Focus On Food Photography for Bloggers (Focus On Series)

Focus On Food Photography for Bloggers (Focus On Series)

by Matt Armendariz
Released May 2013
Publisher(s): Routledge
ISBN: 9781136108853

Read it now on the O’Reilly learning platform with a 10-day free trial.

O’Reilly members get unlimited access to books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.

Start your free trial

Book description

Sharing your kitchen concoctions on your personal food blog has never been as popular as it is right now, but if you've ever had trouble getting your tasty temptations to look like pretty plates on camera, you know how difficult it can be to take amazing pictures of food. Matt Armendariz, of Mattbites food blog fame, shares his experiences and best practices for creating wonderful food photos in Focus On Food Photography for Bloggers. Written specifically for you the blogger, Matt discusses the ins and outs of equipment, lighting, composition, propping, sparking your inspiration, and getting creative, all with what you have on hand at home! Learn how to avoid common pitfalls with foods that are notoriously camera shy, how to successfully snap your dinner at a restaurant as well as on your kitchen table, and how to style your food with what you have in your cupboards. He also includes advice on post-processing, posting, and protecting your prized images.

As well as on his blog, Matt's photography has been featured in The Skinny Bitch Cookbook, on Martha Stewart, Paula Deen's Best Dishes, and Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen, along with numerous food magazines and newspapers. Let this seasoned blogger give your food photography the boost it needs to really make your readers salivate!

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title
  3. Copyright
  4. Contents
  5. Introduction
  6. Part 1: The Nuts and Bolts
    1. Chapter 1: A Brief History of Food Photography
    2. Chapter 2: Lenses, Cameras, and File Types
      1. Point-and-Shoot (Compact)
      2. dSLR
      3. Micro Four Thirds (MFT)
      4. Lenses
      5. Point-and-Shoot Lenses
      6. dSLR Lenses
    3. Chapter 3: Depth of Field
    4. Chapter 4: A Light Introduction
      1. Different Light Sources, Different Types of Light
      2. Measuring Light: Intensity and Temperature
      3. Modify That Light!
      4. Scrims, Diffusions, Hard and Soft Light
      5. Location, Location, Location!
      6. Using Different Sources of Light
    5. Chapter 5: Equipment: Using What Ya Got!
      1. Creamy White Bean Dip
    6. Chapter 6: Color Temperature and White Balance
      1. Understanding White Balance
    7. Chapter 7: Workflow
      1. Postprocessing
  7. Part 2: Creativity
    1. Chapter 8: Composition
      1. The Rule of Thirds
      2. Centered
      3. Negative and Positive Space
      4. Don’t Get Close Up!
      5. Or Do Get Close Up!
      6. Angles and Perspectives
      7. Overhead
      8. Horizon or Level
      9. Three-Quarters Angle
      10. The Same Thing, Seen Differently
    2. Chapter 9: Challenges and Difficulties
  8. Part 3: Styling
    1. Chapter 10: Food Styling 101
      1. Food Styling Best Practices (as They Relate to Blogging)
      2. Cooking Separately, Building Later
    2. Chapter 11: All about Props
      1. Plates and Bowls
      2. Fabric
      3. Surfaces
      4. Glasses, Cups, Cutlery
      5. The Scale of It All
      6. What Are You Really Trying to Say?
  9. Part 4: Tips and Tricks: The Real World
    1. Chapter 12: Matt’s Top 10 Tips for Food Photography
    2. Chapter 13: Shooting in a Restaurant
      1. Arrive Early
      2. Ask
      3. Use a Fast Lens and Bump Up That ISO
      4. It’s Okay to Ask for Help
    3. Chapter 14: Difficult Foods to Photograph and What You Can Do about It
      1. Soups
    4. Chapter 15: Help! I’m Photographing My Dinner!
      1. Mise en Place
  10. Index

Product information

  • Title: Focus On Food Photography for Bloggers (Focus On Series)
  • Author(s): Matt Armendariz
  • Release date: May 2013
  • Publisher(s): Routledge
  • ISBN: 9781136108853