Food Photography: Where’s the Bacon?

We here at PhotoShelter enjoy our grub– so much so that a few of us have become daily devotees of Food Porn Daily, which fantasizes about cinnamon buns, cheeses, sausages, and so much more. Their mantra of “click, drool, repeat” is well-received around here, and we follow their directions faithfully.

HOWEVER, there’s a little snag in all this goodness; these food images aren’t all that good. I’d give them a C+. Maybe a B- with a little mozzarella stick payola. And the cranberry/feta surprise is downright upsetting.

I went to Annie Etheridge, PS’s senior photo editor and pro stock guru, for a professional opinion. Here’s her beef:

“in true porn fashion, the camera is a little
close to to the action.  I think some of these would have some
commercial use, but overall, they are off for me. I like the idea a
lot, but the lighting, etc. is off for me.”

Take a look:

We talk a bit in the Production Values section of School of Stock about what makes good stock food photography. The gist:

1. The food should look
beautiful, edible, and delicious – and this usually takes knowledgeable
cooking and preparation, good selection of colors and produce, clean
and picturesque arrangement on a plate, spraying or misting during the
shoot to keep everything fresh looking– total attention to detail.

2. The food needs to look homemade and have a loose
feeling, but still be beautiful.

3. Keep the setup classic and simple. Don’t put lace and gems on the table (you’d be surprised).

Quentin Bacon is someone who knocks food photography out of the park. He’s a favorite with the top-of-the-line foodie mag editors, including Food & Wine Magazine, and he’s photographed for scads of high-end food books. Also, um, his last name is Bacon.

And he likes cheese. We’re psyched to have his work in the PS Collection. Take a look at these. Now THEY deserve a “click, drool, repeat.”