Finally it had come to a (temporary) end to studio photography this summer.
As you can see, we did some (and some means A LOT) of pastry photography. I cannot disclose anything more here but here's some behind the scenes pictures to share.
I learnt an enormous amount (well to me it's enormous anyway =D) when shooting with Edward and our head of department, C-J (that's what we all call him, he prefers it that way). It's a bit different but not entirely from video and it was a blast these past days. Got the help from fellow friends, they were all great to work with and we had fun all the way.
I learnt an enormous amount (well to me it's enormous anyway =D) when shooting with Edward and our head of department, C-J (that's what we all call him, he prefers it that way). It's a bit different but not entirely from video and it was a blast these past days. Got the help from fellow friends, they were all great to work with and we had fun all the way.
gear.
Now let's get to some tech-talk. One of my friends when searching for a tripod head just purchased a Manfrotto Video Head (forgot the model), but it was awesome to work with. Had been using video heads instead of ball heads the past year and was used to the workings of it. So when I was brought a ball head to shoot photography, it took some time to get used to. We used a Canon 5DMKII with the 24-105mm. An extremely nice all-rounder lens to work with. When put up to 70mm to the 85mm range, the pictures were gorgeous. We appreciated the ability to move further away from the object and have the space to switch between items. As we had a tight schedule, we had to move fast, and that is where my friends come in. =) *By the way, the 5D and the 24-105mm lens is borrowed from a friend also, her name is Choco and she's an awesome friend, a capable leader and a food-lover. |
Here are some sample pictures from the shoot. Food photography or any photography at that matter is extremely based on skill, muscle memory and a lot of creativity. In a nutshell, it was really time-consuming. Never having done this before, we prepared pictures to try to imitate a certain look or feel or a certain kind of creamy-tasty-i-wanna-eat-you kinda feel to the pastry.
These pictures took quite some for a newbie to take, and I say QUITE SOME TIME. Anyone who is interested in photography should know this and and I mean really understand this universal truth. Photography, like any other art requires time. We all need a little inspiration or time think of a specific lighting technique or to stylise the subject. We will suddenly get these images of past experiences and interpret them in our own way to make it our own. And THAT'S what makes each picture unique to its owner. |
trial and error.
As mentioned, each picture takes some time to produce and I was not kidding. This particular shot took
26 tries to produce. (I hope it's nice anyway O_O) In the end, we went for a simpler look, the dish and the pastries. I didn't want the plate to look super clean so we added some flower petals and smashed some flower petals and sprinkled them on the sides to create a nice bokeh where the colours pop behind the pastry. It's my first time doing such a thing, so if there any suggestions to make it look better, feel free to comment =)
It was a matter of angle, placement and some nice colour combinations to make the food pop.
It was a matter of angle, placement and some nice colour combinations to make the food pop.
All in all, a great experience to be able to touch food ALL DAY LONG. =D