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Food Photo Tools & Tricks

Lesson 9 from: Getting Started in Professional Food Photography

Steve Hansen

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Lesson Info

9. Food Photo Tools & Tricks

Lesson Info

Food Photo Tools & Tricks

So as far as, I'm gonna get into a little bit of food styling tools. I have a lot of different kinds of spritzers that I use for most, a lot for beverage work. They each provide sort of a different spray and every photographer has their own secret bottle that you can only buy at Walmart at midnight. (participants laugh) And you've got these, this is sort of a perfumed dispenser and it creates a very randomized spray, but you have to be careful with how you spray it or sometimes it doesn't translate. It can really create a hard overly misty kind of spray. This is actually what I really like is the Preval sprayer. You can buy these on Amazon. And it's sort of a, it's a powered mister. So it uses a aerosol and then whatever you put it here, it can be paint. You can have paint, chocolate. You can spray chocolate out of this thing, I believe, and not have it clog too readily. You have to add more cocoa butter to it to thin it out, but I think this can handle really, I think that's the reaso...

n a lot of people use this is you can put the, I use a 50% glycerine and water mixture for the droplets sometimes. Sometimes I'll just use water. Water can look really good. If you spray the 50/50 glycerin water mix, which is a common thing for photographers to do because it dries and doesn't go anywhere, and you can have droplets on your glass all day. If you do this on fruit or a tomato and you get an up close shot of it, the color of the fruit actually extends out onto the droplets, so it looks like you just sprayed it with orange paint, if it's an orange. As water will actually have a nice, clear translucent look. So it depends how macro you're getting as to whether or not you wanna use glycerin or not. But this is a really good sprayer. And then this is also another decent one, but I don't use it too often. So I do a mix of, I do a really fine spray to begin with using this or an Evian mister if I'm using water, which I think is in here without getting to, please be in here. This is just an Evian mister. People carry this around in their purse to spray it on their face, for real. And I use it for glassware, but it is water and it's a really fine mist. So I start out with a fine mist and then I get progressively larger in the droplets. So I'll spray it with either this or this and then I'll come in with something that I know is gonna be a little bit more archaic and random in spots where I think it's deserved, not necessarily on the label of a beer bottle or a piece of, you know, fruit is pretty forgiving. So I just tend to have this on hand and just go with it. I think that's it on that. Do you wanna give these a quick rinse just to kinda get some water on 'em and maybe even the leaves too 'cause they're a little dusty. Yeah, yep, I already did that. And then I'll come by and I'll actually spritz this maybe even on set, but I'll see. You don't wanna get shadows. Sorry, Jack. No problem. Get up in your business here. All right. So where are we at in the shot? Let's take a look. So you guys see on the monitor that the milk and the juice, you're seeing the sides of the bottles, which is kinda cool. It just depends what you're looking for. You just don't want a flat image where all you see is an overhead of the cylinder, and that's one of the reasons I'm placing all the juices to the left is so you do reveal the texture. And the peanut butter is just fine right overhead. So there is sort of curling away of the perspective. I like the peanut butter. I'm gonna move it in towards the peanut butter and make it look like, and then I'm gonna actually take a knife and kind of continue that swirl on the top so there's not the black hole in there, and then kinda place the knife with the peanut butter off to the side.

Class Materials

Bonus Materials with RSVP

Food Photography Lighting Setups

Bonus Materials with Purchase

Food Photography Gear List

Ratings and Reviews

Christy cwood56
 

This class has appeal for the beginning food photographer as well as the photographer that is already a bit further advanced on the path. There is quality info about gear and other logistics for the beginner that is absolutely necessary and establishes a strong baseline of knowledge. When Steve starts to shoot then the magic really starts to happen as we get to see into his creative process, how he styles, how he problem solves, how he continues to push the envelope until he comes up with his incredible images. That was the most enlightening part of the whole class...being able to observe an artist in his creative zone. Steve is a master at what he does and whether you are a beginner, intermediate or even advanced photographer, there is something for you in this class. It is well worth the minimal cost of the class. Part of the value of purchasing this class is that you can watch it again and again and again and each time you will walk away with boatloads of info. It is one of those classes that you will go back to again and again and use as a reference point for improving your images. Thanks Steve for being willing to share your gifts and talents to help others! Awesome day!

Student Work

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