I want to thank everybody who left a comment on the first part of this food photography composition series of posts. It really proves the point that composition is probably one of the aspects of food photography that most people have trouble with. I was trying to convey a feeling of lightness and fluffiness with those “flying” (they were actually dropping) pancakes. But it got very different reactions from different viewers. That only means that I need more practice with composition, which is fine with me. I really love taking pictures of food.
This second installment of the series will focus on a more technical side of composition. After reading Lou Manna’s book, Digital Food Photography, I have been trying to be more technical when framing my shots. The following information and shots are based on the information written in the chapter Composition of Manna’s book.
One of the most important things to remember when shooting a picture is that the camera and lens play a crucial role. Most of my food pictures are taken with a 50mm prime lens (a non-zoom lens) so I don’t worry about proportions too much. But if you are using a wide angle or zoom lens (or in the case of point and shoot cameras the wide or telephoto setting) you have to understand how the proportion of the image will be affected by them. Take a look at the following shots:
This first shot was taken at 28mm (the wider setting on that particular lens). The tomatoes look so distant from one another and the real size of the tomato in the back is distorted. This is because wide angle lenses and settings exaggerate perspective. Just think of the “leaning” buildings taken with fisheye lenses or with your point and shoot in the wide angle setting.
The tomatoes on the second shot, taken at 90mm (the telephoto setting on that same lens), have a better proportion and look closer together. The reason is that the telephoto setting of your lens compresses distance. The lesson to learn here is to use the telephoto setting, even if you have to back away from your food, to have a better proportion and perspective of the foreground and background elements in your pictures.
Next, focus on the way you hold your camera. A straight angle works in many cases, but many others a little tilt will give a shot the perfect perspective and composition. Play around with the angle and the distance you hold your camera when aiming at your subject. In this case I wanted to give the shot above different approaches:
In this case, I think the third picture works best because of the angle of the glasses and because picture 2 is too straight and pictures 1 and 4 make the tomatoes look like they are going to fall off. Which is another point you have to pay attention when tilting your camera. Is it going to help composition by placing the subject slightly off-center? Or is it going to make the viewer wonder when the food (or drink) is going to fall of the plate?
Next time I’ll talk more about composition (maybe the last post on the series), but for now I hope this little iformation and shots I am sharing here help your food photography. It sure has given me some very good pointers to improve my shots. But remember that the best way to improve your photography skills is by playing (practicing and experimenting) with your camera.
About the subjects for this post: I used tomatoes stuffed with sauteed onions, zucchini, corn kernels, jalapeno peppers and tuna. The best part of this ordeal is that I get to eat the subjects afterward. That’s an arrangement I can live with.
¡Buen provecho and happy shooting!
26 Replies
Your photos always amaze me! Thank you for the tips. Keep them coming!
Posted on August 4th, 2009 at 8:57 am
Great ideas to think about when setting up shots! I never go for the tilt, so I’ll have to practice with it. The salad stuffed in the tomatoes looks delicious too by the way.
Posted on August 4th, 2009 at 9:18 am
Brilliant Ben,,,just WOW!! I have a telephoto lens. U referring to that or is there a regular camera setting? Pardon my ignorance….
Posted on August 4th, 2009 at 9:30 am
Ben, I said it before and I’ll say it again. Your photography is superb. I absolutely love the composition, the lighting, the “point of view”. Kudos my friend. I’m going to start calling you Mr. Bigshot from now on.
Posted on August 4th, 2009 at 10:06 am
Thanks so much for sharing. I am a writer and cook, not a photographer, but I am trying to learn and get a little better. Your tomato shots are really eye-catching and appetizing–yum.
Posted on August 4th, 2009 at 10:41 am
This was all such great information! thanks for all the inspiration!!
Posted on August 4th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
Great post. I love this! Now…for me to get a SLR to be able to change lenses in the first place. But I do love the tips for composition. Makes a difference!
Posted on August 4th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
I like tilted angles, etc., too.
Posted on August 4th, 2009 at 5:59 pm
Stunning photos. Would love to see some behind the scenes photos of the next shoot.
