Our New “How To” Food Photography Blog!

Hi! Wow, a new blog! Welcome, I’m Skyler and this lovely lady behind me (computer screen left) is my wife, Heather and that is our daughter Ciela.  I wanted to start off the brand new blog with my very first food photographs and since nobody reads the first post of a blog, I thought I could either fall asleep holding down the Z on the keyboard or post this.  It’s not the first photos I took of food, I’m sure I snapped a pic of a pizza or two before I made this, which I undoubtably said to my wife, “this is the best shot I have ever made!” Which my wife, undoubtably rolled her eyes as she had undoubtably heard that line before.  Anyways, this was the first pictures I had actually attempted to specifically style, light and compose as proper food photography.  In my mind it was the start down the path of utter riches and fame, yet another one of my many crazed ideas to yank us from starving to artist. A type of idea, which I’m sure must come from a specific lobe in all photographer’s brains, right next to (mostly overlapping) the wrinkles designated for logical thinking and business skills. “I am going to shoot food photography professionally, how hard could it be?” It had been a few years since we finished up our photography degrees and we had made some headway as travel photographers. Lonely Planet Images accepted hundreds of our travel photos, which gave us the boost to start a life of living abroad.   Muscat was our new home. Walking around the streets and browsing through the different arrays of shops, we came to a store that sold various housewares. This is when the idea struck me, I wanted to diversify my portfolio and I was thoroughly impressed with all the beautiful wooden bowls, random designer tableware, trays and bamboo table mats the store had to offer.  So many large and small items, one needed, to properly set a table.  I was accustomed to setting down a plate with food, whatever utensil would do the job for said dish and if a guest came over I might even throw in some salt and pepper shakers. I was the last kid of an over worked single mother. I was raised off of a faux wooden TV dinner tray, set before a two hour COPS special followed by X-Files. Placemats to me were the peel back tin foil covers atop easy bake 5 minute mac n cheese.  When Thanksgiving came around, my family went the extra mile and busted out the napkin rings.  When I saw this shop in Muscat, I was thrown back. A home store, I said to Heather, “Look, matching sets of plates and bowls. Actual tables with chairs.” It was beautiful! I wanted to photograph it, I wanted each item in it. I didn’t know what half of them were used for, but thats what Google is for, right?  So there we were, with a basket full of random stuff, ideas for food photography swirling in my head and I figured I’d take a buy first, sort it out later approach.  Now the story could go on, but before I get utterly de-railed, here is the outcome.

Not bad for a first attempt, right? I looked at a few “How to Photograph Food” tutorials and I had a general idea of what I wanted it to look like. Some contrasting colors, garnish to focus on, lines and texture, most of what the average “5 Tips to Better Food Photography” blog post will tell you online. But my photos here were flat! I didn’t know what the hell I was doing with the lights. I was trying hard, but just barely lighting the scene and I definitely wasn’t telling a story with the light. Although, I was happy, my creative cup was refilled and that was it. I mean literally. It wasn’t until three years later that I would take another food photograph. The idea ran it’s course and left me. I lost interest, my photos didn’t look like the pros and my brain moved on to the next great scheme.  I can’t help think where I’d be skill wise if I just kept at it, but maybe the idea didn’t leave completely because here I am writing this.  I feel slightly more confident now that I won’t loose interest this time around, because my wife and I have been consistently working our food skills for the past few years, at least I hope not. This time we have a plan. It has 16 bullet points, with different colored fonts. A cool flow chart with arrows and circles, words crossed out and new ones scribbled in, it’s much more refined.  Just to be safe check back tomorrow at 7:34 a.m, if there is nothing new then just use Google to search our new underwater mountain climbing blog titled, “Thin Air.”