Three of Australia's top food photographers speak to Rob Ditessa about how they got into the business and the tricks they use to create their mouth-watering images!
As a food photographer Ben Cole is full of practical, everyday advice for anyone interested in this specialist area of the craft. He says your next home-cooked meal offers as good a starting point as any for food photography, and it doesn't matter if you don't have a lot of studio equipment or a food stylist. A standard dinner table can act as a background, with the height usually perfect for flat-on, three-quarter, or overhead views from the camera.
If you have access to a window near the table, you can use this as your main light source and position your food and props so the light best complements your subject. It pays to think in advance about props and colours which might work with the food so you're ready to go. Cole says you don't even need to spend a lot of money on props. Just try visiting your local op shop!
Where your shadows are too heavy, you can use piece of white foamcore – which can be found at any stationery store – to reflect light back into the shadows. If you find the window light is too direct, try putting a white sheet up over the window to act as a scrim, which will soften your light source. You can use a flash unit to fill in your shadows, and use white walls to bounce your flash off to create a less-direct light. He hints that in artificially lighting your food, you should use off-camera flash so you can control the light direction more precisely, and you can soften the light by bouncing it off walls or even shooting through a white sheet.
As a food photographer working on packaging and advertising images for a client list which includes Coca-Cola, Nestle, Woolworths, and Aldi, Cole explains the challenge is to use lighting, composition, and technique to produce images which create awareness about a product and sell it.
Tanya Zouev has worked in photography for 25 years, and in food photography since 2001. Her work includes cookbooks for the Women's Weekly, Murdoch Books, Margaret Fulton, Jenny Craig, and Masterchef. On a personal level though, Zouev produces a blog about food education to raise awareness about health, global food waste and sustainability. Food photography came naturally to her, but she doesn't really know why. She liked food (which helps!) and she also grew up with a 'foodie' mother who was – and remains – an obsessive cook, although at the time she herself did not cook.
"The food I photograph isn't always interesting, and it's my job to make it look delicious. The lighting has to be right for the subject as well. Generally, I won't shoot dark food back-lit. Sometimes I'll create shadow for mood, and other times I'll over-light the subject, such as with some images I shot recently where I gave the photos a 'pop-art' treatment with strong lighting, strong contrast, and high colour saturation. It really depends on the food, and there is no 'one-size-fits-all' approach. I believe that mood is very important because you're setting a scene," she says.
Orange, by Ben Cole. Canon EOS 1D III, EF 24-70mm f/2.8 USM @ 70mm, 1/160s @ f/20, ISO 100. Flash: 2x Profoto Pro-7a 2400 with Pro 7 heads; Standard Reflector with Scrims and Fill cards used.
When using daylight (for example, simple window light) photographers always covet north-facing light, although Zouev has used studios with south-facing light and that has worked almost as well. "There are plenty of amateurs and food bloggers shooting pretty good food pictures in their cramped apartments with a window scrimmed with white tissue paper. You don't need anything fancy. I can't really say which time of the day is best because it varies from location to location. In my house, the best time for light is 8am to 12pm and I shoot with north and east-facing windows. After that time the sun moves around and I'm left with slightly flatter lighting, but I compensate for this with reflectors, light shapers, and exposure. Just learn to read the light and it will work for you," she enthuses.
In food photography angles and perspective are paramount, and the subject determines them, says Zouev. About sixty percent of food pictures are shot from the front, with varying angles of straight-on to slightly above the subject. A lot of clients ask for front-on shots because it shows up more of the food. She continues, "Over-the-top images tend to be styled to be specifically shot that way so a lot more has to be taken into consideration, such as exactly what the surface looks like, all the peripheral bits and pieces such as little bowls, cutlery and so on. The composition has to be really good for overhead angles, or it just doesn't work. I love shooting over-the-top as the style is so graphic, but you have to get it super right as far as cropping and depth of field or it doesn't look right."
A successful former restaurant owner and chef in Turin, Italy, Dario Milano migrated to Australia, and changed careers to take up photography five years ago when his daughter was born. Today he runs a successful food photography practice. He enjoys working with still-life objects such as food and drink because they don't move and it allows him to work in a studio environment with lights. With food photography he suggests that in the end, even after you have taken 10 different pictures from 10 different angles, only one is the best. A pizza, for example, is almost flat and it's round, and there are not too many ways to photograph it. The best perspective is a bird's-eye view. You'll achieve a very graphic shot, and you'll see all of the topping. If you photograph it from a very low angle, for instance, you will not see very much of it because the pizza doesn't have any height!
