Recently I was asked to shoot some food photography for a local restaurant, Boomerang Bar & Grill. This isn’t my first go round with food shots, but it is the one I’m most happy with. It is actually only the 3rd time I’ve ever taken pictures of food. I don’t even use my phone to take pictures of my Italian subs and fries. I suppose I’m a bit more pragmatic about my dining preferences, and when I see a plate of food I eat it. I don’t marvel in it’s plating, appearance etc. I’m not knocking the art of cooking and foodology by any means. It’s more of a reflection of me than it is of the artists and connoisseurs of the dining industry.
In regards to the photography itself, I was only asked to shoot two dishes, a fajita plate and their homemade pizza. While I didn’t eat any of the food, I can attest it was actually prepared in kitchen while I set up my gear; and featured no artificial fake food tricks. Now that I’m looking at the photos, the only thing I would have done differently, which can still be corrected, is correct the white balance a bit. Some of the shots don’t look too bad, but others the white is slightly off-white. I suppose I’m not too concerned with the accuracy of the white balance in most of the photography I shoot. I usually use white balance to suit my artistic tastes more than staunch accuracy. Obviously in this instance I need to be more cognizant of it, even if it’s only in post production.
Overall I am pleased with how the photography turned out. I used no artificial lighting whatsoever. All light is through a large window with a translucent white sheet across it. I would have never thought I could find some kind of satisfaction taking photos of food and not just eating it. I almost forgot, not that it’s really important, but these were shot using my 7D and the Canon EF-S 18-135 f/3.5-5.6 STM.
