7 Mistakes That Will Ruin Your Food Photography

[@blinkchyld]

Here's a tip for levelling the camera I learnt from photographing film, which needs to be perfectly plane. Put a mirror on the table and position your camera above. When everything is flat, the reflection of your camera sensor will be in the middle of your viewfinder. It's hard to describe, but super easy to work out with just a mirror on your table. No need for a spirit level

[@skylerburtphotos]

Good idea!

[@landesnorm]

Hasselblad has an "attachment" that uses this principle.

[@landesnorm]

Oh yeah, you might mention that you need to level the table first before you level the camera. Especially if your camera is looking into drinking glasses that have liquids in them.

[@srikkanth-tech]

I don't do any photography but KZbin algorithm thinks I should watch this.. Boy, I am glad I started watching this video and couldn't stop.. Loved the way you teach and I wish I run and buy a camera :) Any photo of food, I will respect the photographer much more than I used to because now I get it, how much of an art it is! I always thought they just point and shoot and later manipulate it in photoshop. Love your enthusiasm and the presentation. Just perfect!

[@belleharris2059]

Watching this on a break from trying to shoot oatmeal.... realising there are like 3 sins I am doing nd why I am frustrated with the shot! Thanks Skylar!

[@skylerburtphotos]

Glad it helped, or at least for the next shoot.

[@crosstalktv5780]

What ball head are you using? Please provide the model. Thank you

[@richsmith5516]

I'm totally guilty of the "holding my camera above the food and not having the camera level" sin. I guess it's laziness but sometimes I have to move fast during restaurant shoots!

[@skylerburtphotos]

Never be lazy! haha. Try setting up for both at the same time, then moving the camera around if needed.

[@OpheliaGw]

Same, not enough time to so things right 😞

[@andrefagundes9987]

I think this is not the worst mistake that could happen. Like, sometimes we just need to be as quick as we want, but not because we need to finish it faster, but just because the client want us to finish the job quickly as possible.

[@josephchan4198]

I have to check your channel more often. Good tips.

[@andrefagundes9987]

I have to thank you for this amazing tips, man! I am starting taking some food pictures, and these tips are helping a lot.

[@hRt42kuo7jTtmk14]

Well done. So many videos out there about the best techniques, but not enough like these that help you with avoiding mistakes. Bravo. Also, another big issue with food photography when you are shooting at the same elevation of the food is to control the DOF and nail the focus point on an interesting looking part of the food.

[@skylerburtphotos]

Totally, shoot f4 and above unless it's for some artistic reason.

[@southernaccentfoods]

I've found another area to explore... A lot of channels on YT recommend turning the sharpness all the way down on Canon cameras because they feel that the images can be too sharp coming out of camera. For me, if I'm doing really close-up stuff, I've found that I actually need some of that sharpness. Play around and find the sharpness setting that's right for you, don't just automatically turn it all the way down because someone on YT said to.

[@bradpaulp]

Good points. I would argue that the most important part is the composition of the shot. That was the first thing I noticed before tip #1. Even a badly lit, bad color photo can be somewhat corrected. But bad composition and layout is just bad composition and layout. It's probably the toughest to be skilled at though. just knowing where things go and learning balance.

[@skylerburtphotos]

For sure. I would argue that one is not without the other. Composition, is the hardest of them all. Some are winners some are not.

[@landesnorm]

You might also add "beware of tangents" or when the two edges of an object or multiple edges of objects and the camera's frame all come together at the same point. Very distracting.

[@danamalczyk3665]

Can you add the link to the ball head you use for your overhead setup. Also a link for the level.

[@OpheliaGw]

❤

[@carrieannkouri2151]

Awesome video! Thank you!

[@mrschrist6848]

Super Tipps, vielen, vielen Dank!

[@matthewjamesduffy]

Great video thanks for sharing. I just finished shooting my first book and thankfully I hired a professional because I would have definitely made all of these mistakes. Do you have any tips or suggestions for shooting bread? I use a wooden shaping table and mostly wooden cutting boards. This always equates to brown on brown on brown and I struggle to make the bread shots look good when I do it myself.

[@skylerburtphotos]

you could try a marble slab

[@Photomaze22]

What key light are you using? I clicked on the Amazon link and it’s not showing up.

[@jacekkoperkiewicz4223]

Hi :) could you share and let me know what are you using to hold your camera?

[@skylerburtphotos]

check out my the video last week kzbin.info/www/bejne/oWGtimd7nbeehpY

[@lydsfizz]

Appreciate this video so much!