"The inspiration for me comes from the food. The food tells me how it needs to be photographed, because the food has different qualities, texture, and colour. So depending on what I'm photographing, I know what type of lighting I need to use, and which angle. But it always begins with the food. I don't start with an idea, for instance, that I'm going to photograph on a 45 degree angle, with back light, regardless of what I'm photographing. The inspiration always comes from the food," he says.
When photographing food, Milano recommends using prime lenses. "A lens with a big aperture is preferable to a zoom lens. The most useful lenses for food photography are a 120mm macro lens, a 50mm – which in most cases is the widest I go – and an 80mm. If you can afford it, a 24-70mm f/2.8, would be a nice addition to your kit." He uses a Manfrotto tripod with a ball head and a cross arm to do overhead shots because he finds it solid and flexible. On location, if he can't use bigger strobes, he uses two Speedlights with Pocketwizard radio triggers. You must have a grey card to set white balance, and he also recommends a foldable reflector, various clamps, and multiple batteries for your kit. 
Bok Choy by Dario Milano. Phase One Camera with P65+ digital back and 120mm lens, 1/125s @ f/5.6, ISO 100. "I took a series of images for a Malaysian restaurateur and I needed a couple of extra ingredient shots to complete the assignment, so I started playing around with some props and I found an interesting similarity between the bok choy and a little pewter vase. It's important to plan your shoots as thoroughly as possible, and when you have all the right ingredients at hand something impromptu might come along, and if it can enhance the shot you should go for it."
Reiterating that the food is the 'hero', Milano suggests one of the most important things for beginners is to check that the food itself is interesting and fresh. "You can't do much with an overcooked steak!" The styling is important, and then the lighting, which with the right composition and balance will bring out the texture of the food, helping to create a winner. But lighting is the biggest problem for every beginner, he says, based on his experience from teaching workshops, until he shows them what they can do by just bouncing a flash off the wall. Another problem is that beginners haven't mastered the histogram and how to use the values, which takes practice. Make notes of set-ups that work, he adds.
Take the time to learn about colour temperature and white balance to avoid an image that is too 'warm' or too 'cold', says Zouev. "Don't rely just on the automatic white balance setting because it can get confused, for example, by a predominantly blue setting such as a blue bowl and napkin, and give you an overly warm image. If in doubt, shoot a grey card and use your capture software to correct later. I would err on the side of slightly cold as I find this much easier to correct than overly warm files. Learn your entire colour wheel, and what is the opposite of what, as this will serve you well."
To create mood for front-on shooting, Zouev always shoots with a shallow depth of field except where the entire image has to be in focus, say if you're shooting a product like a beer bottle. In overhead shots, she sometimes shoots with a shortish depth
of field, but with the subject up close. She continues, "Experience tells me where is the best place to focus that will draw the reader's eye into the food. Focus needs to be spot-on. Many beginners will focus towards the back of the dish, and nothing looks worse to me than the front part of the salad, for example, being blurry and the back area in focus. If in doubt, keep your focus towards the front of the food."
But Zouev advises beginners not use too many props. A beautiful cake, for example, doesn't need a cupboard of props to make it look good. Keep it simple and make sure the props match the food. "You wouldn't shoot a knife and fork with a bowl of curry because that's not what you eat it with. Keep it authentic. If in doubt, research it." she says.
Cole's advice for the beginner is to work with a minimalist approach. "Props can help your images tell the story. However, the wrong prop or 'over propping' can destroy that. Just remember they are props and they are there to accompany the images, not dominate them."
Drawing on her many years as a top professional, Zouev says, "Just play and experiment. If you enjoy cooking, start with what you love and plate that up. Go through your favourite cookbooks and food magazines and try to emulate what you see.
She advises that the basic steps to better food photography include the following:
• Know your gear.
• Learn about correct depth of field, appropriate for the type of shot you're doing.
• Learn about colour temperature and exposure
• Use good focus.
• Don't over-prop.
• Don't shoot dark food via back-lighting.
• Shoot fast because food generally doesn't like sitting around, especially foods like salads and meat, which wilt and congeal.
She says, "A pro has limited time to get the shot and you learn to shoot quickly. If time allows and the food looks good then you can play around with different angles." Milano thinks that many people see beautiful pictures in magazines and cookbooks, and become interested in food photography, but don't realise what it takes, or the fact that it's a terribly competitive industry. "Do it for fun, and see what happens. If you persist, you'll eventually work things out."
'Glazed Pears,' by Tanya Zouev. Mamiya 645 body with Sinar 54M medium format digital back, 150mm lens, f/5.6. Lighting: daylight and black light shaper. Image shot for the cookbook, "Mary Moody's The Long Table".
Food Stylists
A food stylist works with the photographer and creative team on shoots to make what you have under the camera look amazing, explains Ben Cole. However, on some very basic shoots where the food and propping is simple, Cole does the styling himself. "This can be seen on the 'orange' shot where the propping only includes the orange and the syrup elements. This technique was captured by myself and an assistant," he says.
