Some common FAQ’s about food photography shoots:
Why do I need a food stylist/home economist on the shoot?
The food photographer is skilled at composition and lighting, making the product look it’s best, but if the product looks awful, they can only do so much. They work with a food stylist who does just that – style the food, making it look mouth watering and delicious! They are different from chefs and cooks in that they prepare the food to look great – not taste great, which employs different techniques.
How many shots can you do in a day?
This depends on the complexity of the food we are shooting. A roast dinner with all of the trimmings will take longer to prepare than a sandwich typically. On average you should budget to shoot 4-5 plated meals in one day. If in doubt ask and the food photographer will give you a good estimate.
What can I do to get the most out of the shoot?
We will meet and have a full briefing before the shoot so everyone knows what’s expected. The key thing though is preparation so nothing is left to chance on the day of the shoot, but we will advise you of anything that is required in advance.
How important are good samples?
Very! In this digital age, a lot can be done in photoshop, however we get it as good as possible in-camera rather than rely on retouching. Sometimes it may be necessary to hand make samples rather than use production line products, but this can save a lot of time, and therefor money.
We need some great images of our products for PR, presentations and website – that’s the brief!
Don’t worry – we are used to developing concepts from scratch. At our pre-shoot briefing session, we can gather together lots of reference shots, so that we can decide on a style. On site we also have a large collection of backgrounds and props which we can go through.
We work closely with a number of home economists, who if required can develop recipes that bring out the best in your products.
For more information, please contact Neil Adams on 0113 2047000. neil@powerhousephoto.co.uk
