Plank Taster at Tavern for St. Louis Magazine. Photograph by Jonathan Gayman.

Food Photography Lighting Techniques

The brief for this project was simple: an overhead shot of each dish on a smooth, non-textured white surface with the goal of a studio-style shot on location at each individual restaurant. When you start to think about doing a series in this way, there are a number of factors that make this slightly more complicated than it sounds.

The Surface

For starters, I was going to be photographing each dish in a different restaurant, so I couldn’t depend on having a smooth white surface handy to shoot on. This meant I had to bring the surface with me. So what surface would be best for something like this? Well, it needs to be inexpensive, durable and portable. In addition, since I like to get sloppy and spill some food on my surface while shooting it also has to be easy to clean. I ended up going with a piece of panel board from Home Depot at the bargain price of $12.97. This stuff is great. It is super durable, doesn’t stain or scuff, and is super cheap. I also use the same stuff for a slightly reflective floor surface when I do white seamless work.

Rib-Eye Steak at Prime 1000 for St. Louis Magazine. Photograph by Jonathan Gayman

Lighting and Equipment

The next challenge was lighting. Some of the restaurants had good windows and therefore good natural light,. But unfortunately it was December, and there isn’t much good light, and it was a dark and rainy week to boot. When possible I shot the dishes using natural light, but when natural light wasn’t available I substituted window light with a Canon 580Ex II speedlight and a large shoot through umbrella placed near the subject. For both natural light and artificial light I used both a large collapsable reflector along with a smaller white foamcore bounce card for fill.

Lobster Risotto at I Fratellini for St. Louis Magazine. Photograph by Jonathan Gayman

Strategy

Since I was only shooting seven of the fifty dishes, and since my shots would be paired with the work of other photographer who probably got the same brief as I did, I felt it was even more important for my shots to be consistent.

The first shoot in the series had great natural light. I used this one as a model for all of the other shots in the series. Based on that shot, I made sure that my key light came from the left in each shot, and from roughly the same angle. Since I was supplying my own surface and could shoot with either natural or artificial light, it didn’t really matter where in the restaurant I set up. By playing close attention to details, I was able to get that consistent studio-shot look at each location.

It was an awesome project to be part of. If you haven’t already, grab the latest copy of St. Louis Magazine for the lowdown on their choices for best dishes in St. Louis!

Curry Chicken at Bobo Noodle House for St. Louis Magazine. Photograph by Jonathan Gayman.

Another of the notable assignments I was given over the last few months was a portrait of Catherine Neville, publisher of Feast. Cat pens a “From the Publisher” column for each issue which is accompanied by a different photograph each month. Many publications use the same image for the editor or publisher each issue. New art each month adds a nice, fresh touch to the magazine. When the photographer who usually shoots the feature was had some scheduling conflicts, I was pleased and flattered when Feast hired me to fill in for a couple of Cat’s portraits.

Cat is a great subject to photograph. Despite her concerns about looking uncomfortable in front of the camera, I’ll be honest: it would be pretty difficult to make a bad photograph of her. Each month she either stands or sits in an interesting chair against a white seamless. The real challenge for this portrait was finding an appropriate chair for the sitting versions. As I’ve mentioned in the past, we don’t have a lot of furniture in the studio yet, and after trying a number of different chairs (including one I borrowed from the lobby of my building), Cat suggested that we try my psuedo-modern-wobbily-Ikea coffee table. It turned out to be a great idea. Beautiful!

Catherine Neville, Publisher and Editor of Feast Magazine, St. Louis MO.

I have been doing a lot of studio portraits lately (including an exciting project that I’m wrapping up this week) and have really been joying working with people again for a change. I love shooting food, but do you have any idea how hard it is to make a bowl of soup smile?

I’m not talking about Olive Pit, Deep Fried Lobster and TGIFUs. I’m talking about independent restaurants that I would never know existed if it wasn’t for the magazine assignments that have been taking me far and wide all over St. Louis City and County.

