7 Tips For Shooting Food At Its Source| May Merriment Day 19
Posted by Katrina Kennedy on May 19, 2011 in Blog, Photography | 12 comments
Where does your food come from? Does it travel miles to your grocery store or just minutes from your backyard? Let’s move beyond food on our plates and go to the source today. There are so many ways we can interpret “the source.”
Much of my food comes from my garden. Or from the farmer’s market. Or from our local Co-op.
That’s the luck of being in California.
Don’t discount the drive through window or the grocery store or something as simple as your refrigerator. There is great light in the refrigerator!
How do you get the best photos from the source?
Look for light. Are you sick of me saying this yet? in all of your situations look for the light. Find something illuminated well.
Look for repetition.
Get closer.
Add context. Think price tags, descriptions, baskets, shelves, labels.
Find color. Reds, yellows, oranges. They all ask to be photographed.
Shoot from multiple angles. I tend to shoot at either eye level or 3/4 view as from above gets a little tricky and awkward in public places.
Visibly carry your camera. I find it much easier to take photos in our grocery store or at the farmer’s market if I don’t have to retrieve my camera from a bag. It makes the statement. I have a camera. I know that. I’m here to take photos. If someone looks at me funny, I tell them what I’m doing to avoid the fear of some covert operation occurring through my lens.
Whatever your source may be, it is part of your food culture. Part of your life. Part of your 365. Stretch yourself today.
What is one food source you’ve wanted to photograph that you haven’t?
I just discovered the blog this week and I am in love! my husband is an amazing cook and I always try to photograph his food but most of the times the pictures do not do justice to how it looks in real life. I am crazy to try some “props” next time so the food doesn’t look so lonely
Also, I am always inspired by colorful food in the farmers market or even the supermarket but I am afraid they are going to think I am crazy by taking pictures of vegetables
thanks for all the amazing tips!
You are welcome! Glad you’ve liked the tips and glad you found us! I’m looking forward to seeing some of his yummy food
$1 each for artichokes! That’s great. I’m here in Half Moon Bay, CA and the big artichokes are about $3 at Safeway! And my favorite local produce stand recently closed up. I guess I’ll have to venture a little farther down the coast to get my fresh produce. Love your food photos.
That was going to be my question, do you ever get funny looks or comments from farmer’s market vendors? People can sometimes get really serious at CA farmer’s markets!
Just last weekend one vendor asked if he could see the photo and we talked about the light! Another vendor told me her son liked my camera…lol. I do try to go to our market early in the morning before it gets too crowded. I see more and more people taking photos lately. Funny thing is, most of the time I’m shooting price tags so I can add up what I save by growing our own veggies!
I love you, I love your blog, but the only time you use an apostrophe for “it’s” is when it means it is! (Sorry, English major in me)
Linda
Oh Linda. I love you too. Do you know how many times I’ve made that mistake today? I know the difference…I was an English major. EMBARRASSING!
hehe, anything to get you to comment
I can claim that anyway, can’t I?!
Katrina, your photos are always amazing. I love each one of these. Beautiful. Even though it is yours, I demand you put the bottom one in your Friday favorites this week. I demand it!
Seriously please begin posting in the gallery along with all of us. I would love to see yours everyday too.
Oh, you are too sweet! I cheated though and grabbed that photo from two years ago
The truth is out now! No tomatoes in my garden yet!
Love the bowl of cherry tomatoes–so colorful and perfect in the cooler colored light blue bowl! Thanks for sharing on Shutter Sisters
~Tricia