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Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsFööd Pörn UPDATE from today's photo shoot at my latest client
Very nice Italian place. Husband and wife are Sicilian and from New York.
charlie and algernon
(13,447 posts)blogslut
(38,000 posts)Very appealing and appetizing photographs that look natural. Nice job!
hibbing
(10,098 posts)I always enjoy when you post pictures of your work.
Peace
Odin2005
(53,521 posts)Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)elleng
(130,905 posts)pasta e antipasto!
Laffy Kat
(16,379 posts)I'm hungry just looking at it.
Miles Archer
(18,837 posts)Crust is very, very crispy. Tasted great, sauce was perfect. Tasted like an Italian slice.
CaliforniaPeggy
(149,620 posts)Damn, you're making me hungry!
Miles Archer
(18,837 posts)The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,693 posts)I just ate, but looking at those photos makes me hungry anyhow. Very nice!
underahedgerow
(1,232 posts)Please don't take offense, but I have serious issues about this food photography thing and I worked on many commercials involving food; have worked as a food fluffer for decades.
First photo, you used powdered parmesan. Seriously? You should have used fresh grated parmesan and the restaurant should too. You should have soaked up just a bit more of the oil on the left, and thrown in a few chunks of fresh or less cooked down tomatoes to amp up the color factor as the food looks pasty and washed out. I would also have used more and smaller whole basil leaves, tucked in, not just the chopped up stuff. Fresh parsley would have also perked up the plate a lot, as would the use of some red pepper flakes.
Antipasti plate could have used some deeper colors for contrast. Cheese and a white plate don't shoot well. I would have thrown some fresh parsley, romain lettuce or basil and thyme, just to green it all up. The composition is quite nice, but it could have used more black olives and the peppers as well for color.
The mussels dish looks really nice, but again I would have used fresh WHOLE basil leaves placed just before the shot was taken so it's not wilted. The composition is great here, it looks lovely and fresh, apart from the wilted basil. Some red pepper flakes and fresh chopped parsley or fresh and dried oregano would have eased the dynamic. That looks yummy, apart from the wilted basil. Your lighting is really good!
I don't know what that chicken thing is? But it's overcooked for the shot, could have used a bit more shine and just a couple millimeters of spacing, and turned the plate a bit more clockwise. I would have sliced the chicken more on the bias and splayed it so it took up more of the plate. Again with dried seasonings for accent and less blobs of cheese and more of a linear effect would have made the dish appear longer and more elegant.
Some fresh green leaves of something would have made a nice contrast on whatever this thing is. Parsley, kale, tomatoes, anything to de-pallid and washed-out this whatever it is. (you're not the cook, I know)
I would have used more pepper oil on the pizza, burned it less, more cheese, add fresh basil, oregano and seasonings after it's been cooked. The crust looks nice, but otherwise it looks nearly burned and dried out. This needs to be dressed after it's been baked to freshen it up.
Your composition and lighting are quite good and given that you're working with mediocre food, you've done very well. Read up a bit more on how to dress food for shooting I suppose, if you haven't already or if you actually care! Please don't take offense. I don't eat at restaurants that have pictures of their food in the windows to begin with for a reason, and I've done the occasional food dressing for commercials, ads and shoots for over 25 years for further reason, upon request and if I like the project.
Miles Archer
(18,837 posts)When I was in Nevada, no one knew how to plate food. So the fact that these folks were at least back in the ballpark was an encouragement to me.
I appreciate the feedback and yes, I did notice details like the oil in the top photo.
In relation to this specific restaurant and their clientele, studio-level photography isn't what's going to sell. This is what the food looks like when it's brought to the table, and this is a pretty nice Italian restaurant in a location where nothing else like it exists. This is South Carolina...it's burgers and BBQ and eggs & grits.
I also can't tell my clients how to cook.
I had a couple of spills on the plates which were very small, but I pointed them out, and they fixed them immediately. But holy shit, if I told them how to make a pizza, I'd burn that bridge and there's be no going back.
