test by neonmfg

A C M P R O B R E A KO U T

THE INSPIRED TABLE

Light, Style & Composition in Food Photography With Caroline Jensen, Kellie Bieser and Julie Peveto

Contents Kellie Bieser............................................................................................3 Julie Peveto............................................................................................38 Caroline Jensen......................................................................................75

AN INTERVIEW WITH:

Kellie Bieser How did you get into food photography? I always shoot for myself…even when I am Do you shoot food primarily, or do you working for pay! Being a creative for a living photograph a variety of subjects/genres? is hard enough and if you aren’t loving what you are making then you are on a fast track At heart, I am a photographer of people. to burn out. A lot of my food images are Nothing makes me happier than faces and simply for personal use but I have also had body language and capturing interactions the opportunity to sell them as stock images that tell a story. And when those faces and have even been commissioned by some and interactions and stories belong to MY local restaurants. people, I am filled to the brim with joy. That said, my people aren’t always eager to be in How do you approach styling when it front of the camera and as they grow and comes to food photography? become increasingly independent, I find myself having to respect their boundaries. I am definitely a “less is more” kind of girl when it comes to styling…except for when I am not! I think that letting the food be front and center without too much distraction is almost always best; simple styling with elements that make sense to the food and add to the finished product is key. But then there are times when I want colored gels on lights and food flying and things splashing and the scene is total chaos but even in those moments I am choosing to evoke emotions that I connect to the food itself. The food is still front and center in the end.

For me, food photography is a genre where I can still tell the story of my family…meals shared and memories made…without having to always rely on a person being willing to get in the frame. Do you shoot for yourself? For stock? Or for something else?

What are your thoughts on props? Do you purchase props (and what are your favorite sources) or do you create your own? How do you know what prop to use for each image? Props are totally fun! Who doesn’t love pretty dishes and table cloths and cute little ceramic pinch pots? But those adorable little things can add-up quick and so I find

accentuate the textures and elements of my subject that make it special. This can mean that I wait for the sun to stream in brightly through a window for a cheery morning feel or I can put a sheer curtain over that same window to diffuse the light and create a softer look.

myself a bit of a minimalist when it comes to props. I like to have nice neutral items that can be photographed a thousand times without the viewer necessarily noticing that they are seeing the same plate or bowl over and over again. IKEA, Target, Etsy, and World Market are always great places to find inexpensive yet impactful props as they have a great selection of those staple pieces as well as some affordable statement items that add a punch to a special shot. Of course, if I could just buy the entire home section of Anthropologie I probably wouldn’t complain about that! When choosing props I am always considering shape, color, and texture and how to let those elements of the food shine rather than those elements of the props. I want to always point to the food and use any other components of the frame to emphasize my intended subject. When you think about light and food photography, what are you looking for? Do you work with natural light only or do you use flash or continuous light for some of your images? How do you modify the light (either natural or created) to suit your needs? Just as with props and styling, I am looking for the light to create a mood and for it to

I also have a lot of fun using flash in food photography and have used everything from a 2x3 softbox to a trio of gelled strobes to get the look I am going for. You don’t need a lot to make artificial light work for you (I even used a cardboard box as a homemade barn door in one of my set-ups for this breakout!) and it can be extremely helpful when the sun isn’t cooperating with your vision. Do your lighting requirements change depending on whether you are going for a dark and moody image or a light and airy image? What, specifically, are you looking for in each situation? My lighting requirements absolutely change based on the mood of the image. I live in Ohio where the sun isn’t terribly predictable so while I can plan for a bright airy shot to match the mood of my happy birthday cake or I can hope for soft moody light to accentuate all of the cracks and crumbles of a warm peach cobbler, I am not guaranteed that with natural light. I always try to have the vision of the mood I am after before I start shooting and styling and let that drive how I use light. How do you decide whether to create a dark or light food image? Does it depend on what type of food you are photographing? Or something else? The type of light most often has to do with how I feel about the food; when I associate something with fun and laughter and

the creative process by making things from scratch and having the house smell amazing while I am photographing that food, but I am also a mom of four kids and I am willing to let the experts take over when necessary.