[@skylerburtphotos]

Glad it was helpful!

[@JasonTeale]

some great tips! Thanks!

[@ashleyferreira9969]

"I've been there, you've been there" no no I AM there. LOL Thank you for all the tips!

[@skylerburtphotos]

Any time!

[@Lamidnightsss]

Same here

[@huongtrinh8609]

thank you

[@mostafamohamed9329]

Great one

[@zohrezr2114]

thanks for your grat tips

[@heiko4297]

I find it so difficult to create a nice scene where the hero content is the hero... with guiding lines ... not using too few not too manny props. I need to check your channel if there is a cheat video with tips for this exactly. :D and how about food shots, where the background of the restraunt is in the picture (not flat lays)? any tips? great vid as always

[@skylerburtphotos]

For restaurant backgrounds, I kind of look at it like architecture photography. I first try to expose the restaurant, then I compose and light the food. But this totally needs to be it's own video.

[@heiko4297]

@@skylerburtphotos You are the best!

[@kojpetersson]

And I have no8 for you. when you shoot a top down shoot and the composition is clearly with a top and bottom and the main light is from below so the shadow goes up rather then down. Well its at least one of my pet peeves.

[@skylerburtphotos]

Yes, light shouldn't come from behind the imaginary person, which is always at or near the bottom of the composition. Agree

[@Mark.A.Waller]

Guilty!!!! Took a fantastic shot ready for selling, so I packed it all away, threw what I could not keep and sat at the computer the next day? Landslide!!!! DOH!

[@skylerburtphotos]

Oh no!

[@Emolederc]

creating boring compositions sucks, because even when you work your ass off to make it the best it can be, the client never appreciates the effort they'll just go, 'we just wanted it simple'

[@skylerburtphotos]

Pre-production and talking to the client needs it's own video

[@fishdakalang2784]

How about food thumbnail in youtube?

[@AmandaLynnize]

What if I'm just holding the camera above the food? I don't have time to set up the bar 😂

[@wolfgangk1]

THANKS

[@Collectorteo]

awesome

[@adityabiyani387]

wow nice

[@anychannel710]

Valuable info - I think you could show more of what the camera is seeing (the food), and less of yourself speaking. Some draw-overs, minor motion graphics, or before/afters would make the lesson more impactful.

[@skylerburtphotos]

Noted, thanks for the feedback

[@jonathansimba6085]

Do you eat all this food? Nice video btw 💪🔥

[@skylerburtphotos]

Sometimes

[@landesnorm]

Haha--in my first asst job, I worked for a food photog, and for one of my first assignments we were on location at a food stylist's home. We were shooting "hero" shots for school lunch recipe cards using an 8x10 Deardorff with a 5x7 reducing back. It was all cooked food, and if you don't know, fully cooked food never looks good to the camera. Everything was "cooked" for the camera. And when lunchtime arrived, we had to eat this stuff and tell the stylist how good it was...

[@ahmadhasif979]

SUBBED

[@alejandromaripascual1868]

❤❤❤

[@gregoryhauser1506]

Good video, you’ve been absent lately?

[@skylerburtphotos]

You can always find me, second star from the right and straight on till morning

[@gregoryhauser1506]

Lol 😀. I recently experienced a traumatic event resulting in the total loss of my computer and backup storage. I have to start over with new equipment but can’t afford new computers. I notice you are using a tablet where you can draw and plan your shot, view your shoot space and shoot too via wi-Fi, way cool! Would you tell me your setup? What tablet you’re using and the software on it, thanks.

[@skylerburtphotos]

@@gregoryhauser1506 I'm using the Samsung S Tab8, but I am using it to mirror my desktop using Capture One tethered to my camera.

[@gregoryhauser1506]

Thanks for the reply. I assume then it’s a Wi-Fi connection from the tablet to the camera since you were able to actuate the shutter with the pen from the tablet, pretty cool!

[@anarabicdp]

I still hold my camera for top down shots when I'm being lazy. Flat lighting was all me as well when I first started 🥸

[@skylerburtphotos]

Don't be lazy haha

[@DonReed-i4c]

Good points. I would argue that the most important part is the composition of the shot. That was the first thing I noticed before tip #1. Even a badly lit, bad color photo can be somewhat corrected. But bad composition and layout is just bad composition and layout. It's probably the toughest to be skilled at though. just knowing where things go and learning balance.