Newbie advice - for food shoot and long term....

I needed some beginner advice on a specific project and what would be
best long term.

First off, I have a medium format camera with a Vivitar 285 flash
(something I am just learning to use). And currently have a project
that I have to finish - a food / restaurant shoot. I was planning on
just renting a continuous light softbox. However, I do not know if that
would even be sufficient - and I'm concerned that long term it might be
a better investment to just purchase another Vivitar 285 and a flash
meter? Or is it better just to rent the large softbox for just the
shoot. Will the quality of softbox make a big difference? -

Thanks so much!

"fishwrap" wrote in message
...
I needed some beginner advice on a specific project and what would be
best long term.

First off, I have a medium format camera with a Vivitar 285 flash
(something I am just learning to use). And currently have a project
that I have to finish - a food / restaurant shoot. I was planning on
just renting a continuous light softbox. However, I do not know if that
would even be sufficient - and I'm concerned that long term it might be
a better investment to just purchase another Vivitar 285 and a flash
meter? Or is it better just to rent the large softbox for just the
shoot. Will the quality of softbox make a big difference? -

Thanks so much!


You'd probably do better with a camera with shifts & tilts--like a 4x5--if
you will be shooting a big spread like a smorgasbord, for example.

Flash may yield harsh shadows, regardless of whether you are using one unit
or two. Can you possibly shoot in natural light?

"fishwrap" wrote in message
...
I needed some beginner advice on a specific project and what would be
best long term.

First off, I have a medium format camera with a Vivitar 285 flash
(something I am just learning to use). And currently have a project
that I have to finish - a food / restaurant shoot. I was planning on
just renting a continuous light softbox. However, I do not know if that
would even be sufficient - and I'm concerned that long term it might be
a better investment to just purchase another Vivitar 285 and a flash
meter? Or is it better just to rent the large softbox for just the
shoot. Will the quality of softbox make a big difference? -

Thanks so much!


You'd probably do better with a camera with shifts & tilts--like a 4x5--if
you will be shooting a big spread like a smorgasbord, for example.

Flash may yield harsh shadows, regardless of whether you are using one unit
or two. Can you possibly shoot in natural light?

fishwrap wrote:

I needed some beginner advice on a specific project and what would be
best long term.

First off, I have a medium format camera with a Vivitar 285 flash
(something I am just learning to use). And currently have a project
that I have to finish - a food / restaurant shoot. I was planning on
just renting a continuous light softbox. However, I do not know if that
would even be sufficient - and I'm concerned that long term it might be
a better investment to just purchase another Vivitar 285 and a flash
meter? Or is it better just to rent the large softbox for just the
shoot. Will the quality of softbox make a big difference? -

Thanks so much!

Unless you are pulling Polaroids to see the effects of lighting, you might
want to invest in a good flash meter. Try to get one that allows you to
meter an ambient to flash ratio.

You can use small lighting for food, and small reflectors. Various art
boards are one method, and using small mirrors and foils can help. There
are also a couple of books that might be useful. Learning to Light by
Hicks and Schultz is one, and another good choice is Lighting for Food
(large softcover book, mostly white cover). Both of those show a few
lighting set-ups.

Food photography is very difficult, and tough to learn. I hope whomever
you are working with has some patience, and will allow several re-shoots.
You should also have a food stylist, or very creative chef to handle the
food. There are some tricks to that as well, with some dishes not being
cooked enough to eat, or just being really potentially uneatable. A weird
example is that mashed potatoes work better than ice cream for doing ice
cream images . . . mashed potatoes and chocolate sauce . . . yuck!

Anyway, take your time, practice a little at home in your kitchen, and be
patient. You might also want to pick up a cheap Polaroid Automatic pack
film camera to at least test your lighting.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat
A G Studio
http://www.allgstudio.com

fishwrap wrote:

I needed some beginner advice on a specific project and what would be
best long term.

First off, I have a medium format camera with a Vivitar 285 flash
(something I am just learning to use). And currently have a project
that I have to finish - a food / restaurant shoot. I was planning on
just renting a continuous light softbox. However, I do not know if that
would even be sufficient - and I'm concerned that long term it might be
a better investment to just purchase another Vivitar 285 and a flash
meter? Or is it better just to rent the large softbox for just the
shoot. Will the quality of softbox make a big difference? -

Thanks so much!

Unless you are pulling Polaroids to see the effects of lighting, you might
want to invest in a good flash meter. Try to get one that allows you to
meter an ambient to flash ratio.

You can use small lighting for food, and small reflectors. Various art
boards are one method, and using small mirrors and foils can help. There
are also a couple of books that might be useful. Learning to Light by
Hicks and Schultz is one, and another good choice is Lighting for Food
(large softcover book, mostly white cover). Both of those show a few
lighting set-ups.

Food photography is very difficult, and tough to learn. I hope whomever
you are working with has some patience, and will allow several re-shoots.
You should also have a food stylist, or very creative chef to handle the
food. There are some tricks to that as well, with some dishes not being
cooked enough to eat, or just being really potentially uneatable. A weird
example is that mashed potatoes work better than ice cream for doing ice
cream images . . . mashed potatoes and chocolate sauce . . . yuck!

Anyway, take your time, practice a little at home in your kitchen, and be
patient. You might also want to pick up a cheap Polaroid Automatic pack
film camera to at least test your lighting.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat
A G Studio
http://www.allgstudio.com

I needed some beginner advice on a specific project and what would be
best long term.