childhood (like cake or Cheerios) I am more likely to lean toward a more high key light situation. But when a food makes me want to snuggle under a blanket and enjoy it by a fire I might prefer something a little moodier in nature. There are times, though, when I let the appearance of the food take precedence over my emotional connection. If there is a texture or a color that I find to signify the character of the subject (like those gorgeous rainbow-hued macarons!), I will try to use the light to draw the attention there first. I will still consider the emotion because that is just the kind of photographer I am, but it can be secondary in special situations. Do you cook everything you photograph, or do you style the food of others/work with raw food? If so, what do you look for in a “photo-worthy” subject? Do you photograph that food on location or do you bring it home/to a more private location to photograph it? Most of the time I cook the food I photograph which means that my camera has a good bit of flour on it! But there is no way I could make latte art like our local coffee house and fresh produce is so lovely that sometimes I don’t want to do anything to it before I photograph it! I do love being involved in every step of

My own home and studio is definitely my comfort zone when photographing food as I feel like I have a little more time to experiment and try new things. But sometimes the location itself can add another layer of emotion that only strengthens the image. Being in the kitchen of a local bakery and seeing the flour fly and the chocolate drizzle and capturing it all with my camera is one of the best photography experiences I have ever had! Do you only photograph the finished product, or do you photograph the food at different stages? If the latter, how do you incorporate the idea of “preparation” and “motion” into your images? How often do you include hands or arms in the frame? I would say that most of the time I am drawn to the finished product, but there are certain recipes where the process is as much a part of my emotional attachment as the finished food. My grandma’s challah bread recipe is one that I saw her make a hundred times and flour-covered hands kneading dough holds as much of my heart as those beautifully braided loaves. Same with my kids making cookies; the mixing and measuring and scooping is part of the joy of a chocolate chip cookie and deserves to be documented just as much as the finished product. Where do you get your inspiration? The food itself is always my biggest inspiration. Something that tastes amazing and looks beautiful automatically has my photographer

distance from the scene to really appreciate every aspect (re: I have to not be smelling and wanting to devour the food to think clearly!). Using various shooting angles, turning the food to utilize the light from an alternative angle, changing out props, swapping lenses…all of these little adjustments can help you create variety in your portfolio and can help you see your subject in a way that you may not have considered before. wheels turning! I love reading cookbooks (Molly on the Range and Smitten Kitchen are two of my current favorites) and seeing how other food photographers use light and composition to make a dish look more enticing is always inspiring. How much post-processing do you do? How essential is post-processing when it comes to achieving your vision/style? Anyone who knows me know that I LOVE Photoshop. I alway believe in getting exposure and white balance right in camera, but after that I have a blast with post processing. I think that all of those little things I do (okay, sometimes they are BIG things!) make the photo truly mine and I consider editing to be an essential part of my process. When you photograph food, do you have a particular image in mind before you start shooting? Once you’ve achieved that image, do you continue shooting to add variety to the gallery? What are some of your go-to tips and tricks for creating different images from one scene? I always have “the shot” in mind before I start shooting…and then I always take a bunch more! The idea is that while I might think I know what works best, sometimes I have to have some

What is one thing you wish someone had told you when you started photographing food? The most important thing that I have learned along the way is that photographing food isn’t all that different from photographing anything else: light and composition are key and as long as you get that right, all of the other details will fall into place. Do you have any go-to gear (lenses, tripods, etc.) that you use when you are photographing food? I try to be relatively flexible with my gear when shooting in any situation, food included. I think that with an open mind you can make most anything work! That said, in my ideal set-up I like to shoot wide (to get those nice overhead shots) and typically reach for my 24mm to make that happen. It has a bit of distortion but rarely is it so much that I find it distracting in a food set-up. Window light will always be my favorite, but the Ohio sun doesn’t always cooperate. I fought flash for a long time but once I gave it a try, I found it to be an indispensable part of my workflow. I have 3 Profoto B2s with various modifiers (I usually reach for the 2’x3’ softbox because it is just like a window!) as well as a Profoto A1. Both allow me to create light when and where I want it and are extremely portable for on-location shoots.

IM AGE BY K E LLI E BI ES ER | BEHIND T HE SCE NE S ON VIDEO BIE SE R_ 1

pullback

final image

IM AGE BY K E LLI E BI ES ER | BEHIND T HE SCE NE S ON VIDEO BIE SE R_ 2

pullback

final image