School and Food Photography

[erika120485]

I want to get started on food photography. I dont have much experince, im a cake decorator. I want to finally persue Food Photography i just dont know how to get started. Would food photography be like cake decorating? You learn more out in the field? Or should i go to school for photography? and what schools best fit food photography?
Many questions....

[BCampbell]

Food photograpy requires a pretty well-rounded set of skills, including a good deal of lighting which can one of the harder things to learn.

Instruction can definitely help you with those skills if that's the way you learn best. You might learn a little more than you absolutely need, but there's no harm there.

If you can self-teach, you can probably get some really good results. With a good digital camera you can use trial-and-error as much as you want, it's called deleting bad photos.

You'll want to get a camera and learn the basics of how it works (proper exposure, focusing, metering, etc).
You'll want some other basic tools and prctice using them (tripod, remote shutter release, etc.).
You'll want to learn at least some basic post processing, using Photoshop or GIMP.
You'll want to learn good lighting and studio techniques, and invest in at least basic equipment (there there are also some DIY options to get started).

The good news is a lot of this information can be found on the Internet. The bad news is you can't rely 100% on what you read on the Internet, and if you're solely Internet-taught you miss out on valuable face-to-face critical review from instructors and peers.

Good luck!

[NeelLFP]

Erika,

Here's a little bit of what I have learnt in last few years.

Food Photography is Complex
I think there are many aspects to food photography. Unlike other photography genres where if your photography skills are good, you will do pretty good, in food photography, there are lots of small pieces that need to work together - food styling, art direction and of course, camera skills to name a few.

Self-Taught Food Photography
Well, there are many food photographers I know that are self taught. Some learnt about food photography from scratch. I firmly believe that this skill can be self-taught and can be learnt on internet.

Food Photography School
Don't know if there are schools specifically for food photography. From what I have seen, most schools focus on genres that are popular. Food Photography is not one of the very popular niches.

All in All
Learning food photography is fun but complex. It can be done on your own with online help. Don't know if there is any photography school that focus on food photography specifically.

Food Photography Tips
Would love to give detailed tips, but this space is way too small for all that.

Best of luck on the quest.
Neel

[kiengian86]

The best way to learn how to shoot food is to become an assistant to a food photographer.

Before you approach such a person, make sure you know how to compose, expose, develop and print your images ... perfectly. Going to a good photo school would be a BIG help.
Source(s):
Art Center College of Design | Pasadena, CA | Leading by Design
Photography Schools, Film Schools, Digital Photography School
Home | california institute of the arts
Rochester Institute of Technology

Eye candy: BlackBook.com

Editorial, sports and glamour photographer

_________________
_Jason Harding
JasonHarding@katechengines.com
JasonHarding@yahoo.com

[Raoul Isidro]

Food photography is only one of the many roles of a "spe******t". To concentrate on just food photography is narrowing your career and limiting your style. A "Spe******t" photographer (which includes food photography) deals with "out of the ordinary" images required by clients. A professional usually has a studio set up for special needs. The studio set up is about five to ten times the cost of your professional camera, due to special lighting, racks, structures, and set backdrops.
How do you photograph strawberry and vanilla ice cream? It would melt in 20 seconds under the hot lights! (answer: use mashed potatoes with red food colouring to get that pink strawberry ice cream texture)...
I photograph scale model buildings in a studio with accurate solar simulation from from a strong light source to help analyse overshadowing to peripheral developments on Building Council development applications. (that's only one aspect of a spe******t)
Cheers!

[inkista]

Raoul, the mashed potatoes for ice cream thing is only if you're shooting under continuous lights. If you're using strobes, you can shoot the actual ice cream.

I agree that you could probably be self-taught if your main interest is the food, and not so much the photography.

I'd recomend taking a read through David Lebovitz's article on the equipment he uses to photography food for his blog. The trick is to be able to create a studio-like lighting setup with diffused light. This doesn't have to be expensive or terribly hard, depending on the level you want to reach. I'd also recommend heading for Flickr and hunting up a food photography group just to get an idea of what folks are doing and what tools/methods they might be using.

Typically, learning basic SLR photography, getting a macro lens, and some basic lighting skills are most of what you're going to need.

[Raoul Isidro]

"Raoul, the mashed potatoes for ice cream thing is only if you're shooting under continuous lights. If you're using strobes, you can shoot the actual ice cream."

Strobes or klieg, ice cream melts the moment you scoop it out, even inside an air conditioned room. How long does it take to set up an ice cream shot? Half an hour.

[inkista]

Yeah, but the ice cream doesn't have to be under the lights the whole time you're setting up. The Strobist can shoot ice and Leibovitz did a gelato shot just using natural light. What you say is not necessarily the case all the time. And if you're going to be shooting an ice cream cookbook, you better damn well NOT be using mashed potatoes for the shot.

[Raoul Isidro]

There are many ways and means to do the food photography and each has it's own merit. Here's one who uses the 3 techniques: Frozen solid, Inside a cool room, and fake (sculpted) mass.
Food Shoot – Ice Cream « Ocs Alvarez
Hope you have a great time realizing your dream!