NZPhotographer Issue 35, September 2020

OTHER THINGS TO EXPERIMENT WITH:
Use different camera angles
Try the classic overhead shot but also try
shooting straight on, and from different heights.
Hint: Watch how that influences your
background
Use different lenses
Move away from your object and shoot with a
long lens (e. g.70–200mm)
this magnifies the subject in relation to its
background and further reduces depth of field
(increasing bokeh) as the longer the lens, the
shallower the depth.
Hint: There is no right or wrong lens, but different
lenses will produce different results so experiment
until you find a style you like.
Create an image series that tells a story, from
food gathering through to plating
Show ingredients
E.g. If using produce, take a photo of veggies
in the garden, or at the supermarket (do not be
afraid to use your phone camera for this)
Show food preparation
Ingredients on a chopping board (optional:
include the knife)
Finished ingredients in a mixing bowl
Show final plating
Try different objects in the scene.
E.g. image of just food on a plate; image of
plated food surrounded by ingredients
In closing, I hope you can see that just by using
what you have at home, and without too much
effort, you can elevate your photos from quickly
taken snaps at the dinner table, to thoughtful
and planned images that entice the viewer in.
Your social media posts will never be the same
again!
BIO
Ted Grenfell is a professional portrait, lifestyle, and food photographer
and a landscape photography enthusiast. He works out of his studio
gallery in North Dunedin where he also continues the associated
printed homewares brand his late wife established in 2014.
www.grenfell.co.nz
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NZPhotographer