It’s not very often that we receive a photo request from a publisher who goes into great detail about the kind of photo they are looking for. Usually, a publisher doesn’t need something ultra specific, so a typical request can tend to be broad and brief. However, when I started reading through the photo request from Angela over at Inquisicook Culinary Science, I started to get excited!
I could tell she knew exactly what she wanted in a photo, and she was willing to take the time to entertainingly explain what she was thinking in her head. Read the details for yourself here! She was also willing to pay top dollar for photos. So, I decided to invest a little extra time, did some planning beforehand, and pulled together everything I needed to photograph as capably as I could, a Young Person Preparing Food . . .
Because this is a little bit more of a “high-end” assignment, this would be the time to invest a bit in your photography equipment if you were thinking to do so already. Especially in the area of lighting! I don’t think lamps, flashlights or the overhead kitchen light will cut it this time for your main light source. Window light could be challenging too since it’s more difficult to control. I recommend using light panels, bouncing flash (like I did . . . even a cheap Yongnuo YN560 IV works wonders!), or triggering a speedlite off-camera. For off-camera lighting, I like Godox (over Yongnuo) and have the XPro transmitter and X1R receivers to trigger my Canon speedlites.
Thanks to capitalism, you can really up your lighting game for less than $100 these days. And this is a great time of year to buy too! Stores are offering holiday or end-of-year sales. Or, perhaps, your “rich uncle” would get you something specific for Christmas? The deadline for this assignment isn’t until the first Saturday in January, 2025, so there is time for you to do your research and wait for a good deal.
Professional lighting is soft and directional, and will be important for this assignment. If you are looking for a new area of photography to grow in, taking control of lighting can really expand your horizons.
Now, let’s take a look at some of the photos that came out of my photo shoot. I hope the following observations on some comparison shots will help you as you prepare to shoot this assignment yourself.
With vs. Without bounce flash
“Bounce flash” requires a large white surface to bounce the speedlite flash off of. In many situations, like mine, the only large white surface available is the ceiling. This means the main light source is coming from above. This is often not ideal, as it can cause eyes to be in shadow (as you can see in the photo on the left), but it is better than having no control over the light at all if I’m completely relying on ambient light (as you can see in the photo on the right).
Bouncing flash in different directions
One way to prevent eyes from being in shadow when using bounce flash is to point the speedlite not straight up (photo on the left), but up and slightly back to the right or left (photo on the right). This allows the main light source not to be coming straight down on the subject, but to be coming from an angle closer to the desired 45 degrees.
Fake vs. Natural posing
The pose on the left just looks fake to me. And I think that’s because it actually is. I think I probably told him to pretend to be pushing a button. It’s easier on the photographer that way. But it just doesn’t look real. The pose on the right, however, is not posed at all (if I recall correctly). I think I got everything set up (camera/lighting/props/etc.) and then told my subject to set the timer for 5min, or something like that. That produced a much more natural posture, in my opinion at least.
Point of Focus comparison
I like the angle and lighting of the photo on the left better. However, if you look closely, I’m focused on her hand. To me, this makes the photo look out of focus. It’s not bad looking enough to throw the picture away, but I like how the photo on the right looks more in focus. Keep the eye in focus all the time, unless it’s obvious and intentional that something else is supposed to be the main point of focus.
Looking at camera vs. Not looking at camera
Angela didn’t specify whether she would or would not like to have subjects looking at the camera. My guess is that not looking at the camera would be higher priority, but it wouldn’t hurt to photograph a variety for her to choose from.
Smiling vs. Not smiling
Let’s just say it is not normal for most folks to be all smiley while they’re preparing food for dinner. But if you were the publisher, which of the two photos above would you be more likely to choose? I had to constantly ask the subjects to smile. Right before snapping the photo is ideal, so their smiles didn’t look pasty.
Capturing the moment
The way he was pouring the corn kernels into the grinder at first wasn’t clearly telling the story. So I instructed him to do it differently, and then I could tell better what was happening.
Background Distractions
For the first photos in this photo shoot, I forgot to clean up the background! Look at that precarious stack of ingredients in the background of the first photo. And what is a giant cardboard box doing on the counter behind her in the second photo? 🙂 The random assortment of objects on the window sill isn’t helping either. Removing background clutter and only incorporating things that relate to the story of the photo is something Angela specifically mentioned in the details, so don’t forget about it at first like I did!
Now it’s your turn!
The models I chose were a bit young. Just barely in the 6-17 age range that Angela is looking for. There are a lot of little details to keep track of for this assignment so be sure to read the details carefully. I would also recommend approaching this assignment as a commercial shoot, and not a documentary shoot. Don’t preheat the oven. Knead the bread a thousand times . . . if needed. Don’t make any real food at all if it creates a time pressure. Angela is paying top dollar for quality photos. Let’s rethink our lighting options and utilize our extra time this holiday season to take some amazing photos of Young People Preparing Food!
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