COMPOSITION & LIGHTING

In considering the purpose for which you take your images, it is important to place emphasis on the correct part of the subject. This may be in the form of key lighting, shadows, contrast etc. For my purposes, my images are to form part of a recipe book. Therefore, taking inspiration from the CHIC Simple cook book I chose to use depth of field as my key capture technique. I discussed the techniques used in the book with Barbara Reiser, who is the Studio Manager for Gentl and Hyers Photography in New York, who took the images for the book. Emphasis is a key element in food photography and there are several ways to get your  message across to the viewer. It may transport your target into your image and empower their imagination whereas a straightforward "shot" may not have the same impact.

Garlic, Gentl & Hyers, Chic Simple, 1995

Garlic, Helen Neylan, The Very Ordinary Organic Cookbook, Copyright 2011

Take, for example, this image (left) from the Chic Simple cookbook, of garlic bulbs. Gentl & Hyers have employed a shallow depth of field alongside high key lighting, which in this case emphasises the uniqueness of the product, showing off its delicate and subtle colouring.

For my own work, right, I have used a similar high key lighting technique, employing a shallow depth of field to focus on the small loose clove to the centre of the image, thus leading the eye into the scene.
I shot this using the Cambo, with Colour Negative film, ISO 160 with natural daylight. As I particularly wanted to use F6.3 to get my effect right, the only variable which I could change was my shutter speed. The light meter reading gave me 1/8th of a second, but allowing for reciprocity failure the total shutter speed time was 2 seconds.