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FOOD& LIGHTINGPHOTOGRAPHYA Commercial Photographer's Guideto Creating Irresistible ImagesTERI CAMPBELL HiiBimm

Food Photography & Lighting:A Commercial Photographer’s Guide to Creating Irresistible ImagesTeri CampbellNew Riders1249 Eighth StreetBerkeley, CA 94710Find us on the Web at www.newriders.comTo report errors, please send a note to errata@peachpit.comNew Riders is an imprint of Peachpit, a division of Pearson Education.Copyright 2013 by Teri CampbellSenior Editor: Susan RimermanCopy Editor/Proofreader: Elaine MerrillIndexer: Karin ArrigoniProduction Editor: Katerina MaloneComposition: Danielle FosterCover Design: Aren StraigerInterior Design: Claudia SmelserCover Photograph: Teri CampbellCover Photograph Stylist: Ken SmithNotice of RightsAll rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. For information on getting permission for reprints and excerpts,contact permissions@peachpit.com.Notice of LiabilityThe information in this book is distributed on an “As Is” basis, withoutwarranty. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation ofthe book, neither the author nor Peachpit shall have any liability to anyperson or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged tobe caused directly or indirectly by the instructions contained in this bookor by the computer software and hardware products described in it.TrademarksMany of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and Peachpit was aware of a trademark claim,the designations appear as requested by the owner of the trademark. Allother product names and services identified throughout this book areused in editorial fashion only and for the benefit of such companies withno intention of infringement of the trademark. No such use, or the use ofany trade name, is intended to convey endorsement or other affiliationwith this book.ISBN-10:0-321-84073-9ISBN-13: 978-0-321-84073-8987654321Printed and bound in the United States of America

To Susie.Without your encouragement and supportI would never have been able to live my dream.

AcknowledgmentsFirst, I would like to thank God for allowing me to share in His creation throughHis gift of art, and for the faith I have in Him—without which, I would never havebeen able to complete this project.My studio team members were instrumental in the production of this book—Sherry Wilson, Scott Martin, and Sarah Haun. Sherry’s involvement throughoutthis project and her willingness to help in any way was critical to the smoothprocess of writing and selecting images. Scott handles all of our post-productionand helped to organize and prepare the image files along with providing technical support. Sarah contributed the chalkboard lighting diagrams and many of thebehind-the-scenes shots in this book.The love of my family has also been invaluable during this process. My son Eli willremember the lost summer when Dad finished his book. And without the love andencouragement of my wife Susie, I may never have accepted the challenge tobegin with.Early in my career, I was encouraged by many people, but certainly Bob Kuhns,who was not only my boss at Procter & Gamble, but my mentor, cheerleader, andfriend. Don Brooks was another leader at P&G who greatly affected the trajectoryof my career. And Jim Parks—even thought I spent less than a year assisting him,his influence on my work and business philosophy was long lasting.

I would also like to express my gratitude to Rick Murphy, for believing in me andsupporting me during those early years. And Bob Hart, who took me under hiswing, always told it to me straight, and gave me good advice.And I need to thank all of the people who I collaborated with in creating theimages you see in this book—stylists, art directors, assistants, producers, art buyers, friends, and clients. It is not just my talents that are expressed in this book,but those of many talented co-creators. Thank you all.In addition I would like to thank the entire team at Peachpit Press/New Riders andespecially our editor, Susan Rimerman, who has been so supportive and patientthroughout this process. Without her willingness to step in and guide us, wewould have never made it out of the forest.And I can’t end without thanking my Mom. She was my first assistant, and latermy bookkeeper, receptionist, delivery service, food stylist, and “Studio Mom” fornearly 20 years before she retired. Thanks, Mom.