Thanks for your feedback.
underahedgerow
(1,232 posts)whole nuther story.
Yeah, it's tricky doing one on one shoots with the actual client. They think you're shooting their pride and joy... and have no clue about how to make food actually look good, in real life and in photography. This is the part I hate about being artistic, and having 'customers' telling me how to do my work.
So I only work with clients who let me do what I want to do. They pay more, I work less, they get what we both want and it works out very well for everyone!
I really see you did your best with what you had to work with!
awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)and look like something that would actually be served. I hate it when menu pics look all beautiful and nothing like what is in front of you. It is one of my peeves. Of course, I think presentation doesn't count for squat- I want food that tastes good. Oh, and the pizza crust is perfect- just my opinion
Miles Archer
(18,837 posts)..."I want people to see exactly what you are going to bring to their table."
I actually said that to this specific client while we were setting up.
I make suggestions, if necessary, abut plating, and I always make sure to wipe up things like stray spills of sauce, but it's their show, their product, and my job is to present it in the best possible light.
The pizza WAS great. I've known folks over the years who have promised "new York Pizza" and "East Coast Subs" but once they get a couple of thousand miles away from where they knew what they were doing, it all falls apart.
But thank you for your comments, because you nailed 100% of the intention behind what i do.
awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)We do have a Grimaldi's, though
LisaL
(44,973 posts)Auggie
(31,169 posts)surrealAmerican
(11,360 posts)... but the shrimp/mussels/squid dish looks great.
LisaL
(44,973 posts)Tom_Foolery
(4,691 posts)Those pictures are making me hungry! Great job!
SpankMe
(2,957 posts)hunter
(38,312 posts)yum...
Oneironaut
(5,495 posts)Any pizza with fresh mozzarella is A+
Helen Borg
(3,963 posts)Initech
(100,075 posts)gregcrawford
(2,382 posts)Are you the stylist, too, or did the client plate the meals? That does it! I'm cookin' Eye-talian tonight!
Miles Archer
(18,837 posts)...sometimes I do work with the client to plate the food effectively but this time it was largely their chefs. There was only one dish where I questioned it, the Chicken Marsala. I didn't include it in the shots here.
gregcrawford
(2,382 posts)... with capers, over angel hair with garlic and lightly steamed Swiss chard. I thought of your excellent photography as I dished it out, and my wife raised an eyebrow at the extra care I took to make it look almost as good as your shots. I'm a better than average cook, but she's way better than me. We eat very well.
I was an art director 150 years ago, and you never lose the critical eye for good composition and lighting. I'll keep an eye out for your future posts. Have a good night, Miles.
Miles Archer
(18,837 posts)...I made a dish last week that you might enjoy if you like Italian. Get a bunch of swiss chard, remove the heavy part of the stems, tear the leaves into bite-size pieces, rinse them well in a strainer. Pat the leaves dry. Put on your pot of water for pasta. For one good-sized bunch of chard I'd use a half pound to 3/4 pound of linguine. Cook the pasta while preparing the chard.
Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. When it first starts to shimmer add the chard. Also add a couple of cloves of minced garlic and red pepper flakes to taste. for this recipe I would add 1/2 teaspoon or so. Toss at regular intervals so the garlic doesn't burn. The chard will wilt down, when it has, take the pan off the heat.
Take about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water and add it to the chard pan. Put it back on medium heat and stir regularly until you see it thicken.
Drain the pasta, add it to the skillet, toss everything until it is mixed, plate it, top with fresh grated Parmesan, serve with some good French or Italian bread.
gregcrawford
(2,382 posts)My wife will likely make a pilgrimage to our favorite produce market this weekend and we'll try it. Thanks!
47of74
(18,470 posts)niyad
(113,303 posts)valerief
(53,235 posts)BobTheSubgenius
(11,563 posts)There isn't a thing on this page that I wouldn't RELISH eating, including that amazing pizza casserole.
I sometimes joke that, at this age, the food channel and the reno channels are porn for my wife and I.