Best Lens for Food Photography?

jimmyleaman

jimmyleaman

Messages
195
Name
James
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi All,

Just a quick question:

I'm going to be taking some photos for the Bar/Café I'm living above at the moment of the food they serve, and therefore need some advice on what lens to hire to get the best results. I have been reading into the art of food photography and the emphasis has very much been on the lighting conditions, however for this particular shoot I'm going to be taking the photographs in the sun-trapped beer garden.

I would like to get a mix of 'close up' and 'whole table framed' photos.

Any suggestions or perhaps example of your work?

Cheers
 
Well if your talking real close ups you'll want a macro lens but some how I doubt they'll really want you to go that close to the food, macros are interesting but not particularly appetising from a food sale front...

I'd say honestly a reasonably wide prime such as a 24/35mm could be good for single plate shots, and pretty much your standard kit lens will be fine for full table shots

It really depends what your brief is, but those would be the lens I'd be expecting to need
 
Can't help with the lens I'm afraid, but maybe a reflector or 2 to stop any harsh shadows etc?
 
jimmyleaman said:
Hi All,

Just a quick question:

I'm going to be taking some photos for the Bar/Café I'm living above at the moment of the food they serve, and therefore need some advice on what lens to hire to get the best results. I have been reading into the art of food photography and the emphasis has very much been on the lighting conditions, however for this particular shoot I'm going to be taking the photographs in the sun-trapped beer garden.

I would like to get a mix of 'close up' and 'whole table framed' photos.

Any suggestions or perhaps example of your work?

Cheers
Click to expand...


What lenses do you currently have James ?

Try your lenses out and see if they do what you need - unless they are buying you a new lens for doing this, do you need to spend money on a new lens ?

Having tried out your lenses, if you are struggling, this will give you an idea of what you need to be looking for.

I'd probably be tempted (if space allows) to use a tripod for shooting this...
 
You don't say if you are using flash or natural light. This is an important consideration. If your in a room with no windows and fluorescent lighting for example your images are going to be very lack- lustre. This is something else to consider. In addition to the above which I agree with I would add a 50mm to the mix and a tripod. Always better to take gear and not use it, rather than don't take it and wish you had.
 
50mm prime for the main shots and get a set of extension tubes for any macro work.
 
I would use a small aperture of f/22 or f/16 with corresponding shutter speed for maximum depth of field. A bit of bounced flash of card (or ceiling if it's white). Job done. If you're looking for corner-to-corner sharpness it's the way to go.
 
If ever there has been an instance of a thread demonstrating that there is no specific lens for a job this is it :LOL: 9 responses and about 10 different lens suggestions :LOL: :LOL:
 
Thanks for your responses guys. The only lens in my bag is the 70-300L, mounted on a 70D as I mostly shoot aircraft. I have however rented a fair few lenses, but not really delved into food photography. I've been a big part of the company for a few years that I'm taking the photos for, and therefore they know I'm not a professional but still trust me in getting results as I have done for their other publications.

The lighting *hopefully* won't be much of an issue as the food will be photographed in the garden, which generally gets sun all day long (when it comes out). I will try different angles, and use different areas of the garden to achieve the desired conditions. The Beer garden is also a huge selling point for this place. Tripod is a must yes!
 
Would the nifty-fifty be suffice? It's going to cost me ~£45 to hire a 50mm f1.2, so for the sake of an extra £30 I could keep the nifty-fifty in my bag!
 
jimmyleaman said:
Thanks for your responses guys. The only lens in my bag is the 70-300L, mounted on a 70D as I mostly shoot aircraft.
Click to expand...

I love primes myself but I do wonder if they'll be needed and almost certainly not a macro unless you're shooting peanuts :D

I assume you'll want to pretty much fill the frame but that probably wont mean a macro so I suppose what matters is the size of your subject and if your lens will fill the frame or if the lenses minimum focus distance matters. One thing that I sometimes try for is a bit of perspective distortion and for that you have to be closer... but not macro closer :D I don't know if your client would want a bit of perspective distortion or just a straight shot.
 
jimmyleaman said:
Hi All,

Just a quick question:

I'm going to be taking some photos for the Bar/Café I'm living above at the moment of the food they serve, and therefore need some advice on what lens to hire to get the best results.
Click to expand...

