Food Porn: NY Times Tips, Insights??!!

From the New York Times earlier this week, they have this headline: "Secrets of Food Porn Photos" with these highlights: "the most important part of the recipes we publish, at least in terms of how successful we are in exciting the palates of our readers and getting them to save and cook the recipes, is a photographer who makes beautiful images that set taste buds to tingling. He makes people want to cook."

Here are some more highlights: "This is not always an easy task. There is the food itself. It may be stunning: a roasted bird; a delicate cake. But it is not always so (see: stew, porridge, soup). He never allows them to get in the way of his pursuit of the shot that shows them wrong. Because even a brown stew, photographed in the right light, at the correct angle, with the correct bowl or platter or cutting board in the background, with a dish towel dropped just so or a crumb expertly flicked onto the border of a plate, can become beautiful."

There is also a video that provides a look inside the studio where their NY Times photographer creates his images. Hint? Lighting is a super key factor. This process has grown over the years to include thousands of images of dishes both simple and deluxe.

Full story and video at:

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/03/12/secrets-of-food-porn-photos/?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 102,282 views for this posting.

Certainly I have occasionally tried the "photograph your dinner" thing... and people who say the pictures tend to say "yuk!"

Obviously I should be learning the techniques in the article :-)

And there are places that don't welcome it....

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/23/dining/restaurants-turn-camera-shy.html

And there are places that don't welcome it....

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/23/dining/restaurants-turn-camera-shy.html

hamacting: Certainly I have occasionally tried the "photograph your dinner" thing... and people who say the pictures tend to say "yuk!" Obviously I should be learning the techniques in the article :-)

Appreciate the kind sharing of this early 2013 NY Times story about how some dining "palaces" do not want too much of these photo activities. YES' date=' some folks can get carried away[/i'] with the time, set-up, equipment and style for trying to photograph their food plates in dining locations while others around them are seeking to enjoy quietly their meals. Remember reading this story when it was originally published and a bit of the "controversy" that was created about this "debate" over such food photography and whether such up-scale chefs could limit what their customers could do. Or, not!!??

Below are some examples for what I captured during our recent cruise. I try to do things fairly quick and simple. No tripods, lighting gear, etc. Just grabbing a few snap, snap visuals.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

From our Jan. 25-Feb. 20, 2015, Amazon River-Caribbean combo sailing over 26 days that started in Barbados, here is the link below to that live/blog. Lots of great visuals from this amazing Brazil river and these various Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, etc.) that we experienced. Check it out at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2157696

Now at 18,913 views for these postings.

Here are three of my visual samples on the wine, wonderful rack of lamb and dessert from our recent Amazon River-Caribbean cruise. Some items are better to be captured than others. Among the hardest, that I skip many times, are soups, risotto, etc.:

Happy Birthday to me from Mickey!

Dave

Happy Birthday to me from Mickey!

Dave

WOW!! Both Happy Birthday to Dave, plus congratulations for such an amazing photograph. How did you get that candle, plus the wonderful depth of field, etc.? Tell us more on your secrets, the technical details!! Excellent visual. Makes me hungry.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Did a June 7-19, 2011, cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Dozens of nice visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc. We are now at 195,878 views for this live/blog re-cap, including much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

And there are places that don't welcome it....

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/23/dining/restaurants-turn-camera-shy.html

There are also people including me who regard the regard the whole idea of photographing everything you eat as absurd and would not cooperate with the photographer in any way.

DON

Check out the first 90 seconds of this video...

Check out the first 90 seconds of this video...

Love it. That is exactly the way I feel about food porn and also all the trip "reviews" posted on CC which have pictures of every meal, snack or drink that they had on the cruise.

You often see people at the buffet taking pictures of the desserts and other stuff. All it does is hold up the line.

DON

WOW!! ...the technical details!!

While I agree with Don that photographing everything that you get served is a bit absurd, the occasional photo of a remarkable presentation or memory shot of a dish significant to you doesn't rattle my cage too much. I like to shoot pictures of "purty things" and a dessert like the Club 33 Mickey Mousse birthday dessert is a worthy target.

Food porn is like any visual...if you don't like it, don't look at it. :)

Dave

Forgot to add the details about the first one...

Rokinon 12mm e-mount at about f/5.6 - ISO3200.

Happy Birthday to me from Mickey!

 

Dave

And a HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you!

Took my NEX7 and the 12mm to Bishop Museum yesterday. Now, if I only can figure how to focus while in a walker!

While I agree with Don that photographing everything that you get served is a bit absurd, the occasional photo of a remarkable presentation or memory shot of a dish significant to you doesn't rattle my cage too much. I like to shoot pictures of "purty things" and a dessert like the Club 33 Mickey Mousse birthday dessert is a worthy target.

 

 

Food porn is like any visual...if you don't like it, don't look at it. :)

 

Dave

That one is sort of cute.

DON

You often see people at the buffet taking pictures of the desserts and other stuff. All it does is hold up the line. DON

pierces: Forgot to add the details about the first one... Rokinon 12mm e-mount at about f/5.6 - ISO3200.

pierces: While I agree with Don that photographing everything that you get served is a bit absurd' date=' the [b']occasional photo of a remarkable presentation or memory shot[/b] of a dish significant to you doesn't rattle my cage too much. I like to shoot pictures of "purty things" and a dessert like the Club 33 Mickey Mousse birthday dessert is a worthy target.

Appreciate the cute video showing people getting totally carried away with their efforts and big-time pro equipment to go "over the top" in trying to get food pictures. As noted by Dave, there are ways to get an "occasional photo of a remarkable presentation" in a quick manner that does not disrupt and/or bother others. On food buffets, I would always go there before the buffet opens. Much easier. Avoids the crowds and confusion. Does not bother others.

Glad to see the photo details from Dave. That ISO3200 is really up there, but, the good news is that today's cameras are getting so much better for using higher ISO setting to gain great results in lower-light situations.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 174,317 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923