This dessert photo was actually taken during a networking event at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Miami. What can I say, I have a knack for photographing food and making it look tasty. Actually there is a name for lighting food that produce the hunger feeling when the item is viewed. Lighting for food to produce hunger is referred to as the art of producing appetite appeal. This occurs when the lighting rips across the food creating highlights and shadows that produce texture.
I took my first food photography class in 1990 at UCLA in Los Angeles. There I was taught that the key to food photography is getting people hungry when they look at a food photo. Doing this is both an art and a science. The art part is making the design of the plate of food look good. The science is lighting the food to created the human response if getting hungry.
Most people know me as a wedding and special event photographer. This is mostly what I shoot. However, one of the reasons why I love wedding photography so much is because I get to shoot the food. Well actually I get to shoot all types of stuff at a wedding. I get to shoot Beautiful portraits, Stunning Brides, Masculine Groom photos and crazy fun party photos. Being good at food photography is just a plus when I show up at a wedding.
During my years of learning food photography I spent hours and hours working with art directors and food stylist working to create the perfect looking plate of food. Sometimes we could cheat and use clay to make the food behave for the camera. Other times we didn't actually cook the food, we just used a blow torch the make the food look grilled. You see if you actually cook the food, it looses color or shrinks. However just cooking the outside of, say a burger, makes the burger look grilled but still plump.
If you are photographing a TV dinner the food needs to actually come from the TV dinner. So I would often find myself with the tweezers looking through 50 TV dinners trying to find the 10 perfect pieces of chicken.
However, sometimes as a Miami food photographer I need to shoot fast and not to touch the food. So, I'll show up at a wedding or special event and have the chef say, Get me some great food shots. This means that I need to shoot while people are eating. Of course I can't touch the food for add a piece of clay, or break out the blow torch. I have to shoot what in in front of me. This means using natural light or on camera bounce flash to create that hunger producing lighting. This was the case with this dessert.
Anyway, if you are in South Florida or Miami and need a food photographer, give me a call. It's always best if I can play with my food but I realize that sometimes I can't. Either way I'll get you great food photos with some extra appetite appeal added in for good measure.
Also, Planning a wedding or special event such as a Bat or Bar Mitzvah? I shoot those also. Take a cruise through my website and gallery and have a look. You can reach me at (561) 737-5561
Jeff
Location: 500 BRICKELL KEY DRIVE, 33131 MIAMI, FLORIDA .
