[Dummies 01] • Food Styling and Photography For Dummies by Parks-Whitfield, Alison -- Read -- Imperial Library of Trantor

Index

Introduction

About This Book Conventions Used in This Book What You’re Not to Read Foolish Assumptions How This Book Is Organized

Part I: Introducing Food Styling and Photography Part II: It’s All in the Presentation (Styling) Part III: Shooting the Food: Techniques with the Camera Part IV: And for Dessert: Managing Your Photos and More Part V: Part of Tens

Icons Used in This Book Where to Go from Here

Part I: Introducing Food Styling and Photography

Chapter 1: Exploring Food Photography

Styling Food for Delicious Photos

Starting with backgrounds Foraging for props Placing the food and accents

Following Your Focus Talking about the Technical Bits

Looking at lighting Considering camera equipment

Uploading, Backing Up, and Naming Photos Working on the Business of Food Photography

Chapter 2: Photography Know-How and Equipment

Cameras 101: Choosing the Right Camera for You

Digital SLRs all the way Sorry, penny pinchers, you can’t use point-and-shoot-cameras

Lenses: Figuring Focal Lengths

Finding the right lens for the job Using manual versus autofocus lenses

Stabilizing Your Camera

Tripods GorillaPods Monopods

Lighting Things Up

Lights Reflectors C-stands

Choosing Your ISO Shooting RAW and Using Other File Formats Sticking It to Memory — Cards, That Is

Chapter 3: Your Stylist Toolkit

Setting a Mood for Food

Understanding background basics Exploring other background options Playing with color Fine-tuning with tweezers

Building a Housewares Library

Collecting plates and linens Using utensils Decorating with doilies and other nifty accents

Shopping for Treasures

Discount stores Antique stores

Finding Great Ingredients

Farmers’ markets Bakeries Specialty shops and prepared foods

Chapter 4: Dealing with Employers, Personnel, and Sets

Know What You’re Shooting For

Shooting stock for fun and profit Taking photos for advertising Capturing images for food packaging

Working with Personnel at a Photo Shoot

Getting in tune with an art director Bonding with chefs

Creating Worlds: Sets and Settings

Prim and proper Casual and cozy Food as design

Part II: It’s All in the Presentation (Styling)

Chapter 5: Preparing for an Off-Site Photo Shoot

Planning for the Shoot

Communicating with your client Considering the space

Creating a Checklist Packing and Transporting Your Gear

Protecting your camera Downscaling for agility Packing like a pro Bringing extras along for the ride

Chapter 6: Getting the Yummy to Translate on Film

Focusing on the Drool Factor

Capturing highlights and drips Getting up close and personal

Jaunty Accents: Making Your Dishes Look Interesting

Introducing accents to your images Placing small accents in your images Crafting the perfectly folded napkin

Managing Reflections in Your Food Photos

Blocking unwanted reflections in your shot Adding light with reflective materials

Exploring Textures for a Unique Feel

Creating interest with weathered woods Going modern chic with wrinkly paper, nubby fabrics, and more

The Big Fake Out: Using Non-Food Items in Place of Food

Dressing up drinks with acrylic ice cubes and other fun illusions Fooling the eye with inedible foods

Chapter 7: The Ice Cream Is Melting! Problem Solving for Tricky Foods

The Problem with Produce

Stuff wilts Keeping produce looking fresh

Regulating Temperatures for Sensitive Foods

Cooling and heating chocolate Combating the perils of whipped cream Working with ice cream

Shooting Meat, Poultry, and Seafood

Keeping proteins from drying out Removing the goo: Dealing with meats that congeal

Part III: Shooting the Food: Techniques with the Camera

Chapter 8: Composition Basics

Going the Distance: Shooting Close-Ups and Beyond

Getting up close and personal Pulling back from the tableau

Using Repetition for a Pleasing Look

Echoing the main food subject Adding multiple dishes Stacking linens and other housewares

Placing Your Subject in the Frame Drawing Your Viewer in with Leading Lines Using Graphic Components in Composition

Patterns Shapes

Chapter 9: Lighting, Lighting, Lighting

Exploring the Beauty of Natural Light Choosing Artificial Lights

Continuous lighting Strobe lighting Soft boxes

Placing Lights for Your Setup Measuring Light with a Hand-Held Meter

Types of meters, including the one built in your camera Best meter for food photography

Managing Highlights and Shadows

Creating and toning down contrast Playing with light using reflectors

Chapter 10: Working with Tilts and Angles

Understanding the Angle of Approach

Eye-level angle — 0 degrees Just-above angle — 5 to 20 degrees Up-and-over angle — around 20 to 45 degrees Overhead angle — 90 degrees Tackling unusual angles for a different look and feel

Working with Tilts to Spice up Your Subject Pulling It All Together

Chapter 11: Exploring Focus

Focusing on the Point of Interest

Selective focus Deep focus Soft focus

Understanding Depth of Field

Adjusting aperture Controlling focus in your images

Considering the “Food Porn” Look

Nailing down the technical aspects of the look Playing with the creative aspects of food porn

Going for Crisp and Clean

Part IV: And for Dessert: Managing Your Photos and More

Chapter 12: Post-Processing

Clean Up on Aisle 9! Removing Imperfections

Embracing the Clone Stamp tool Combining the Clone Stamp and Smudge tools to fix problem areas Discovering digital Dodge and Burn tools

Making Your Images Pop in Subtle Ways Keeping Post-Processing to a Minimum

Working (gently) with saturation Playing with shadows Avoiding too much cloning

Chapter 13: Editing and Saving Your Photos

Finding the Best Software for Your Needs

Ease of use Pricing Off-site image access Integration

Processing Your Images

Identifying your very best images Figuring out what to do with your second-best images Basic editing: Playing with white balance

Organizing with Naming Conventions Securing Your Images with Backups

Choosing a hard drive Creating a CD library Storing images in the cloud

Chapter 14: Making Your Photos Available in Print and Online

Creating an Online Presence

Getting yourself on the web Chatting about food and photo blogs

Choosing a Stock Agency

Shooting for stock submissions Aiming for a big name agency Appealing to specialty agencies Considering microstock

Printing Your Photos

Chapter 15: Starting Your Food Styling and Photography Business

Selecting Portfolio Images

Following your gut instincts Spicing it up with variety

Displaying Your Portfolio

Going with printed images Looking into digital options

Choosing a Pricing Model for Your Business

Figuring out your day rate Understanding stock agency prices

Expanding Your Online Presence Advertising Your Business

Part V: The Part of Tens

Chapter 16: Ten Tips for Growing Your Business

Create Business-Based Social Network Pages Nurture a Blog Contribute to Food Photography Bulletin Boards and Forums Buy Internet Ads Use Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Dive in to Stock Agencies Research Opportunities Network Send Postcards Make Trades

Chapter 17: Ten Indispensable Items for a Food Shoot

Cloth Napkins Cooking Oil Duct Tape Extension Cord Extra Camera Batteries and Memory Cards Extra Light Bulbs Foam Core Boards Portable Fabric Steamer Reflectors White Tablecloth

Chapter 18: Ten Awesome Garnishes for Food Images

Basil Leaves Bits of the Subject Chopped Green Onions The Double Drizzle Fresh Berries Fresh Citrus Peels Grains of Salt Microgreens Sesame Seeds Thinly Sliced Parmesan Cheese

Cheat Sheet

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