Food Photography and Styling - The Challenge

Challenge 1, Fruit on a white background - no props

 

Launching Liv Life a year and a half ago I was fairly confident in the photography arena.  Shooting at the school or local soccer games brought an immense amount of satisfaction as parents constantly sent requests for copies of my photos and poured on the compliments. Then moving to the dance stage I provided candid shots of our girls from competitions and events, and again, many parents showered me with love and compliments when I shared these photos.  Landscape, however, remained my passion as my camera traveled with me all over the world, and I even sold a few prints.

With the launch of Liv Life, my first project had me taking a photo of Korean Style Pork with Asian Slaw.  The recipe was wonderful, my photo... not so much.  Taken later in the evening in my somewhat darkened kitchen I popped up my flash for a brighter shot, and much to my embarrassment I actually posted that image and at the time, was fairly proud of myself.

Since that day I've worked to improve my photography in the food arena and currently have a sense of immense awe for professional food photographers and stylists.  Time and again, my fellow bloggers as well blow me away with stunning shots and set-ups, and though I feel my photography has improved, I still have a long way to go.

Hence, when Laurie, of A Favored Life, asked me to join her new Food Photography and Styling Group I jumped at the opportunity.  Joining this group of extraordinarily talented ladies I suddenly felt, again, very inadequate.  Spectacular shots of all kinds have me once again in awe of the sheer talent of these professionals and hobbyists and I'm honored to be a part of the group.  As an example, please take a peek at Elaine Melko's gorgeous shot of a pear on white, our first photography challenge.

For our first Food Photography & Styling Challenge, the directive had us photographing fruit on a white background - no props.  I was lucky enough to have a recent image already prepared from our Margarita Lime Jello Cube post with sliced limes on the white background.  With my biggest struggle usually being White Balance and Lighting, this method is far from easy.  My lime image (shown above) was literally a one-shot-wonder and taken almost as an afterthought along with the Margarita Jello Shots.  I'm fairly pleased with the color and balance, though the photo is not as sharp as I would have liked.

Margarita Lime Jello Shots (totally addicting!) shot also on the white background with similar settings.  As they are not totally fruit, they are not eligible for the challenge, leaving us with the beautiful lime slices instead.

For my lime shot, I photographed the slices on the white board that came with my non-professional, yet ever-so-helpful, light (Lowel EGO Digital Imaging, Tabletop Fluorescent Light Unit) and the natural afternoon light that pours into my kitchen.  The lime image turned out fairly nice - shot with my favorite food photography lens, the Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro Digital SLR Lens at ISO 500, f/10, and 1/100.

The pomegranate at the top was a last minute addition to the post and will be revealed further in a salad post that is upcoming (Grapefruit, Avocado and Arugula with a Lemon Vinaigrette).  For this image the info reads: ISO 800, f/6.3, 1/30.  Shot with the same lens as the limes.

I'm eager to get a start on next month's challenge... something including vegetables and a collage.  Stay tuned, and let me know your thoughts about photography... what do you enjoy and what are your biggest challenges?