Last month we drafted in food photographer Zoe to help us take some foodie shots for our new website. Over the past couple of months we’d collected lots of yummy samples from some of the amazing artisans we’ve met with, and wanted some photos to show off their delicious products in all their glory. Having discovered Zoe on Twitter and seen her online portfolio, we liked her natural, bright pictures - a perfect fit with the Kitchen Table Projects brand.
Hiring a food photographer can be a great way to ensure you get some enticing shots of your product, but this can be tricky for time-precious, money-conscious artisans. However, with visual social platforms such as Instagram, Flickr and Pinterest on the rise, there are plenty of quick ways to snap some pictures that pack a punch without busting your startup budget. Before Zoe headed off to edit our pictures, we had a chat with her about her experience as a food photographer and asked her to share some of her top tips for artisans looking to create their own foodie snaps.
“My passion for food photography started whilst I was studying at university. I loved the amount of control and freedom I had over the food compared with taking images of people or landscapes. It's great to be able to tell a story with my images, and foods such as cakes and biscuits are my favourite to work with. They don't deflate as quickly as cooked foods do, so you can take your time with them and be as creative as you like to achieve that perfect shot.”
“My process for a shoot is three stages. Pre-production involves researching; the client, what look they want and what sorts of foods they have for me. The day of the shoot involves preparing the set and making sure I have taken all the images I possibly can (I find a shot list helps). Post-production is kept to a minimum as I like to keep my shots looking natural.”
“Food photography is all around us, but food photographers are not always easy to find. Getting experience in food photography can be difficult, so here are my top tips:
- Find a style that you like, and use it to inspire your own images. In a similar way to how an artist practises drawing using other artists' images, you could use images from recipe books and food magazines. You should find that your own ideas and style begin to develop.
- Borrow props from friends and family or look in local DIY stores for wall paper samples, tiles and lino. Scrap yards or furniture stores are also good for wooden backgrounds.
- It's all about those subtle details. Add icing sugar to a pie/cake to make it look homemade. Read the recipe of the dish you’re photographing and have some of the ingredients in the frame. Add fresh herbs to a dish to add colour.
- Practise using ready meals and shop bought foods. After all, you don’t want to spend ages cooking and baking to then not feel up to photographing it!
- Remember, focus on the photographing and practise lots! It's all about the effort you put into an image.
You can find out more about Zoe’s work and take a look at her portfolio, here. For now, keep your ear to the ground for news of our new website, featuring lots more artisan stories and delicious products...coming very soon!
A big thank you to all the artisans and producers who sent us their products to sample and photograph. We look forward to featuring you all on our website and hope you like the snaps as much as we do!
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