What style or mood have you discussed with the Bar/Cafe for these images. There are a few responses on here which assume you want front-to-back sharpness ... which is a style, you could be looking at narrow depth of field which again is valid, delivering either an editorial style or a more traditional advertising style when combined with your lighting and styling choices. The answer to that question drives how the images need to look and from that what lens or selection of lenses you might need.

I have been reading into the art of food photography and the emphasis has very much been on the lighting conditions, however for this particular shoot I'm going to be taking the photographs in the sun-trapped beer garden.
Click to expand...

So have you decided that you want to use an outdoor setting and the beer garden delivers that lighting style and backdrop ? Or are you just going to ignore all the advise you have found when reading up on it ? :confused:

A sun-trapped beer garden is going to give you a lot of things to consider or control and will drive more than just lenses to add to your kit list.

I would like to get a mix of 'close up' and 'whole table framed' photos.

Any suggestions or perhaps example of your work?
Click to expand...

Apart from the fact that your 70-300mm is going to be limited, but could do *a* job for you on this there isn't reality enough information. I have shot food with a 70-200, a 24-70, 85mm, and 45mm and 85mm PC-E, and probably a 50mm. Penny De La Santos, a US based food photographer shoots with the Canon 24-105 f/4L and uses aperture and focal length to change the look of her images - so anything within a standard zoom range can work.
 
70mm is going to be to long. A 50mm is ideal. One advantage of shooting with a small aperture as I mentioned earlier is that you have an image that's sharp from corner to corner. Any blurring of diffusion can be done afterwards during PP. If you shoot with a large aperture and it doesn't quite work out you've lost your sharpness. You can't go backwards! If you get it right in camera in the first place anything else is going to be easy. Good luck with it and let us know how you get on.
 
Last edited:
Blank_Canvas said:
70mm is going to be to long. A 50mm is ideal. One advantage of shooting with a small aperture as I mentioned earlier is that you have an image that's sharp from corner to corner. Any blurring of diffusion can be done afterwards during PP. If you shoot with a large aperture and it doesn't quite work out you've lost your sharpness. You can't go backwards! If you get it right in camera in the first place anything else is going to be easy. Good luck with it and let us know how you get on.
Click to expand...

All of this assumes the photographer has little to no clue about what they are trying to achieve either artistically or technically. If that is the case then you'd be better of declining the job and letting someone who knows what they are doing take it on.

If however the OP knows what the client wants, and can execute it then you'd be a fool to shoot at f/16-f/22 trying to get the entire frame sharp (and potentially introducing diffraction) and then bodge it in photoshop to get an effect you can deliver with higher quality in camera. I can assure that that pro photographers get as much right in camera as possible from framing and depth of field to lighting. They don't worry about not being "able to go backwards" because they get it right first time.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ST4
The OP asked for suggestions, I offered up how I would do it. It's a good starting point and it will produce a good set of results. Lots of dialogue to be had with the owner, that's a given. It's best to have a plan in the first place to start from and then be flexible. In reality it's easier to execute than articulate.
 
If you're after photos of dishes as they are would be served, then the *best* lens would be a tilt-shift - probably the 45mm f/2.8 since you're using a crop sensor camera.

I see this has been suggested before but the reason hasn't been explained. Food generally looks most attractive if you photograph it from the same kind of angle as if you were sitting down to eat it. That means the camera is pointing down at an angle, and with a conventional lens your plane of focus cuts through the dish. So if you use a large aperture, the front and back of the dish are out of focus which looks artificial and unattractive. Your only real option is to use a small aperture and get everything in focus. With a tilt-shift lens you can put the plane of focus across the top of the dish so everything there is in focus but you can still have things out of focus in the background. It works even better with things like cakes where you can have the top in focus but drifting out of focus towards the base.
 
