Tuesday, February 16, 2010

DPS: Fruits and Vegetables

The month of food photography at Digital Photo School continues with this week's assignment "Fruits and Vegetables".

I would never make it as a food stylist or food photographer. Food is tough for me to depict well right now....even though I certainly love food!


Spinach salad with pea shoots


Spinach salad with blueberries and black olives

Things I wish I could do:
  • Make the light in my kitchen work with me instead of against me
  • Adjust the color so both of these salads are consistent because they're the same salad
  • Figure out how to make the dressed salad look less slimy
The other big drawback to food photography for me is that I have to delay eating long enough to take photos. That doesn't come easily or naturally to me!!!

11 comments:

Angie Willis said...

I think the spinach/olives/blueberries is a good picture - lots of shine on the leaves that all food shots seem pretty big on. The only thing it lacks is a bit of colour maybe to jazz it up - tomatoes? Know what you mean about the difficulty of composing the food without eating it all!!

However, don't mind my comments. I'm a rubbish photographer as you'll have seen from my Colors.

Theresa said...

It is hard not to eat the subject matter before you've snapped the shots. ;-) Of course I'm still wrestling with the blueberries and olives combo.( not that my palate is anything to write home about. I like peanut butter and bacon sandwiches.....) Pity this assignment didn't happen during growing season, food on the vine=divine.

~ The Jolly Bee ~ said...

Ah yes....Sometimes it's hard waiting to eat. I know that problem well. Whenever I'm photographing food, I get really close and go a little off-center. That's my two-cents for what it's worth. With me, it's just a lot of luck. Usually, I have lighting problems so I'm looking forward to longer days so that dinners can be better captured.

Valerie said...

They look good to me....'course, I haven't had breakfast yet.

Have you thought about making your own little light box for the food photo's? There are a number of instructions online for making them. Usually a sheet and some cardboard are involved.

Jennifer said...

I really loved some of these photographs. Maybe they would inpire you as well...

http://www.onehungrychef.com/

Julie said...

I don't know you made that salad look really good! I know what your talking about with the light I just can't take a good picture in my house!

Delighted Hands said...

Are you ready for summer time salads outdoors? Great photo1

Sharon said...

I couldn't help think how remarkable it is that we used to have to use light meters and F-stops to make those adjustments. And we didn't get to see our work until 24 exposures had been shot and developed!

Now, if we aren't happy, we can Photoshop it until we are. The only thing Photoshop can't do is fix a fuzzy exposure. I do see the difference in your salads. That's why you're in the photography school, right?

sheilabythebeach said...

Naturally I am more interested in the containers! I have the same colorful stripey bowl, it is such a fun piece of pottery!
Let me know when you have to photograph pottery, highly glazed pottery...I am terrible at it and I'd love to be better.

R. Delight said...

I have never had much luck photographing food. Even the professional stuff on TV doesn't look good to me. I like to read food blogs too. I noticed the best photos seem to always be on white or solid colored plates and very little background. The salad makes my mouth water! Salty olives and sweet blueberries sound great to me but then, as a vegan, I eat a lot of weird stuff.

Sirius Star Blog said...

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