Dario Milano similarly will style and shoot for smaller projects for some clients. On major projects, he likes to work with a stylist because there's so much going on, and he wants to focus on creating the image.
Tanya Zouev details how the stylist creates the scene and mood for a food shoot. She says, "For example, if the shoot is for a Mexican cookbook, the stylist is the individual who has to source props and backgrounds for the project. They also have to put together the food and "plate it up" for the set. They work together with the photographer to create the right mood and setting for the recipes or product. An editorial stylist works a little differently to an advertising food stylist. The stylist's job also includes making the product the 'hero' above the props and backgrounds, and it requires more skill generally, as the food or beverage usually needs to be fiddled with to look its best. This is where the glycerines and glues usually come into play, whereas cookbooks are more about home cooking and need to appear achievable for the reader at home."
She cooks, styles and shoots all her food blog posts as well as perhaps on jobs for small businesses, but not on most commissions as it's exhausting to have to do both. "I recently styled and shot an entire cookbook shoot which spanned three weeks and it nearly killed me. So mainly for health and sanity reasons I won't and don't do this kind of thing!"' she says.
'Nut cracker,' by Dario Milano. This was shot on a Phase One Camera with a P65+ digital back (60 megapixels), focal length 120 mm, f/4.5 @ 1/125s, ISO 100. "Backlight, 100% flash, works a treat for food photography, but you have to master the technical side of things to avoid blowing away important details in the highlights of your image," says Milano. "The picture is part of a series on cheese, but the focus here is on the nut cracker and again, a good example of how food photography is all about details."
Dario Milano's workflow
Dario Milano likes to keep things simple. Recently, after a major project, he ended up with a selection of 150 images to edit for a client.
"I was very relieved when I was back in the studio to see I'd done a good job in the camera and I didn't need more than two minutes per image. I photograph in RAW – like everyone these days – and I use Capture One software to capture the images. I shoot tethered straight onto the computer. In Capture One, you can already apply a number of adjustments, such as contrast, and basically anything that people are used to doing in Photoshop, you can pretty much do in Capture One. You apply an adjustment as you need, and then it carries on for every other picture you take. This is especially valuable when you want consistency throughout the shots, throughout the day. This way of working is a big time saver. As well, with shooting straight onto the computer, the client can see what you're doing, and make some comments so you can make adjustments."
"Eventually, every RAW image has to be processed into a different type of file, depending on what you need – for instance, JPEG for web, or a TIFF to send to a printer. Once you've done your job you can set it up to, for instance, take a RAW file and give you a TIFF at a specified size and saved to a specified folder. Some people go crazy about post-processing. I don't because food really is something that has to look natural. When you do packaging shots you need more post production. In general, I'm saying keep it to a minimum."
He adds, "It pays to invest the time to understand everything about colour profiles and how colour works in the digital world. You may shoot in Capture One, and then use Photoshop, but you need to make sure you have consistency over all programs. When you take a picture out of one program, then put in another program, or a different computer, the colours might shift completely if you don't know what to do. Colour management is a big thing. Not many people understand that, and in fact you can see it. The biggest problem then is when you print, because if you don't pay any attention to the printer's profile there is absolutely no way you can guarantee what you're looking at on a screen is the same thing you will see on paper."
Strawberry Parfait, by Tanya Zouev. Canon EOS 5D Mk III, 100mm lens. Aperture f/5.6. Daylight lighting with a black light shaper to reduce reflections on the glass.
Tanya Zouev: Kit and post production
For most of her work Zouev uses a Canon EOS 5D Mark III. "The files are huge, beautiful and I find it very easy to work with. I've had several 1D bodies in the past and I find it difficult to justify spending money on more expensive gear when the results from a cheaper body are stunning. I've been a Canon user since I switched over from Nikon in 1996. For the big jobs I'll hire medium-format digital gear. I used to own Sinar medium-format digital gear, but I sold it and reinvested the money."
Flashlights: "I never use on-camera flashes. In fact, my old Canon flash hasn't been used since a friend's wedding I shot in 2008."
Tripods: "I use a heavy duty Foba set of legs with a geared Manfrotto head for my commissions. For my food blog I use a lightweight Manfrotto tripod and a ball head because I can't be bothered lugging around the heavy legs."
Lights: "In my efforts to simplify my equipment I downgraded my Profoto lights to a very simple lightweight Elinchrom D-Lite kit, which cost me about $800. It's a far cry from $20,000, and the end results are pretty much the same in my food work. My ego doesn't like it as much, but the money was better invested elsewhere as I don't use lighting often. I tend to use daylight as much as possible."
