My sis in law owns a small burger outlet and she wants me to photograph her products, pls give me some tips on the best way to shoot these. Her products are burgers, fries, onion rings, and shakes. My equiptment are: canon 400D, 50mm f1.8, 100mm f2.8 macro, 18-55 kit lens, 55-200 f/3.5, one strobe light and a reflector.


Thanks for helping out guys!!!!

hello paolo

im not a pro but i'll share what ive learned frrom books, magazines and the net.

here are some points you could try

(a) use window light
(b) backlit your subject but dont forget to use a reflector or anything similar
(c) keep it clean - make it a point to have minimal clutter
(d) proper presentation/styling is 50% of the shot (check for details)
(e) shoot from different angles

again, these all are based from myt experience and what ive learned from the past.

good luck and do update us of the outcome of your shoot.:)

btw.. if i have your gear i would use the 50 and 100 (just my personal preference) :)

Thanks i will, my shoot should be on wed or thurs so after i gather all the tips here i'll put up what i got. Thanks again!

hello paolo

(a) use window light
(b) backlit your subject but dont forget to use a reflector or anything similar
(c) keep it clean - make it a point to have minimal clutter
(d) proper presentation/styling is 50% of the shot (check for details)
(e) shoot from different angles



I basically adhere to Levi's aforementioned recommendations and they work well! The kakanin merienda feature I had posted last Friday in my blogsite turned out to be the most popular in garnering reader comments.

Good luck!

About th 55th page in the Food Anyone thread there's a tutorial on how to shoot a burger.

Separate the layers with cardboard and increase height by stacking with tooth pick... etc. etc. etc.

@Paolo
You can check out allanflorendo.multiply.com for some sample food shots.
I shot all of them using studio lights and a lot of reflectors. I suggest practice first
before your actual shoot. Good luck and update us on this!

http://www.foodportfolio.com/blog/#Food_photography_blog

Here's a site that I frequently refer to when shooting food. HTH

@Nino
nice link! Thanks for sharing!

Would you know how she would want the photos of her products? Would they be dropped out or with a particular setting? The type of photo they will need will determine your approach to lighting it. For example: if its the products against a particular setting with props, window light with some resulting soft shadows is very workable. But if its dropped out, more clean and even lighting might be needed.

@allan nice multiply, i like the hotdogs one, might be able to incorporate something like that for her products

@nino Thanks! great link! It'll really help! I've alrady added it to my fsvorites!

@ria Thanks for the info, I'll be sure to check it out, sounds like exactly like what i need

@louie it'll probably be just a dropped out shoot so I'll try to keep it clean right? but i might have some impromptu settings shots. Ill try to post it as soon as its done. hope youll like it, if i need to shoot again though itll be ok so any comments on it would be cool!

Ok. If its drop out then it should be more evenly lit. Yet, we must consider that for most foods to look good we have to bring out the texture and that is done through lighting. Frontal lighting doesn't do the trick. Usually set the light somewhere from above or to the side so that it can cast some tiny shadows that will reveal texture. You have one light and a reflector so let's try to work with that. What you could try is have the light somewhat above or to the side, have tracing paper between the light and the subject, and then the reflector on the side less lit for fill.

http://www.louieaguinaldo.com/client/LightingSetup-copy.jpg

Thanks! the illustration reallyhelps! thanks for the advice,hope my shots will do your advice justice

Don't forget to use glycerin on the burger to get that oh-so-juicy effect.

@nick glycerin? ok check!!! only on the meat and vg parts though right?

Yep. Basically, you rub a small amount of glycerin on the meat. Also, you may consider spraying some on the veggies (50/50 water to glycerin ratio) to create some nice beads for freshness look.

Additionally, if you are placing the burger (or any food item) on a shiny plate, use dulling spray on the plate first to eliminate glare.

Good luck.