How burgers are photographed to look appetizing

This picture depicts a classic beef burger captured with an iPhone 5 under a professional circumstance. Therefore, fill lights, white background paper and reflectors were used in order to attain this shadow-less picture. By looking at this picture, one could directly identify the types of food components placed in between the burger buns. This outlook was not attained naturally. The ingredients have been placed in such position where they protrude out of the buns, just on the front side in order to capture the burger components into the picture. In addition, the top part of the bun was pushed backwards in order to make the components between the buns more obvious in the photograph .Besides that, the white background elevates the  vibrant colour combinations from the beef,  lettuce, cheese and tomato. Thus, helping to enhance the appetizing outlook of the burger. In conclusion, even if this picture looks very simple, it still does contain technical requirements. 

No to overcrowding components & the importance of framing

The picture above consists of two dishes. The first dish consists of a beef wellington, beet risotto, pickled mushrooms, butternut squash puree and water cress. The second dish consists of foie gras torchon, crispy brioche, candied kumquat, cherry gel and pomegranate. Therefore, both the dishes have the same amount of components. However, the second dish looks more appealing than the first image. This is due to the arrangement of component on the plate.

Even though the beef in the first image has been cooked to perfection, the human eye would find the foie gras more appealing. This is because the first plate is overcrowded with the components, which would not allow one to visualize the various colours and textures in the food. According to (Kathy, n.d.) separation of the components during plating allows to portray the individuality of each component on the plate. Therefore, this is the main reason why the second image looks catchier and appealing when compared to the first one.

Lastly, the second picture had more depth when compared to the first picture due to framing. As seen in the picture, the plate rim has perfectly framed the foie gras which enhances the depth of the picture as it gives a clear idea of the size, texture and taste of the subject; which the first image failed to portray.

Kathy, C. (n.d.) Plating Food, How to Live Gourmet, [online] Available at: http://www.howtocookgourmet.com/platingfood.html [Accessed 2 November 2014].

Photography is not defined by the brand nor quality of your camera

If an individual want to get the best out of their photography, they would need to know their camera's function in and out. The type of camera does not matter. For example, the picture above shows a tempered chocolate squirrel which had been captured with an iPhone 5 camera. The brightness of the picture was due to the artificial light, which was right above the chocolate centrepiece. The light had complemented the outlook of the chocolate squirrel as the art of tempering could be clearly visualized on the chocolate piece due to the shine which has been created by the direct light reflection. Moreover, the iPhone 5 camera has clearly adjusted its aperture by focusing on the subject, and blurring out the background; which attracts people's attention towards the chocolate centrepiece. Therefore, fundamental photographic skills are needed to attain good photographs.

Importance of background choices

Even though the elements used in the picture above does not depict a food item or component, these are the daily elements that would be present in any kitchen around the world. Firstly, a blue background has been chosen because the glass chemicals naturally release a blue tinge under light. Therefore, to avoid such effect, the clever choice of blue background has complemented the outlook of the glass as people would expect it to be blue. Besides that, this picture has been captured with the help of natural as well as artificial lighting. The well diffusion of the light has prevented the form of obvious shadows. However, since the artificial light was projected towards the top left hand corner, the surface of the cup has been bleached off. Last but not least, the blue background has helped to make the hot elements in the picture to tone down; resulting in a cooler outlook.

Importance of light in food photography

As photography means light writing, light is a major factor for food photography. The picture above depicts a butternut squash soup with pumpkin oil drizzles, butternut brunoise, butternut chips and roasted butternut seed powder. I chose this particular picture because the light reflection has clearly been projected on the soup; which then gave the soup a three dimensional outlook. The reflection of light had also made the texture of the soup more visible.  Leaving the positive aspects of the image aside, the photography of this dish isn’t perfect. This is because; the picture was purely captured with the help of natural sunlight. Therefore; no fill light, reflectors or dispensers were used to spread the light evenly throughout the dish. As a result, even with a good angle, the outlook of the soup tends to look dull. In conclusion, light affects the mood and outlook of a dish even if the dish was well plated.

Say no to mainstream food photography

Food photography is an ongoing trend in various social networks. Many individuals upload or update various photographs of food, which they have eaten or about to eat. However, many fails to understand that food photography is more than status updates. Based on my personal opinion, pictures should be able to talk through the flavours, textures and colours of a dish. For example, look at the picture above. This particular main course is one of my fall season creations. The photography had clearly portrayed the cookery of the components on the plate. Especially the venison, which had been sous-vide cooked at 55°C. At a glance, one would notice the nice sear on the outside of the meat and the rareness in the inside. In addition, due to the usage of vibrant coloured ingredients such as beets, butternut squash and red currents, this dish is simply a treat to the eyes as well as the palate.