Posted on August 4th, 2009 at 6:31 pm
THANKS BEN!!!!!
I really appreciate you taking the time to write these instructive posts so much!!!! All your photos are gorgeous, but I agree, that third one with the glasses has the most interesting composition!
Thanks Ben!
Posted on August 4th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
Nice! The more I play with the camera the more I learn. However, you are always there to teach even more.
I have the Tamron 90mm and am loving that lens for everything. I definitely need to pick up a better lens for outdoor stuff. Actually I will tweet you about this tomorrow.
I do like the composition in #3 the best although for some reason the angle in #4 is really cool to me.
Posted on August 4th, 2009 at 8:30 pm
Those posts are my favs. I learn so much. I always want to improve my pictures.
I have couple questions:
-How do you get your 5th pic to look tall? Do you take the picture turning the camera?
-Was the last picture taken with a 50mm lense?
-Do you sometimes take pictures of food outdoor in order to get natural light?
-I now try to take my pics with my new 50mm lense. Do you recommend any other lenses for food photography?
-I do like to use Photo Manager 2009 for editing & Picasa. What software do you use?
I really like the two last pictures because of the angle but they are all beautiful.
Posted on August 5th, 2009 at 1:57 am
Excellent pictures and post, Ben. Looking forward to all the other posts that are yet to come.
Posted on August 5th, 2009 at 2:43 am
I never tire of food photography posts. From lighting, styling & composition to camera, settings & lens, I find these sorts of posts fascinating. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Posted on August 5th, 2009 at 3:20 am
Thank you so much for this post..This is something that I really need
Posted on August 5th, 2009 at 6:16 am
thanks Ben…love these too..being a vegetarian I should try this recipe without the tuna…love the photo….i should take some tips on how to go about clicking that damn camera…m so bad at it!
Posted on August 5th, 2009 at 7:12 am
Talking about the PERFECT picture!!
Angie’s Recipes
Posted on August 5th, 2009 at 8:46 am
A very informative and very helpful post, Ben. Thanks a lot. Keep ‘em coming.
Posted on August 5th, 2009 at 9:29 am
I am referring to the setting on your camera lens. Most point and shoots have the zoom feature, my suggestion is to zoom in even if you have to step a couple of feet back. Just remember that with that setting you have to keep the camera very still.
Posted on August 5th, 2009 at 11:57 am
LOL Thanks Teresa. Comments like this keep me going
Posted on August 5th, 2009 at 11:58 am
The time and energy invested in it are really worthwhile. I hope this pointers help you with your photography
Posted on August 5th, 2009 at 11:59 am
Hi Alta,
You don’t need to get a SLR. My suggestions about the zoom apply also to point and shoots. Just zoom in and step back a a couple of feet. That for me worked great when I was shooting with a p&s
Posted on August 5th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
Hi Helene!
-It helps that the glasses were tall, but it has to do with the angle I take them. I try to get as level as possible with my food, meaning that I don’t do too many overhead shots. Also you could try to shot from a lower angle. I am sure that will make anything look tall.
-Yes, all the pictures were taken with the 50mm lens except the very first two.
-My recommendation for almost any kind of photography is the 50mm lens. It is such a great lens for the price, Many photographers call it the miracle lens. I would recommend any prime lens for food photography, like the 85mm f/1.8 or the 30mm macro lens. They are, however, more expensive but the results are very good too.
-For my picture editing I only use Photoshop. It’s such a powerful tool and I am getting comfortable with it. If you are looking for an open source software I recommend GIMP. It is also very powerful and not too complicated.
Thanks a lot for stopping by!
Posted on August 5th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
Thank you guys for your comments and questions. These are what keep my blog going
Posted on August 5th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
Wow!… me encantaron tus fotos!!! Le voy a dar tu pagina a mi esposo… es amante de la fotografia!!!
Posted on August 16th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
[...] What’s Cooking has several helpful articles, here and here [...]
Posted on August 16th, 2009 at 9:31 pm
Leave a reply