First off, I have a medium format camera with a Vivitar 285 flash
(something I am just learning to use). And currently have a project
that I have to finish - a food / restaurant shoot. I was planning on
just renting a continuous light softbox. However, I do not know if that
would even be sufficient - and I'm concerned that long term it might be
a better investment to just purchase another Vivitar 285 and a flash
meter? Or is it better just to rent the large softbox for just the
shoot. Will the quality of softbox make a big difference? -


there is food shots and there are food shots, are we talking lavish
illustrations of a master chef's fabulous recipe to be shot in the trendy
restaurant? Or plates of chow fun and General Tso's Chicken to be pinned up
on the wall so people can point to what they want and avoid language
problems?

AS others have pointed out, food is hard, its a bizarre specialty that
usually has several assistants, you have food stylists whose job it is to
fuss, fudge and fake food to look like...food. Set designers, if you look
at layouts in fancy magazines there is more attention paid to the set build
for a turkey leg than a playboy centerfold's leg, seriously. and of course
an article for a holiday issue is usually shot six months or so inadvance.
So everything is out of season, It's some people's specialty to get all that
stuff you need, they have to find it, ship it and make sure it gets to the
set at its peak.

for a simple set up, buy an EZcube at ebay, or use window light and
reflector, or take your flash and bounce it off a white wall.

This reply is echoed to the z-prophoto mailing list at yahoogroups.com

"zeitgeist" wrote in message
news:YSobd.244299$D%.21637@attbi_s51...

there is food shots and there are food shots, are we talking lavish
illustrations of a master chef's fabulous recipe to be shot in the trendy
restaurant? Or plates of chow fun and General Tso's Chicken to be pinned
up
on the wall so people can point to what they want and avoid language
problems?

Good examples. Thanks for that. I ate at a place yesterday that was so bad
they zeroxed the plate of food and called it leftovers.

In article , Gordon Moat
wrote:
Unless you are pulling Polaroids to see the effects of lighting, you might
want to invest in a good flash meter. Try to get one that allows you to
meter an ambient to flash ratio.

You can use small lighting for food, and small reflectors. Various art
boards are one method, and using small mirrors and foils can help. There
are also a couple of books that might be useful. Learning to Light by
Hicks and Schultz is one, and another good choice is Lighting for Food
(large softcover book, mostly white cover). Both of those show a few
lighting set-ups.

Food photography is very difficult, and tough to learn. I hope whomever
you are working with has some patience, and will allow several re-shoots.
You should also have a food stylist, or very creative chef to handle the
food. There are some tricks to that as well, with some dishes not being
cooked enough to eat, or just being really potentially uneatable. A weird
example is that mashed potatoes work better than ice cream for doing ice
cream images . . . mashed potatoes and chocolate sauce . . . yuck!

Anyway, take your time, practice a little at home in your kitchen, and be
patient. You might also want to pick up a cheap Polaroid Automatic pack
film camera to at least test your lighting.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat
A G Studio

Thanks for the advice! I understand that food photography is difficult
- and I will take a look at the Hicks and Schultz book.

My big question is whether a Vivitar 285, with an attached umbrella or
softbox, and reflectors will produce a descent result (a result below a
glamor shot and above a descriptive photo). The photos are going to
print but will be used on their website and should look appealing.

Thanks again for everybody's input!!

"fishwrap" wrote in message
...

My big question is whether a Vivitar 285, with an attached umbrella or
softbox, and reflectors will produce a descent result

No. It is far too underpowered.

fishwrap wrote:

. . . . . . . . . . . .

Thanks for the advice! I understand that food photography is difficult
- and I will take a look at the Hicks and Schultz book.

My big question is whether a Vivitar 285, with an attached umbrella or
softbox,

Mini softbox, or some umbrella type clamping arrangement would just diminish
the flash power. You would probably need to do many flash pops manually, while
leaving the shutter open on a B setting, just to get an even lighting. However,
if you Polaroid test that idea, you might find something that works. The other
problem with this is that ambient lighting will change the colour of the food,
and long exposures cause colour shifts in most films.

and reflectors will produce a descent result (a result below a
glamor shot and above a descriptive photo). The photos are going to
print but will be used on their website and should look appealing.

My suggestion is to forget the small flash unit, and try to get the food to
some outside lighting. Daylight is better than any lighting with softbox. Use a
diffuser, or some reflectors, and avoid direct sunlight.

Any softbox, or shoot through diffuser, will cause a loss of some of the strobe
output, meaning that you would need a more powerful strobe to avoid multiple
strobe pops, or really long ambient exposures. Your small Vivitar would barely
light one plate properly, without casting harsh shadows, and giving bad hot
spots. My guess is you might try it anyway, but your standards (and the
clients) would need to be low to find the results acceptable.



Thanks again for everybody's input!!

To put images onto the internet, you might get close enough, or just end up
spending lots of time in PhotoShop to get the food to look appealing. If you
really want images going to print, and something better than newsprint, you
could find you are in serious trouble with lighting and colour problems. There
is only so much that can be done in PhotoShop, so don't expect to "fix" the
images later.

If the restaurant has any area outside to set up a small table to do photos,
that would be one solution to use natural lighting. If they are near the top of
a tall building, then try to find an area near a window, so that some ambient
light can illuminate the food. Outside of that, consider taking the chef to
your house, or some other location, and have them do the food at a location
more favourable to natural lighting. Best of luck.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat
A G Studio
http://www.allgstudio.com