Food Styling and Photography For Dummies® Visit www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/foodstylingandphotography to view this book’s cheat sheet. Table of Contents Introduction About This Book Conventions Used in This Book What You’re Not to Read Foolish Assumptions How This Book Is Organized Part I: Introducing Food Styling and Photography Part II: It’s All in the Presentation (Styling) Part III: Shooting the Food: Techniques with the Camera Part IV: And for Dessert: Managing Your Photos and More Part V: Part of Tens Icons Used in This Book Where to Go from Here Part I: Introducing Food Styling and Photography Chapter 1: Exploring Food Photography Styling Food for Delicious Photos Starting with backgrounds Foraging for props Placing the food and accents Following Your Focus Talking about the Technical Bits Looking at lighting Considering camera equipment Uploading, Backing Up, and Naming Photos Working on the Business of Food Photography Chapter 2: Photography Know-How and Equipment Cameras 101: Choosing the Right Camera for You Digital SLRs all the way Sorry, penny pinchers, you can’t use point-and-shoot-cameras Lenses: Figuring Focal Lengths Finding the right lens for the job Using manual versus autofocus lenses Stabilizing Your Camera Tripods GorillaPods Monopods Lighting Things Up Lights Reflectors C-stands Choosing Your ISO Shooting RAW and Using Other File Formats Sticking It to Memory — Cards, That Is Chapter 3: Your Stylist Toolkit Setting a Mood for Food Understanding background basics Exploring other background options Playing with color Fine-tuning with tweezers Building a Housewares Library Collecting plates and linens Using utensils Decorating with doilies and other nifty accents Shopping for Treasures Discount stores Antique stores Finding Great Ingredients Farmers’ markets Bakeries Specialty shops and prepared foods Chapter 4: Dealing with Employers, Personnel, and Sets Know What You’re Shooting For Shooting stock for fun and profit Taking photos for advertising Capturing images for food packaging Working with Personnel at a Photo Shoot Getting in tune with an art director Bonding with chefs Creating Worlds: Sets and Settings Prim and proper Casual and cozy Food as design Part II: It’s All in the Presentation (Styling) Chapter 5: Preparing for an Off-Site Photo Shoot Planning for the Shoot Communicating with your client Considering the space Creating a Checklist Packing and Transporting Your Gear Protecting your camera Downscaling for agility Packing like a pro Bringing extras along for the ride Chapter 6: Getting the Yummy to Translate on Film Focusing on the Drool Factor Capturing highlights and drips Getting up close and personal Jaunty Accents: Making Your Dishes Look Interesting Introducing accents to your images Placing small accents in your images Crafting the perfectly folded napkin Managing Reflections in Your Food Photos Blocking unwanted reflections in your shot Adding light with reflective materials Exploring Textures for a Unique Feel Creating interest with weathered woods Going modern chic with wrinkly paper, nubby fabrics, and more The Big Fake Out: Using Non-Food Items in Place of Food Dressing up drinks with acrylic ice cubes and other fun illusions Fooling the eye with inedible foods Chapter 7: The Ice Cream Is Melting! Problem Solving for Tricky Foods The Problem with Produce Stuff wilts Keeping produce looking fresh Regulating Temperatures for Sensitive Foods Cooling and heating chocolate Combating the perils of whipped cream Working with ice cream Shooting Meat, Poultry, and Seafood Keeping proteins from drying out Removing the goo: Dealing with meats that congeal Part III: Shooting the Food: Techniques with the Camera Chapter 8: Composition Basics Going the Distance: Shooting Close-Ups and Beyond Getting up close and personal Pulling back from the tableau Using Repetition for a Pleasing Look Echoing the main food subject Adding multiple dishes Stacking linens and other housewares Placing Your Subject in the Frame Drawing Your Viewer in with Leading Lines Using Graphic Components in Composition Patterns Shapes Chapter 9: Lighting, Lighting, Lighting Exploring the Beauty of Natural Light Choosing Artificial Lights Continuous lighting Strobe lighting Soft boxes Placing Lights for Your Setup Measuring Light with a Hand-Held Meter Types of meters, including the one built in your camera Best meter for food photography Managing Highlights and Shadows Creating and toning down contrast Playing with light using reflectors Chapter 10: Working with Tilts and Angles Understanding the Angle of Approach Eye-level angle — 0 degrees Just-above angle — 5 to 20 degrees Up-and-over angle — around 20 to 45 degrees Overhead angle — 90 degrees Tackling unusual angles for a different look and feel Working with Tilts to Spice up Your Subject Pulling It All Together Chapter 11: Exploring Focus Focusing on the Point of Interest Selective focus Deep focus Soft focus Understanding Depth of Field Adjusting aperture Controlling focus in your images Considering the “Food Porn” Look Nailing down the technical aspects of the look Playing with the creative aspects of food porn Going for Crisp and Clean Part IV: And for Dessert: Managing Your Photos and More Chapter 12: Post-Processing Clean Up on Aisle 9! Removing Imperfections Embracing the Clone Stamp tool Combining the Clone Stamp and Smudge tools to fix problem areas Discovering digital Dodge and Burn tools Making Your Images Pop in Subtle Ways Keeping Post-Processing to a Minimum Working (gently) with saturation Playing with shadows Avoiding too much cloning Chapter 13: Editing and Saving Your Photos Finding the Best Software for Your Needs Ease of use Pricing Off-site image access Integration Processing Your Images Identifying your very best images Figuring out what to do with your second-best images Basic editing: Playing with white balance Organizing with Naming Conventions Securing Your Images with Backups Choosing a hard drive Creating a CD library Storing images in the cloud Chapter 14: Making Your Photos Available in Print and Online Creating an Online Presence Getting yourself on the web Chatting about food and photo blogs Choosing a Stock Agency Shooting for stock submissions Aiming for a big name agency Appealing to specialty agencies Considering microstock Printing Your Photos Chapter 15: Starting Your Food Styling and Photography Business Selecting Portfolio Images Following your gut instincts Spicing it up with variety Displaying Your Portfolio Going with printed images Looking into digital options Choosing a Pricing Model for Your Business Figuring out your day rate Understanding stock agency prices Expanding Your Online Presence Advertising Your Business Part V: The Part of Tens Chapter 16: Ten Tips for Growing Your Business Create Business-Based Social Network Pages Nurture a Blog Contribute to Food Photography Bulletin Boards and Forums Buy Internet Ads Use Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Dive in to Stock Agencies Research Opportunities Network Send Postcards Make Trades Chapter 17: Ten Indispensable Items for a Food Shoot Cloth Napkins Cooking Oil Duct Tape Extension Cord Extra Camera Batteries and Memory Cards Extra Light Bulbs Foam Core Boards Portable Fabric Steamer Reflectors White Tablecloth Chapter 18: Ten Awesome Garnishes for Food Images Basil Leaves Bits of the Subject Chopped Green Onions The Double Drizzle Fresh Berries Fresh Citrus Peels Grains of Salt Microgreens Sesame Seeds Thinly Sliced Parmesan Cheese Cheat Sheet Food Styling & Photography For Dummies ® by Alison Parks-Whitfield