I’ve always loved food photography. As a child flipping through cookbooks, I was always fascinated by just how good the food looked in the photographs. These days I am a photographer by trade, but I consider myself merely a hobbyist where food photography and styling are concerned.

This blog is part of my effort to improve at food photography.

My Gear

The vast majority of photographs taken for this blog are taken by my Nikon D700, with the excellent 50mm f/1.4 AF-S lens attached. If I need to get closer than the lens will allow, I use one of my close-up filters. (I do not currently own a macro lens since I rarely need one in my professional work.) I really ought to own a good tripod, and I swear I’ll choose one any day now, but for now, I work without a tripod.

Lighting

Most of my photos are lit using diffused natural light from a big window in my south-facing dining room. If the shadows are particularly distracting, I use large white foamcore boards as reflectors.

If natural light is either unavailable or insufficient, I set up some off-camera lights, using my SB-900 and SB-700’s, all triggered with my PocketWizard Control TL transmitters and receivers. I use a variety of light modifications, although for food photography, I generally stick with a tight bounce off of white foamcore boards positioned as close to the food as I can get without it being in the shot.

To learn more about off-camera lighting in general, I highly recommend David Hobby’s excellent blog, Strobist. (And if you have a few spare dollars, do buy his Lighting in Layers DVD; you will learn more from David Hobby in an hour than by attending any five lighting workshops you care to choose.)