The Artist Eye

More Food Photography and Defining Image Focus

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I wanted to add some more food photography from the Dinner4Two shoot so you can see the variety of menus, lighting and decor. The fun thing about photographing food is the variety and combinations of arrangements, props, angles and even lighting choices.

Below you can see how I handled several different perspectives of the scallops to give the client options. You will also see in the photographs different amounts of focus in each picture. Some of the dishes have a very narrow depth of field meaning only a very limited amount of the food is in focus or a narrow focus. This type of focus prompts the viewer to see only a very select area of the photograph as being in focus or sharp. It is a great way of emphasizing the most important characteristics of the subject and blur everything else as to not bring distraction to the focused area. This select focus is very popular now and the photographer has complete control as to what is in focus and how the focus was created via in camera or Photoshop using a blur filter.

A wider focus area or larger depth of field may include all objects in the photograph as being in focus. By doing so the photographer gives the viewer a full, complete view of the subject and is everything in the photograph is sharp in focus from front to back. This in turn means the setup was created by the maker so that the food is laid out with a very pleasing composition. What you see and how you see the image is controlled by how the objects are placed. This is the more difficult approach but very effective when done correctly as some objects in the scene are the main stars and other objects are only supporting actors or props that guide your eye around the image and back to the main subject. The different components of composition, texture, form and light & shadow as created by the lighting set becomes the cement of the final product.

I will have another set ready in a day or two plus some action shots of Chef Dave preparing the ingredients.

Enjoy,

David Wright