful.
If I wasn’t going to grad school full-time I would totally buy some…I bet you could get them into some local stationary shops as well. Your photos are beautiful and I really enjoyed this post. Regarding the problem of cooking at night-is there anyway to get around the flash problem without spending hundreds on a fancy flash? As you can see at my site, since I work fulltime and mostly cook at night, I end up using my on camera flash when I shouldnt. Maybe Ill have to stick to blogging only on weekends when I can get some daylight. Or wait until summer….
Huh. I’m going to have to practice some more with the whirlpool! I also love poached eggs, and make them almost every weekend. My new favorite thing is to eat them on toasted bread rubbed with tomato, drizzled with olive oil, and sprinkled with a little coarse salt (more Spanish inspiration).
Great post, and thanks for all your tips. I like the simple pictures you take of your food that still make them look very, very tantalizing. I’m completley lusting after your flash, now - and Christmas is on the horizon…
Stumbled upon your blog on Serious Eats. I found your post really helpful and love your pictures!! I have lighting problem like you did, especially shooting in the evening, now I have learnt a tip from you! Thank you very much!
I came across your site while site surfing for thanksgiving ideas and gosh am I ever glad I did. The food sounds wonderful and I am inspired to try some new stuff but the photos! A feast for the eyes and some of the best I’ve seen in ages. Brava and bravo.
Amen sister! And thank you for stating it so well. I usually won’t tell people anymore what camera I have, it’s my nature. And yeah, it should be good to go out of the camera, no post production.
Uh, see if you can’t get a cord for the flash that allows you to move it about the room. I have one for mine, but it ain’t Canon.
xo, Biggles
ps - Many of these speedlights can be purchased used for very little amount of money at my favorite used spot, k e h . c o m. I’ve been buying from them for about 10 years now.
I love your site. The food and photography are two passions of mine. I have a Nikon FM1 that I learned how to use at FIT and have one of the arlier versions of the digital Canon Elf as well as an ancient Canon point and shoot. Am looking at a Canon 30D. Do you know anything about it?
Deb, you do indeed have a fantastic site, not just because of the great photography but also your use of words. I use a small Panasonic with 3.2 mega pixels. Most of my pictures are taken during kitchen service at a hefty pace, no time to play. Would you have any advice on how I might be able to improve. Time and flexibility are an issue. The customer can not suffer, but I would like better pictures. Regards John
Looking really good…
You should try out a little microstock…
You could check my blog for a little info :)
http://pdtnc.wordpress.com/tag/stock-images/
btw… we may have to try your Orange Peel things :)
Oh… and I can really really recommend the Sigma 10-20mm lens for a wide one :)
I’m a novice food blogger and food photographer . . . I’ve been at it a little over a month . . . and a friend found and recommended I check out your site this morning. I’m inspired by your pics and will immediately add you to my bookmarks. My photos have been improving steadily with some reading and a lot of practice. I don’t think I’ve developed a unique “style” yet, but all good things in all good time, right? Cheers!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!! Your pictures are beautiful. I have a loaner point-and-shoot now for my newbie food blog. Perhaps Santa will bring me a digital SLR in 2008. I guess this means I’ll have to stop buying All-Clad for a while …
Being a personal chef, I am in the process of creating my website. I haven’t found any sites on line that sell pics that I would put on my site. I am in awe of yours and would be proud to feature them on my site. You rock!
I would LOVE to buy some of your prints for my kitchen. I’ve been looking for food pictures and NOTHING has really stood out to me more than your amazing pictures!
Hi Emily — We just set it up! Thanks for your interest. http://smitten.smugmug.com/