What do food bloggers all have in common other than their love for food?

Their love for taking pictures of their food!

That being said, when Kerstin organized a photography session with a professional culinary photographer and asked if I would be interested in attending, I jumped for joy and screamed, ‘YES’!  Ever since I started my blog, my appreciation for cameras, photography and capturing the moment (and food) has certainly gone up.  I’ve actually read some of my camera’s manual to understand the features and functions on my camera.  Can you imagine?! I’m not quite sure if I was able to process all of it, but I’m proud that I at least made the try.  For that reason, I knew a few tips and tricks from a professional was definitely up my alley and definitely something from which I could benefit.

Image Credit – mediabistro.com

We (meaning 14 food bloggers and 1 husband) arrived at Gary Tardiff’s photography studio promptly at 2pm to begin our photography lesson.  I think everyone (including Healthy Chow) was excited to meet Gary and to begin taking in some of his knowledge.  We all listened closely as Gary introduced himself, talked about his work and informed us that he wanted the afternoon to be more of a discussion rather than a lecture.  Sounds good to me, Gary!

We’re like little sponges…

Our personable, experienced and knowledgeable photog friend went over some of the basics of photography.  He showed us some of the cameras he works with, the different types of lighting and lenses he uses and the purposes behind them.  Gary mentioned that he had the chance to take a peek at our blogs before we arrived to get a sense of our picture taking abilities.  He said we made some nice efforts and that with a few tweaks and some guidance, we’d be well on our way to taking some great photos.  Again, sounds good to me, Gary! But one of the common issues he noticed about our pictures was the fact that our average white balance was not set properly.  Because of this, our pictures tend to come out ‘discolored’ or with tints of color that may not be intended.  Gary went on to talk about shutter speed, aperture, depth-to-feel, the difference between low and high ISO and how the fundamentals of exposure is key.  I really enjoyed listening to Gary and I learned quite a bit.  However, most of the things he mentioned pertained to using a DSLR camera, something which I do not own (not yet, anyways…).  I’ll have to admit that many of the terms Gary used were foreign to me and I couldn’t fully grasp what he was saying being that I have never used a DSLR camera.  But, being that I was in the minority (most of the other bloggers were fully equipped with DSLR’s), I just went with the flow.  I was at Gary’s studio listening to Gary’s words because I wanted to learn.  Once I do get my very own DSLR, I know I’ll be good to go.

After our discussion on photography basics, Gary gave us a tour of his place of business.  It was so interesting!  I think all of the bloggers’ jaws dropped when we saw his collection of plates.  Holy crap on a cracker! If only I could have access to all those plates when I’m taking pictures of my food…I’d be in heaven!  Gary also mentioned that the props he has he finds just about everywhere and anywhere.  They aren’t anything fancy, they’re just items he found that he made work for him.  For example, Gary showed us this beautiful door he found discarded from a building.  To the people tearing down the building, the door was trash.  But to Gary, it was found treasure.

A food blogger’s dream!

One person’s trash is another person’s treasure!

Wall of photography equipment

An example of Gary’s talent

The next part of our lesson was my favorite part.  Gary demonstrated how he would set-up the staging for a client.  Being that we were the ‘clients’ for the afternoon, Gary asked us what we wanted to have photographed.  Adrienne was the first to volunteer her home baked bread.  It looked delicious in person, but once Gary finished photographing, it looked like the most extraordinary loaf of bread I had ever laid my eyes on!  He showed us how to play around with lighting in order for it to appear ‘natural’ and with a few inexpensive tools (ex: vellum attached to wooden frames), pictures can come out priceless.

Gary’s simply constructed lighting box

Gary reviewing the shot on his computer

Kelly’s granola-in-a-jar was the next model for the day.  Because the jar was something that Kelly was having trouble photographing on her blog, she decided to ask Gary for advice.  Gary demonstrated with the the use of mirrors, lighting, a white backdrop and black paper for shadowing, the glass of the jar can be made to be as visible or hidden as needed.  The concepts that Gary was showing to us were so simple and yet, I would have never guessed to utilize them.  I guess that’s why he’s the teacher and I was the student!

Can you see the granola in the mirror?

What the granola looked like after Gary worked his magic…

The final models for the day were M&M cookies made by Jen and eggplant crostini made by Cara.  Both looked absolutely delectable in person; we were all drooling as Gary was taking pictures and showing us how he reviews and edits them on his computer.  I’m actually surprised we weren’t reaching in to grab cookies and pieces of crostini as bloggers took turns practicing their newly acquired tips and tricks.  Lucky for us, we did get to sample the goods after we were done photographing them.  Thanks ladies!

M&M cookies

Eggplant crostini

I had such a wonderful time with my fellow bloggers and of course, Gary.  Gary, you are an amazing photographer and a wonderful teacher.  To be able to have such great talent, and then to be able to pass along that knowledge to others in a form that makes them want to learn more, is truly a gift .  I thank you for your time, your patience and your wisdom.  Some of the most important lessons I learned were:

• To focus on the front portion (or the first 1/3) of the food you are photographing, since the rest after that is pretty much a repetition – For example, focus on the front part of a bowl of pasta, not the entire bowl.
• To look with your eyes, and not with your head – We often times get so happy and excited to take a picture that we just snap it as soon as we see it.  However, we then notice that there are things in the picture that don’t belong, and then it might be to late to take the picture again.  If we take the time to make sure things like the lighting, the composition and the angle are correct, we will be able to take a much better picture.  We need to see and pay attention to the details as we are shooting, and not assume that the shot we have is perfect.
• To make the person who is looking at your picture want to eat what is in the picture – When photographing, we should think about what the person who is looking at the picture would want to see.  We should consider how to make that person want to believe in what we are shooting.  For example, if we’re taking a picture of a cookie, adding a cup of coffee with a few crumbs next to the cup might make the photo seem more realistic and add to the allure of the cookie.

All in all, no matter what kind of camera you have, no matter how expensive or inexpensive, whether you’re in a professional studio or at your home, whether you have a special lense or a homemade lightbox (I made one out of cardboard and tissue paper) or whether you’re a professional or a complete novice, the most important thing is to have fun.  The perfect shot is not going to come with the first try and it’s not going to come instananeously.  By playing around with things like lighting, props, exposure, etc, we can attain a good photo.  By sticking with it, practicing and having a light-hearted attitude, the shots we take can come out picture perfect.

The Graduating Class of Gary Tardiff’s February 6, 2010 Photography Session

(Starting from the back row, left to right)
Shannon, Jen, Sophie, Kerstin, Chels,
Lauren, Adrienne, Elina, Mary Kate,
Healthy Chow, Cara, Kelly, Jen, Sues

Thank you again, Gary and Kerstin! And thank you, Lauren, for driving and navigating!

Do you have any special photography tips and/or tricks?  How much time do you spend taking pictures of one dish?  Do you like to take a few photos?  Or are you like me and take 100’s?

Namasté,
Nicole