Table Of ContentsInt ro duct io nFood and MexPa r t 11What Makes Shooting Food so Difficult3Creating Images That Are Irresistible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Other Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92Current Conditions of Commercial Food Photography . . . . . . .10The Space13My First Real Studio at Longworth Hall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Our Studio Today at Central Parkway. . . . . . . . . . . . . .18I Love This Studio!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Starting Over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313The Tools33The Right Camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Lens Choice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36The Workstation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37Lights and Light Modifiers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41Tripods and Studio Stands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47Taking Care of Business. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48Tools for a Digital Artist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

4The People and Their Roles55Home Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56Visiting Team. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66You Are Here. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 725The Process75The Job Begins with an Estimate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76A Final Thought About Estimates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82Confirmation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84Pre-Production Planning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85The Day of the Shoot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88Post-Production. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 956The Job Ends with an Invoice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97Marketing and Business Considerations99Getting Started. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100Building a Portfolio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102Marketing Your Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103Advertising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108Hiring Representation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112Customized Promotions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114Pa r t 2on eShrimp Creole, Po-Boys, and Beignets125The Big EasyPreparations for the Shoot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126Palace Café. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126Parkway Bakery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129Café Du Monde. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132Image Post-Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136New Orleans Redux. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136tw oIce Cream Scoops and Shakes139Ice Cream HeadachesIce Cream Scoops. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140More Scoops. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

Is That Legal? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146Shake It Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151Final Thoughts on Ice Cream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153ThreeWould You Like a Drink with That?155Liquid Pours & SplashesGet Your Ice Cold Drinks Here!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156Coca-Cola. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158Silk Milk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161Spilled Milk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166f o urPizza, Stromboli, and Pizza Pulls169In the Brick OvenVia Vite Ristorante . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170Donatos Pizza . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171Stromboli . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174What Is a Pizza Pull? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176Carino’s Italian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179The Pull of Cheese . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183f iveLooks Like Daylight185Natural Light with FlashBreakfast Cereal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186My Front Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190Wheat Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193Pasta and Clams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194Get Out There . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197s ixChocolate, Candy, and Cookies199At the BakeryAfter-Hours with Chocolate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200Like a Box of Chocolates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202Powdered Donuts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206Edible Arts and Crafts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208Waffles to Macaroons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210Final Thoughts on Sweets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

se v e nBurgers and Fries213An American ClassicHow a Product Rollout Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214Summer Daze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216The Big Burger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .219Waffle Fries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223Chicken, Not a Burger. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226Take Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227e ig h tShooting Food for Packaging229In the Supermarket AislesPringles Potato Crisps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230Bush’s Beans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .233Chocolate Chip Cookies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240Self-Checkout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245n in eCourting Fried Chicken and Potato Wedges247With Colonel SandersA New Look. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249The Beginning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249Potato Wedges. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .252The Famous Bowl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .255Dessert, Anyone? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .257Our First Anniversary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .260Index262Bonus ChaptersTENHoney, Tea, and Bourbon10-1More Pours and SplashesE L EVENSteak and Potatoes on the Grill11-1Playing with FireT W ELVEAirheads, Hush Puppies, and Coffee12-1Post-Production Saves the Day

IntroductionFood and MeOn a recent trip to New Orleans I stopped at a local restaurant in the French Quarterfor lunch. Whenever I go out to lunch and especially when I’m on vacation, I have mycamera with me. I always ask to be seated near a window. At this restaurant, I chosemy seat based on keeping the window light in front of me, or slightly to the side.That way any images that I shot would have a strong backlight or sidelight. I canalways hold a white napkin next to the camera for fill light if needed. I also encourage those who have accompanied me to the restaurant to consider ordering foodbased on the appearance, not just taste, and to order more than they can eat—inthis case calas—if they think that something might make a great picture.You may think this is a bit over the top, and perhaps it is. But I’m always thinking about light and food. Many of these personal lunch photographs inspire meto create new lighting setups in my studio for the commercial clients that I workwith. I chose to specialize in food photography almost three decades ago and I’malways looking for ways to improve my work and

to Creating Irresistible Images HiiBi mm FOODPHOTOGRAPHY TERI CAMPBELL. Food Photography & Lighting: A Commercial Photographer’s Guide to Creating Irresistible Images Teri Campbell New Riders 1249 Eighth Street Berkeley, CA 94710 Find us on the Web at www.newriders.com To report errors, please send a note to errata@peachpit.com New Riders is an imprint of Peachpit, a division of