Point well made but often food is served on a plate with other items, also presentation is very important. Some chefs consider it a work of art. Food is effectively a product shot hence the detail is important.

I agree a tilt-shift could give the same results that Costa use for their half in, half out of focus coffee cup shots etc but then again the same results can be achieved in Photoshop. I guess it's all down to personal preference which lens we use for jobs. Most of the best mouthwatering images of food that I have seen lately have all been pin sharp. Tilt-shift, ok for coffee cups and the odd slice of cake but cordon bleau and fine dining it's possibly not the best choice.

I think a good example of food photography is McDonalds. We all know what fast food tastes like and the photographs of their burgers look quite appetising. They are also very sharp and taken with a conventional lens. Food for thought. ( no pun intended)
 
Blank_Canvas said:
Point well made but often food is served on a plate with other items, also presentation is very important. Some chefs consider it a work of art. Food is effectively a product shot hence the detail is important.

I agree a tilt-shift could give the same results that Costa use for their half in, half out of focus coffee cup shots etc but then again the same results can be achieved in Photoshop. I guess it's all down to personal preference which lens we use for jobs. Most of the best mouthwatering images of food that I have seen lately have all been pin sharp. Tilt-shift, ok for coffee cups and the odd slice of cake but cordon bleau and fine dining it's possibly not the best choice.

I think a good example of food photography is McDonalds. We all know what fast food tastes like and the photographs of their burgers look quite appetising. They are also very sharp and taken with a conventional lens. Food for thought. ( no pun intended)
Click to expand...

Interesting that you raise McD as I remember a few years back there was a video doing rounds with the photographer that shot a lot of the McD it was an interesting watch as they used to make the food specifically shooting, they're not allowed to put in more than is actually put in but the burgers were essentially built up leaning backwards so as to show off the filling as much as possible
 
Blank_Canvas said:
Point well made but often food is served on a plate with other items, also presentation is very important. Some chefs consider it a work of art. Food is effectively a product shot hence the detail is important.

I agree a tilt-shift could give the same results that Costa use for their half in, half out of focus coffee cup shots etc but then again the same results can be achieved in Photoshop. I guess it's all down to personal preference which lens we use for jobs. Most of the best mouthwatering images of food that I have seen lately have all been pin sharp. Tilt-shift, ok for coffee cups and the odd slice of cake but cordon bleau and fine dining it's possibly not the best choice.

I think a good example of food photography is McDonalds. We all know what fast food tastes like and the photographs of their burgers look quite appetising. They are also very sharp and taken with a conventional lens. Food for thought. ( no pun intended)
Click to expand...

You don't have to use a tilt shift lens for selective focus, you can use the Scheimpflug principle to move the plane of focus to permit everything in your shot to be pin sharp without stopping down to the point where diffraction becomes an issue. I for example use tilt in my landscapes (using either my TS-E lens or the movements of my Linhof) to render a whole landscape sharp from front to back without getting down to F22. On commercial jobs I've used it to ensure everything is sharp, and also to make just one feature sharp.
 
MWHCVT said:
Interesting that you raise McD as I remember a few years back there was a video doing rounds with the photographer that shot a lot of the McD it was an interesting watch as they used to make the food specifically shooting, they're not allowed to put in more than is actually put in but the burgers were essentially built up leaning backwards so as to show off the filling as much as possible
Click to expand...

Found it

 
Blank_Canvas said:
I think a good example of food photography is McDonalds. We all know what fast food tastes like and the photographs of their burgers look quite appetising.
Click to expand...

