Fun with food photography

Here is a fun idea for a fall shoot, especially with the holidays just around the corner. Arrange a get-together with some of your photography friends, especially if you all like to bake or cook.

Everyone brings a plate — perhaps a sweet, a savory, an appetizer, a dessert … you get the idea. Now have a wonderful morning capturing it all in-camera. Then enjoy the food and company together.

Set the date

Depending on how many there are, this can be a feat in itself, so start early so everyone can make arrangements. Thinking about the location, is there room for everyone to shoot? Is there enough light? Will it be inside or outside? Will there be a theme?

Get everyone to decide on what they will bring. No point have all desserts unless that’s the theme you are going for. Perhaps it’s one of Grandma’s recipes. Halloween treats, Thanksgiving treats or even getting ready for Christmas? Perhaps you’d all like to try your hand at making some recipe cards for a cookbook or Pinterest?

I have some wonderful photography friends who love to bake, so we had some fabulous food to capture. Our theme was ‘The Pour’ where we wanted to capture chocolate sauce, cream, milk and sauces being poured or dribbled over each food item. It made the whole shoot more challenging and fun. We set up in my home studio, but it could have been the kitchen or dining room. We also had some other items that didn’t have a pour factor.

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Grab the shots

As we had multiple food items, we set up varied stations so everyone could have their own shooting space. We all shot on tripods and used remote shutters so we could shoot and pour.

Sometimes it is easier to do with a partner. Set your scene, set your focus and then capture the action. Remember to set your shutter speed to either freeze the action or capture the action. We shot some shots at 1/80s and others at 1/160s. Try different shutter speeds and decide which effect you prefer for your shot.

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I used my 50mm prime lens to shoot all of these. Others used 100mm macro and zoom lenses. So it really doesn’t matter which lens or the gear you have, this is something everyone can have fun with. We also used natural light in the studio.

Sit back and enjoy

Sharing a morning talking and laughing, is a great way to catch up with friends, especially after the last few years. This could be an end-of-year get-together, or just for fun. Once we had photographed everything we could sit back and enjoy the good food and the company. You could even make a day of it with the actual baking too. Or consider doing something like this with your kids or grandkids, loads of fun and laughter, and some sweet memories captured as well.

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Inspiration

Looking for further inspiration? Why not check out these other Photofocus articles:

• Creating stunning food photography in natural window light
• Six delicious tips for getting started with food photography
• Capturing the holiday spirit through festive food photos
• Creating movement with festive food photos
• 10 best props for food photography