P rojec t two: Fest ive food
Mike Harris shoots a feast for the eyes; learn how to capture a classic Crimbo food photo
Christmas might be the most wonderful time of year – especially if you’re showered with photography goodies – but it can very often prove difficult to find the time to head out with your camera, while you feign Christmas cheer when visiting relatives, shop for last-minute gifts on Christmas Eve or fall asleep while watching Miracle on 34th
Streetfor the 34th time. If only there was an easily accessible subject that you could quietly photograph among all the Crimbo chaos. Well, maybe there is...
In-keeping with the festive season’s penchant for feasting excess, there’s no better time to try your hand at a little food photography. Not only are props – such as crackers, ornaments and lights – readily available, but you really don’t need much camera equipment beyond a kit lens and a tripod. You don’t even have to cook; shop-bought food will look the part. Best of all, you don’t have to brave the winter weather and when you’re finished, you can tuck in!
1 Set the table
Diffused or indirect window light is a great way to illuminate food photography. If you find the light is lacking, consider illuminating your setup with an LED panel or even a household lamp. You could also use a reflector to bounce the natural light back onto the arrangement to fill shadows. Begin by setting up empty plates and adding a few Christmas decorations to ‘sketch’ your composition without spoiling the food. We laid a tablecloth partially across the wooden table to provide multiple textures to add interest to the image.
2 Tripod and lens
Food shots hinge on the arrangement. We put our camera on a tripod to roughly gauge the framing and keep it consistent, while we tweaked the arrangement of the food. If you’re shooting a static food display, use Exposure Delay Mode to avoid camera shake and mirror slap. If you’re capturing movement, like pouring cream or a dusting of flour, a remote shutter release and burst mode is preferred. We used the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.8, but a ‘nifty fifty’ is a great alternative, like our DSLR-friendly AF-S 50mm f/1.4G. A kit lens would work well, too.
3 Add the food
Once you’ve put together a rough layout and framed a rudimentary composition, you can begin to add in cold food items. If you’re photographing food that’s still cooking, try using similar-sized props in its stead. We elected to keep our Christmas pudding in its tub – prior to heating – so there was no danger of it collapsing while we were moving items around. Try not to make your arrangement look too uniformed; it should resemble a real Christmas spread that invites the viewer to sit at the table. Framing a chair or two reinforces this.
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