:rolleyes:

And on this bombshell I'll bail out of this thread unless the OP resurfaces....
 
markmullen said:
You don't have to use a tilt shift lens for selective focus, you can use the Scheimpflug principle to move the plane of focus to permit everything in your shot to be pin sharp without stopping down to the point where diffraction becomes an issue. I for example use tilt in my landscapes (using either my TS-E lens or the movements of my Linhof) to render a whole landscape sharp from front to back without getting down to F22. On commercial jobs I've used it to ensure everything is sharp, and also to make just one feature sharp.
Click to expand...

Indeed Mark, I used to have a Sinar P2 monorail which was ideal for the job I wasn't going to mention large format, movements. or get into the the complexities of 'Hinge Rule' at this junction to keep things simple as I didn't think it was relevant to the thread given the title. It's a valid point though.
 
Blank_Canvas said:
Interesting video. I'm not a fan of any fast food but I think it demonstrates the attention to detail required.
Click to expand...

Indeed it also demonstrates how the eye sees the food isn't always how the camera will see it so the plate has to be repaired with a view to photography...

Another thing I've remembered when I was at college one of the tutors for a number of years had worked at one of the big advertising houses and one of his accounts for a time was Martini, and he told us how they could never get satisfactory results when photographing Martini Rosso, so in the end used to have the glass actually filled with ribena rather than Martini Rosso though the ASA would not permit that anymore, but it demonstrates again not everything is always as it seems
 
Do you have any that are lightly less tightly framed? It's really almost a cardinal sin to clip bits of the subject off frame and all three of those are suffering from that...also on the burger the majority of the content of the burger is hidden by the batch and the shadow it's casting :(

I will say, well there's room for improvement the food does look very tasty, and it looks well exposed...though I'm not really convinced on the choice of DoF in the first, I'd like to see slightly more of the wings in focus

Matt
 
Hi Matt,

I'm in the process of editing a few more which are not so tightly framed. These images will be going on the new menu and therefore I felt it would be important for the 'Main item of food' to be fairly prominent in the frame with the salad and side of wedges in lesser-focus. However, I have taken a huge amount of photos of each dish from different angles and using varying apertures so I'll post them up over the course of the evening. Thanks for your feedback!
 
MWHCVT said:
Do you have any that are lightly less tightly framed? It's really almost a cardinal sin to clip bits of the subject off frame and all three of those are suffering from that...also on the burger the majority of the content of the burger is hidden by the batch and the shadow it's casting :(

I will say, well there's room for improvement the food does look very tasty, and it looks well exposed...though I'm not really convinced on the choice of DoF in the first, I'd like to see slightly more of the wings in focus

Matt
Click to expand...

I'd agree with all of these comments, and I would also add that it would be nice to see some images without a Dutch tilt on them.

Additionally:

Image 1: Has a big area of dead space in the top LHS. Could you not position to have the plate resting on a solid table background ? I'm not sure those two bits of onion sticking up work at all. Needs better styling/plating. Although your light on that image is the best of the three and I'm OK with the DOF selected.

Image 2: Is that an ashtray in the background with cigarette butts in it ? Again coleslaw and salad looks messy and needs better styling.

Image 3: 2 bits of cake and a brownie per portion ? Is this how it is served ? The spoon looks too small, or is positioned in the wrong place in the frame, and again you have a table edge and patch of grass on the top LHS that is distracting.

HTH
 
i started food photography a little late in my photography career, with available lenses in my bag i tried using 24-70 and even 70-200, photos looked fine but later i discovered while pixel peeping that my photos were lacking that detail and the pores in a cake slice were not having the details :)

researched a lot and found most photographer recommending TS, 100mm macro and 50mm f/2.5 macro for food. seeing my budget and requirement i chose the 100mmL and found that the it suited my requirement and the weaknesses in my images had gone. My style of photography dont need the whole food in focus so i never go beyond f/9. but i am often confronted with shallow DOF situations.

To see samples do check my food page www.facebook.com/kitchenmarvels
the initial images are from a 24-70L and than i only used the 100mm. As i am using fullframe, 100 remains a 100mm lens, on a crop, 50mmf/2.5 macro is my humble suggestion.

thanks
Faisal
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top