Bibimbap at Korea House in Creve Coeur, MO. Photography by Jonathan Gayman

One great example of unexpectedly good strip mall cuisine is Korea House (otherwise known as Hangook Kwan) in Creve Coeur. In a strip mall? Check. Zero ambiance? Check. Amazingly delicious and relatively inexpensive Korean food? Check.

Korea House has some amazing beef bulgolgi, which is a personal favorite of mine. After I photographed the assignment for the magazine, I dragged Dr. Fiance and some of our friends out there for dinner. Each meal begins with a wide selection of banchan (appetizers) like fish cakes and kimchi (which I love).

For our main course we tried several of the Korean barbecue options (although we decided not to barbecue our meat ourselves at the table-side barbecue pits). The barbecue is served sizzling hot in cast iron dishes shaped like the animal you’re about to consume. And just to be clear? This isn’t some sort of jazzy fajita nightmare that you’d find at a chain strip mall restaurant; this is thinly sliced, intensely favored and incredibly tender barbecue.

Korean Banchan at Korea House in Creve Coeur, MO. Photography by Jonathan Gayman.

Korean Beef Bulgogi at Korea House in Creve Coeur, MO. Photography Jonathan Gayman

If you like Korean food, Korea House should definitely be on your list. As a final note: I had a client over at the studio for a photo session yesterday, and while we were reviewing some of the images in my office, her boyfriend noticed a print of the bibimbap photograph (above) hanging on my review board. He recognized the photo from the series in the Sauce review and told me that my photographs were the main reason he and his girlfriend decided to drive out to give Korea House a try. Always nice to hear good feedback, no?

St. Louis Mayor Francis G. Slay, photographed in a studio in downtown St. Louis for Feast Magazine.

I’m not going to lie, I was a bit nervous about this assignment, although not because it was to photograph the mayor. I am not a stranger to photographing influential public figures. I have photographed some heavy hitters over the years, including the mayor of another major city: in 2008 I made a portrait of Rudy Giuliani while a staff photographer in New York City. He was running for president at the time and it was quite an experience to be sure. But that was in a hotel conference room, not in my home studio!

In the end, when the Mayor Slay arrived my professional experience kicked in and I managed not to make a fool of myself (I think). In truth it was just like any other shoot, and once I got started I was able to concentrate on getting the shots that I needed for the assignment. Like most public figures, the mayor was used to having his photograph taken, and was a confident and cooperative subject.

This was a great project to work on. I’m a big fan of the mayor, particularly his influence in the ongoing revitalization of downtown St. Louis. And interestingly, this project also tied in with my current focus on food and food culture because my photographs of Mayor Slay were used in Feast magazine as part of a feature called Tastemakers: Entrepreneurs Who Shape the Way You Eat. Great stuff!

Below are some outtakes from an assignment I photographed at Dressel’s for Sauce magazine last month. They have this amazing deconstructed Shephard’s Pie that is served in a skillet which you’ve got to try. Delicious and beautiful.

For more on Dressel’s Public House, check out the review from Sauce Magazine.

As a thank you to my clients I wanted to send them something special for the holidays. There are tons of photographers in the market today, and I want my clients to know that I appreciate it when they choose me for their projects. And it’s not just about the work either. My clients are people who are creative and fun, many of whom have become my friends, and I want to make sure they know that they are more to me than just a paycheck.

So then comes the question of what is a good gift to send. It would have been easy to find a good bottle of wine and send that off to everyone, or maybe a gift card – I’ve received both of those things from vendors over the years and certainly appreciated them. But those types of things don’t go much further than face value. I wanted to find gifts that relate directly to my business and use the opportunity to showcase my photography as well.

Food gifts seemed like the logical choice. But instead of just going out an buying some good food, I decided to go 100% home-made. I spent a lot of time looking online for recipes. The key things I was looking for were foods that could be made in advance, foods that could be shipped, and foods that would still be tasty and edible when they arrive. I finally ended up with five items: spicy hot cocoa mix, granola, a spice rub, cookies, and caramel corn.

