Taking pictures of food? - Page 2

Glaucus · 21-09-2009, 19:22

Say the usual plated up look.

Mondo · 21-09-2009, 23:16

A 50mm would do it.

This was taken on a 16-35L at 24mm on a 30D....which equates to about 40mm

Glaucus · 22-09-2009, 14:35

So what sort of price are we looking at for a second hand 300d/400d with a 50mm lens. Also any good website forums to look at for 2nd hand kit?

And how do you let about taking such great shots. Is it just as simple as taking some posting them up on a forum. And someone saying fiddle with this or that. Till you get he hang off it?
Or is there any good guides o close up shots?

Oh and very nice pic mondo and that's exactly the type of shots I'm talking about.

Dee · 22-09-2009, 16:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dee

If you're serious about it, you can pick up a second hand Canon 300D/400D with basic lens for a couple of hundred? Should be more than adequate?

And 50mm are about £60-70 brand new, bloody brilliant little things

Mondo · 22-09-2009, 17:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by AcidHell2

So what sort of price are we looking at for a second hand 300d/400d with a 50mm lens. Also any good website forums to look at for 2nd hand kit?

And how do you let about taking such great shots. Is it just as simple as taking some posting them up on a forum. And someone saying fiddle with this or that. Till you get he hang off it?
Or is there any good guides o close up shots?

Oh and very nice pic mondo and that's exactly the type of shots I'm talking about.

After putting the food on the plate, think about clutter/mess/background, then..

You have to think about the following:-

1 - Light, best with natural light, unless you get into flashes, which will get tricky not to mention expensive. So best to do it with natural light

2 - You have to think about miniminal focal distance on a lens, alone with the focal length will determine how close you get to the subject and also determine your minimum shutter speed without camera shake without the use of a tripod. The 16-35L is nice coz the minimum focal distance on that is inches, i think the 50mm is longer, but it is a longer reach. I have taken shots of food with it, and it's not bad.

Like this is from a 50mm on a 30D (which is the same crop as a 400D)

3 - I do some processing in Lightroom/Photoshop, but nothing extreme, i am talking about sliding the exposure bar a bit, contrast and stuff. Simple stuff.

I don't really set these shots up that much, its pretty much how i work and cook in the kitchen. A lot of the time i just cook, then decide i want to take a pic, grab the camera and snap. Apart from placing the fork where i think it's best, positing the bowl where it has the best light, there is no set up.

Glaucus · 22-09-2009, 17:27

very useful mondo. so a 16-35L would be better but a 50mm would be more than adequate.

Any good photography forums with a decent sale forum I can have a browse through?

Mondo · 22-09-2009, 17:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by AcidHell2

very useful mondo. so a 16-35L would be better but a 50mm would be more than adequate.

Any good photography forums with a decent sale forum I can have a browse through?

erm, the 50mm is £80, a 16-35 is £1,000......

Start with the 50mm !

www.talkphotography.co.uk is where i frequent, there are people on there that does some food photography for living.

Glaucus · 22-09-2009, 17:41

Ouch that must be one hell of a lens.

cheers will have a browse and a read.

Glaucus · 22-09-2009, 17:52

sorry for being such a n00b and so many questions. but would a 350D be any good.
Also on the lenses you have f/x.x with numbers seeming running for around 1.4 upwards. what are these and what difference does it make.

Mondo · 22-09-2009, 18:41

The F number in essence is how big the lens can open. Imagine the lens as a water tap, and it opens up. A F/1.0 lens meaning it can open 100 percent, a F/2.0 lens meaning it can open 50%. As the math goes 1/2 = 50%. So a F/4.0 lens can open only 1/4=25%.

What does that translate? 2 things.

1 = Bigger (smaller numer F/1.0, F/2.0) so it let in more light
2 = You can more blur (photography term, bokeh, its japanese), as you can see in the pics, only what I want to be in focus is in focus, the rest (in front and behind) are out of focus. A F/2.0 lens' focal plane will be thinner than a F/4.0.

As for the 350D, it'll do the job but it is old, I would try a 20D, 30D, 450D secondhand.

The 16-35 is expensive because of its construction (weather sealed), its a constant F/2.8 zoom lens and it is WIDE. Canon doesn't make a lens for that focal length for a cropped body with that aperture. And I would really start with the 50mm, as you can see, you can't tell which one cost more, both taken on the same camera, jsut different lens. In fact, I prefer the coffee shot (even though it is the 50mmm F/1.4 version, not the F/1.8). But my point is, a 50mm 1.8 can give you the same result. So, don't worry too much about the lens...to a degree, the 50mm is a good starting point.

21-09-2009, 19:22	#11
Glaucus Absinthe Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 1,855	Say the usual plated up look. __________________

21-09-2009, 23:16	#12
Mondo Absinthe Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 2,174	A 50mm would do it. This was taken on a 16-35L at 24mm on a 30D....which equates to about 40mm __________________ My Website / MSN / Email / Flickr / Blog Last edited by Mondo; 21-09-2009 at 23:18.

22-09-2009, 14:35	#13
Glaucus Absinthe Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 1,855	So what sort of price are we looking at for a second hand 300d/400d with a 50mm lens. Also any good website forums to look at for 2nd hand kit? And how do you let about taking such great shots. Is it just as simple as taking some posting them up on a forum. And someone saying fiddle with this or that. Till you get he hang off it? Or is there any good guides o close up shots? Oh and very nice pic mondo and that's exactly the type of shots I'm talking about. __________________ Last edited by Glaucus; 22-09-2009 at 14:37.

22-09-2009, 17:27	#16
Glaucus Absinthe Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 1,855	very useful mondo. so a 16-35L would be better but a 50mm would be more than adequate. Any good photography forums with a decent sale forum I can have a browse through? __________________

22-09-2009, 17:41	#18
Glaucus Absinthe Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 1,855	Ouch that must be one hell of a lens. cheers will have a browse and a read. __________________

22-09-2009, 17:52	#19
Glaucus Absinthe Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 1,855	sorry for being such a n00b and so many questions. but would a 350D be any good. Also on the lenses you have f/x.x with numbers seeming running for around 1.4 upwards. what are these and what difference does it make. __________________

22-09-2009, 18:41	#20
Mondo Absinthe Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 2,174	The F number in essence is how big the lens can open. Imagine the lens as a water tap, and it opens up. A F/1.0 lens meaning it can open 100 percent, a F/2.0 lens meaning it can open 50%. As the math goes 1/2 = 50%. So a F/4.0 lens can open only 1/4=25%. What does that translate? 2 things. 1 = Bigger (smaller numer F/1.0, F/2.0) so it let in more light 2 = You can more blur (photography term, bokeh, its japanese), as you can see in the pics, only what I want to be in focus is in focus, the rest (in front and behind) are out of focus. A F/2.0 lens' focal plane will be thinner than a F/4.0. As for the 350D, it'll do the job but it is old, I would try a 20D, 30D, 450D secondhand. The 16-35 is expensive because of its construction (weather sealed), its a constant F/2.8 zoom lens and it is WIDE. Canon doesn't make a lens for that focal length for a cropped body with that aperture. And I would really start with the 50mm, as you can see, you can't tell which one cost more, both taken on the same camera, jsut different lens. In fact, I prefer the coffee shot (even though it is the 50mmm F/1.4 version, not the F/1.8). But my point is, a 50mm 1.8 can give you the same result. So, don't worry too much about the lens...to a degree, the 50mm is a good starting point. __________________ My Website / MSN / Email / Flickr / Blog Last edited by Mondo; 22-09-2009 at 18:46.