Lenses: "I have three lenses in my kit, two of which I use for food – a 100mm f/2.8 macro and a 24-70mm f/2.8 zoom. I also use a 70-200mm f/2.8 for portraits. I've used the same lenses forever as they do the job well and they suit my purposes."
Light meters: "To be perfectly honest the only time I use these is when I'm using extensive lighting, particularly if I'm using lighting outdoors. Most of the time I 'guesstimate' exposure and it tends to be pretty spot-on as I've just learned to read the light over the years."
Scrims: "I love scrims and I use them all the time, both black and white. I can shape shadows creating mood, diffuse sunlight and make beautiful light where there is little or none. I use Photoflex scrims a lot as well as reflectors and black light shapers."
Post production: "I love CaptureOne Pro capture software. I've been using it for years and even though it does seem to glitch up from time to time it gives me a beautiful file straight out of the camera. My philosophy has always been to get it right in camera and do minimal post-production and CaptureOne helps me do just that. I am besotted with Apple computers as I've used them for 21 years and I shoot to a MacBook Pro.
"I use Capture One Pro software for capture and most of my work is done in the capture stage. I process to TIFF files ninety percent of the time and open up the files in Photoshop and do some further minor corrections, like removing dust spots and crumbs, which I missed during the shooting stage. I am majorly opposed to 'let's fix it in post' as my background is in analogue photography and there was no 'fix it in post' back then! You shot the negative or transparency right the first time and made sure you had a clean bit of film to print from, otherwise you'd spend ages fixing bad exposures in the darkroom and later with a tiny retouching brush and photo inks cleaning up dust spots. One of my lecturers at RMIT was Les Walkling, a renowned fine-art photographer, who would make sure his students got their images right in camera. That was over 20 years ago now and those lessons have stayed with me all through my career. I also use Lightroom occasionally, though it isn't my staple software. I work very quickly as I don't like spending hours on the computer. I've spent countless hours in darkrooms and as a Photoshop re-toucher, and I can't emphasise enough how much I like to get it right in-camera."
'Milk and Berries,' by Ben Cole. Canon EOS 1D Mk III, EF24-70mm f/2.8 USM @ 30mm, 1/200s @ f/16, ISO 100. Flash: Three Profoto Pro-7a 2400 with Pro 7 heads. Light shapers: 80 x 120cm softbox, standard reflector and reflector with grid. "The milk splash was shot as two shots which were later merged in Photoshop. The berries were shot flying through the air so there were no shadows and the lighting was true. Berries were also photographed dropping into milk to give realistic edge. In post, the milk wave was created with two RAW images and the berries were then placed into position."
Ben Cole: Gear and technique
"Ninety per cent of my work is shot on my Sinar P3 with 75H digital back. My favourite lens with this system is the 90mm. There's no exact rule to creating a good photo. Each subject has its own unique setting. My recommendation would be to always use manual settings to give you complete control of your image. As most of my work is studio based using studio flash, all white balances are taken from the Sinar grey card. A hint is that for a cheap investment, a grey card can help when finding mid-gray points which will result in better images."
Lighting: "I use the Profoto lighting system to create most of my images. Profoto is a world-leading brand of professional lighting equipment and with its large selection of shapers allows me to play, and control the light which falls on my subjects. Some of my favourite and most-used shapers are the ProBox, Softboxes and the Hard Reflector. Other than flash I also use Redhead Tungsten Lights, which are a continuous lighting system on projects that require a more 'daylight' feel."
Cameras: "I use a Sinar P3 75h digital back for my studio work; the tilt and shift capabilities are perfect for my studio needs. I use Canons for location work. I don't shoot that often on location and Canon offers a reliable, affordable system."
Flashlights: "For flash I use Profoto. I love this system and the short flash duration is perfect for my liquid splashes and creative 'freeze' work."
Tripods: "I use a Foba studio camera stand for my studio work; it has a solid foundation and great movements with a Manfrotto head. On location I use a Manfrotto tripod."
Lenses: I use a range of Sinar CMV lenses and Canon lenses.
Light meter: Minolta
Scrims: Range of sail/Perspex/paper scrims
Favourite gear: "No photographer can live without a great assistant and a roll of Gaffa tape."
Main kit: Canon EOS 1D Mark III; Canon L series lenses: 16-35mm f/2.8 USM, 24-70mm f/2.8 USM, and 70-200mm f/2.8 USM.
Post-production: "Photoshop is the preferred software for most photographers to manipulate their images. Photoshop allows you to do amazing things with images, but always remember as a photographer you should try to do as much as possible with the camera first to create your vision. We are photographers, not finishing artists. Use post production to get that final 10 percent out of your images, although there are some projects where more post is required and it's a great available tool for these circumstances."