Packaging ended up being pretty easy, I went with simple white boxes, mason jars and tins. But then another challenge surfaced when I realized I would have to label each package. Most home-made gifts come with cutesy hand-written labels. My handwriting is atrocious – I’ve never been good with handwritten thank you notes, let alone food product labels. So to get around this particular problem I designed a fictional logo for each food product to pair up with the unique food photography image that I photographed.

The key for this holiday gift project was to get started well in advance. I started brainstorming the recipes, logos and packaging back in early November. This gave me enough time to perfect the recipes, shoot the food photography, design the packaging, and then of course to make all of the food before mid-December. Things like the spice rub were easy to do in bulk, while the caramel corn, for example, was pretty labor intensive. My goal was to ship the gifts by December 15th, to make sure that each client received their package before heading off for the holiday vacation.

It was a whole lot of hard work, but the feedback I got from sending the snacks was excellent. I’m definitely going to try to continue the tradition next year.

Food Gift Ideas

You can find the recipes for all five of my food gift ideas for self promotion over at my food blog, Shoot To Cook.

1. Food Gift Idea: All Natural Granola
2. Food Gift Idea: Spice Rub
3. Food Gift Idea: Absolutely Sterling Chocolate Chip Cookies
4. Food Gift Idea: Spicy Hot Cocoa
5. Food Gift Idea: Caramel and Almond Popcorn

T.J. Vytlacil, Mixologist at Blood & Sand in St. Louis, MO

Through the revolving doors you go, and enter a surprisingly large bar area separated from an even larger dining room area by hanging antique windows (a design element I aspire for my own loft). The feel of this joint is definitely that of a mixture of antique and modern elegance and style. And that is kind of the point. Blood and Sand is meant to make you feel like you’re in a private club, and indeed, you are. A monthly membership fee is required to eat and drink at Blood & Sand, currently a modest $15 per month.

Why member’s only? The idea is to give each and every customer a personalized experience and to develop a relationship with everyone who patronizes the establishment. From the Blood & Sand website: “We are members-only for this reason: we are deeply committed to providing unparalleled service and an extraordinary dining and drinking experience. The meaningful relationships we create with our members and their guests are the source of our inspiration.”

Behind the bar you’ll find dozens of varied and interesting glassware, may of them one-of-a-kind. You’ll also see a wide variety of liquors, bitters, tinctures, simple syrups and garnishes that mixologist T.J. Vytlacil uses to create custom cocktails. I’m a man of simple tastes myself (give me some Irish whiskey on the rocks if you want to make me happy) so I tend to gravitate towards the classics like the old-fashioned and the Manhattan. But whether you are plain jane imbiber or a bit more adventurous, T.J. will find the perfect cocktail for you

Scallop Ceviche and Fried Chicken at Blood & Sand in St. Louis, MO.

Chef Chris Bork at Blood & Sand in St. Louis, MO

I didn’t get a chance to try the food that I photographed (above) but I’ve been back in a social capacity several times and grabbed some drinks and food with several of my friends. Chef Chris Bork has developed a great menu of small dishes, and at this point I think we’ve at tried most of the menu. The hand made tater tots are a must have, and then I have one word for you: sweatbreads. If they have sweatbreads on the menue when you visit Blood & Sand: get the sweatbreads. And of course the cocktails are intense, interesting and inventive. Bottoms up!

Yes. In addition to the delicious crust, sauce, sausage and cheese, they break an egg onto the middle of the pizza right before it goes into the oven. I can’t believe I’ve never done this before, but it makes delicious sense. Pizza is delicious, eggs are delicious, so it should be no surprise that it is not only beautiful but rich and decadent and tasty as well. Yum.

Mad Tomato has a lot of other great dishes as well, so I’m sure it’s going to be a regular stop for us (although we aren’t in Clayton very often). For more photos and information, read the full review of Mad Tomato from Sauce Magazine

You can find the latest issue at Sauce at your newstand in St. Louis. If you’re not in the St. Louis area you can also get a subscription on their website, either in hardcopy or electronic.

