How To: Food Photography

How To: Photograph Food 

Whether you are filming your first food documentary or trying to step up your Instagram game, food photography can be very difficult to get right. Many times, you only have one chance to get the shot depending on temperature and timeframe. 

What you will need

·     Food (Hopefully you have many backups of the same subject)

·     Large window or natural light source

·     Some type of diffusion material; a bedsheet, shower curtain, laundry sheets, etc.

·     A white material for bouncing light; white piece of paper, use of walls, t shirt, etc.

·     A dark material for cutting light; black piece of paper, dark cloth, book, etc.

·     Textured materials: Wooden table, table clothes, napkins, etc.

·     Color contrast: Complimentary or contrasting colors that will make your subject pop!

·     INSPIRATION! 

Let’s Do This!

1.    First step is to pick the dish or item you wish to photograph. You will want to take note of every color on this dish, every texture, and anything else this dish will involve such as steam, smoke, melty gooey, etc. Once you pick your subject, you will want to find something similar in color to put in your frame as you set up your lighting.

Pro Tip: If the dish is extremely hot or heat involved, keep a torch or some type of heat source right off frame to add some quick reheating if needed.

2.    Locate a large window or bank of windows that has a nice natural light source of daylight pouring in. Natural light will keep the color palate of the dish consistent and true to form. Any sort of tungsten lights can add a yellow/orange color cast if not balanced properly.

Hopefully this huge source of light will be soft daylight meaning the sun is not blaring in directly. Best case scenario you want a nice cloudy day or the sun just rising or setting.  If this soft daylight is not available, we need to add diffusion to that light in the form of a bed sheet, shower curtain, or something similar. This will spread out the light evenly giving nice subtle shadows instead of harsh lines.

3.    Once we have our soft daylight, we will want to bounce that light around to create some beautiful light on our subject on various sides. If we use the daylight to hit the back of our dish (which is recommended), we will back to put a reflective material to the front of the dish to bring out more of the details. In a tough bind, ask someone with a white t shirt to stand in front of your food or right off camera. This will lift the overall exposure of our food giving a nice soft dreamy commercial type quality.

4.    Next, we will want to add some shadows to our subject. Adding contrast will add emotion, mood, and depth to our food. While we want that “well-lit” dreamy feel, we also want to add depth to show size and form. This can be achieved by placing a dark object right off frame usually directly left or right of the subject. Be careful not to cut too much of your natural daylight, but just enough to shape your food.

5.    Now that your food looks breathtaking, we want to add some textures. Adding nice napkins or table clothes will let us feel connected to the people and place where the food is coming from. This adds that “people” element to our food which is the subtext of our photography. This can also be achieved by using things that relate to our subject…say if your shooting an apple, you may want to have some leaves or a knife in your photo. Something that connects our viewer to the story of our image.

Adding some other colors in the image will also help our subject pop…you may want to go to your local arts & craft store and buy some different colored paper (oranges, yellows, pinks, work great!)

6.    Now that our scene is set…we want to bring in our star and really let the subject shine. The composition of the photo must draw the viewers eye directly towards want you want them to look at. Your inspiration will help you bring your food photography to life…it really takes sitting down and thinking about every angle of the image as well as the food itself.

Now you’re ready to go off on your own and take amazing food photography! Please send me your pictures!

-FFC-C

Persona - Comfortable Carter

I wanted to take my Devil's Advocate a step further and create "Comfortable Carter". I know many like Carter and often see a little of him in myself, but it is important to put ourselves in uncomfortable positions to support our local community!

Enjoy Carter.

-FFC-C

Beat Volume 3

Food has always been the backbone to every culture. Cinema is the window into those cultures. 

Three years ago, I had the pleasure to create my first food documentary and share the values and cultures of people around me. Having had worked in the hospitality industry for 10 years, I was able to connect to the characters through shared experiences and communicate my filmmaking objectives.

It pains me to hear people compliment the ease of use through movie streaming applications. I believe it is important to support local restaurants and cinema to continue this infrastructure of local community. Films & Fare is born from my experiences in film school, moving to Los Angeles to open restaurants, as well as doing some seriously bad acting. 

It’s funny how similar hospitality is to filmmaking. Half military, half circus. There are so many factors involved, so much money at stake, with a side of schmooze. 

It is what fuels me and what motivates me every day. Films & Fare.

-      FFC-C

Devil's Advocate of Films & Fare

Self-Prepared & Self-Streamed

Why would I ever pay to go see a movie when I can stream it for free? Why would I ever go to a restaurant when I can cook at home and not have to tip?

Movie theaters are incredible expensive and uncleanly. Restaurants are loud, dark and often unfriendly.

As a person who is often shy and socially awkward, I prefer to be in control of most things in life and cut out any possible curveballs. Netflix and Amazon have made my home a working movie theater with almost any film I could ever want. I have to imagine that filmmakers and actors are getting a cut of the money I spent with these companies so what is the big deal!?

I have also been watching a lot of Gordon Ramsey’s cooking classes on YouTube. I enjoy the ability to create dishes at my own pace and learn from my mistakes from a computer rather than having to send a dish back to an unfriendly waiter or waitress.

I recognize that this ease-of-use lifestyle has made me a bit of a shut in but times are tough these days. It is very hard on my wallet and my anxiety to go to a new place and have to learn the menu and ask questions in a loud space. I do admire people that can thrive in those environments, but I am not one. If it costs me 10 dollars to prepare my dinner versus 25 dollars plus tip…I’d much rather make my own dinner. Whenever I go to the theater, I typically spend 10-15 dollars on a movie ticket, plus 5-10 dollars on popcorn or snacks and that is if it’s not in 3D or a midnight showing.

I would like to support local restaurants and local cinemas but I feel as though the prices are too high. I have heard from friends that they have some type of regular deals where the more you go, the cheaper things get but life just seems too busy. Perhaps if I was an artist myself, or had more friends in the hospitality industry, I would feel more inclined to supporting these businesses, but for now, I enjoy spending my time in my own house that I know is clean, comfortable and reasonably priced.

- A Comfortable Citizen

About the Author - Fran Ford Coco-Cola

Fran Ford Coco-Cola has gathered 20 plus years of experience in both hospitality and the movie industry to create Films & Fare. Finding harmony in dinner & a movie, Coco-Cola aims to excite local communities that support small businesses & artists.

Whether it’s a night on the town, a short film or a quick snack, Coco-Cola brings local documentary storytelling experiences right to your fingertips. As an award-winning filmmaker & bartender, Fran dishes out the inside scoop on world cinema as well as world cuisine. 

The endless appetite will satisfy your thirst for knowledge and keep you hungry for this summer’s gut busting blockbusters.

-      Fran FCC

Beat Updated

The first experience I had marrying films & fare came three years ago when I made my first food documentary. “Food Haven” was a celebration of culture through the culinary excellence of New Haven, Connecticut. These artists that execute consistency on a daily basis became the superheroes of my world and I couldn’t wait to share their stories. I now feel a part of all of these restaurant families and feel obligated to spread the word of their work.

 To bring excitement to local communities of a new restaurant or a cult classic playing nearby, is what fuels my fire and creates what I believe to be the perfect matrimony.

-      Fran FCC

1st Draft

Pounds of Research 

Michelle May once said “Eat what you love”. I always found an affection to this quote both on the restaurant scene and the movie biz, which is hard to believe coming from categories with some of the most passion, cutthroat fans around. If you try to talk about pizza with people from New Haven or New York, they will tell defend their statement until they are blue in the face. Same goes with cult classics, 80’s action flicks, 90’s love stories, etc. I believe that the culture of food and movies, shape our lives whether we realize it or not.

I know when I walk into a restaurant and see a really cool looking dish or member of the wait staff, I will subconsciously try to recreate that coolness. This goes without saying for every coming of age film you’ve ever seen. 

Two years ago, when I would work till midnight, I made it a goal to watch a movie every single night after work. I have dedicated countless amounts of time to connecting to the world of Cinema through filmmakers from every genre.

Films & Fare is born from my experiences in film school, opening up restaurants on both the east and west coast, as well as doing some seriously bad acting. All of this passion and pursuit of greatness has led me to create this interactive concept of movies and restaurants and how they create this super culture within our daily lives.

FFC-C

Resume - Fran Ford Coco-Cola

I decided to create my resume to fit my passion for Films & Fare in the style of a movie poster. Fran Ford Coco-Cola is ready to inspire and excite your local community!