Shortly after I first starting shooting professionally, I was invited to attend a critique session with a small group of fellow photographers in New York City. A friend of mine hosted the gathering his apartment – it was a casual affair with some beers and whiskey and laughter. I was feeling very cool to be hanging out with photographers – I’d only been shooting for money for a year or so and was feeling quite proud to consider myself a peer to all of these cool people. Photographers are inherently cool, right? Right?

These cool photographers were all either photo-journalists, art photographers or both. We viewed slide-shows of each of our work – the photographic styles ranged the gamut from truly artsy-fartsy photography and hard-hitting journalism on one end of the scale to my more commercial work on the other.

At one point one of the most successful photojournalists at the event declared that she never crops an image and that a true photographer captures an image in the frame or not at all. “Anyone who crops their photographs is a hack”, she said, “because they don’t really see what they are photographing.”

I remember getting very quiet at that point. Clearly I could not admit that I was cropping nearly 100% of all of my images. I was spending a lot of time on post-production in fact, cropping and tweaking my images until they were perfect. The idea of delivering a no-cropped photograph to a client seemed … well … crazy. Holy crap. What if all these cool people found out I cropped? Would they think I was a hack? Never mind that even to this day, the question of whether I’m a hack or not is an almost daily consideration. I now know that comes with the territory of being a photographer. But did I need to be so hard on myself? For the almighty sin of cropping?

Back then I relied on all of the advice I could get (and still do) from other photographers and hearing a statement like that from a fellow photographer threw me through a loop. It is always tough to be told that you’re doing something wrong, particularly by someone who you have just met and want to impress. The thing is, I wasn’t even sure if it was wrong, but that didn’t make me feel any better. I was too inexperienced to question the seasoned photographer’s opinion. I left that critique feeling like dirt, because despite my ability to produce good images, in my mind they were somehow tainted by my use post-production.

These days I have become a lot more philosophical about the whole issue: the bottom line is that if I need to crop an image to sell it to an editor or client … I’m gonna crop that image. This is the essence of being a commercial photographer: deliver the image that the client has paid you to make, on-time and on-budget. End of story.

When I started thinking about cropping recently, I realized something interesting about my work. Without any real conscious thought about it, I almost never crop. When I do it is usually small tweaks to straighten out an the skyline in a portrait or to clip out an unsightly crumb or piece of flatware that has sneaked into the corner of a food shot. Don’t get me wrong though, I reason I don’t crop isn’t one of artistic purity of thought or some other such nonsense. The simple fact is that over time I have become better at seeing the shot that I want to make without having to go back and crop it later.

The ironic thing is that I think that I got to this point BECAUSE of all of the cropping that I did as a beginner. I taught myself how to see a better image by playing around with the photographs I made, and as time went on, I was able to get closer and closer to framing the image correctly in-camera. I would also go so far as to say that when I do find myself spending a lot of time cropping an image or a series of images it is because I wasn’t as successful capturing the subject as I would have liked to be, and am just trying to make a the proverbial silk purse out of a sow’s ear. When this happens I need to be aware of it and need to spend some time figuring out how to do better the next time around.

If you feel an image needs to be cropped, go ahead and crop it. There is no shame in trying to publish the best image possible. You will not get kicked out of the photography club for cropping (anyone who tells you that you are doing something “wrong” with photography is not thinking clearly). I personally find that if I can make the image I want to make in-camera it means less time at my computer working on post-production and more time behind the lens.

Just remember that if you are cropping every single image you’re shooting, then perhaps you are using it as a bit of a crutch to get through. Spend some time studying the images you’ve cropped and see if you can figure out how you might make the same photo without cropping the next time. At the very least it will save you some time in post.

The bottom line, however, is that the only thing that matters is that final image, and it doesn’t really matter how you get there.

Above: Speck Wrapped Pork Loin, Lamb Tartare with Black Truffle and Pea Shoots Topped with a Quail Egg. Below: Chicken and Waffles, Eggs Benedict

Home Wine Kitchen’s dishes feature new takes on old classics, like chicken and waffles and a very interesting Eggs Benedict. The space is small and homey, and reservations are suggested. Despite my dislike of getting up early for brunch, I’m going to have to take Dr. Fiance for at some point.