Food Shoot! When Good Food Looks Real Bad and Visa-Versa...
- By Keith Eddleman
- Published 01/27/2008
- Lighting Equipment , Food Photography , Commercial Photography , Stock Photography , For Beginners
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Keith Eddleman
Keith Eddleman is a Photographer in Austin, Texas. He often shoots food, fashion and musicians. He is the VP of Interactive Marketing at a local start-up. Portfolio: http://www.flickr.com/photos/keitheddleman
View all articles by Keith Eddleman
See that photo of death on a plate? That's how NOT to do it. Not my photo.
My photos are below....
You’ve heard it a million times:
‘A picture is worth a thousand words.’
Think about this….....
It’s
no different with pictures of FOOD.And what if - just maybe - some of your photos elicit 4-letter-words….yikes! If I had a buck for all the bad restaurant photos out there…well… nevermind. Having an image repository with several professional photos of your best dishes is a VERY useful tool. In fact, I consider it a MUST HAVE because good photos could save thousands on graphic design and marketing, by making it easier for designers to create beautiful pieces. And these “photo-rich” designs will make you more money. A mouth-watering picture sells a thousand dishes!!!
The biggest and most depressing mistake I see being made by the average independently owned restaurant is REALLY BAD PHOTOS or none at all. Read my blog on The “12 Ingredients that Make Restaurant Websites Sizzle” One of my “Key Ingredients” is photos. So, schedule a photo shoot! I started taking food photos back at the very beginning of Spillover (circa 2001).
It started out of necessity because, like I said earlier, most owners way underestimate the value of good photos and the DAMAGE that is caused by REALLY BAD PICTURES OF GOOD FOOD. Since the early days, I’ve studied photography, invested in some great equipment, and I have taken photos for LOTS of restaurants and bars most of which have landed on web site that we’ve done you’ll see some of my photography at the following sites: http://www.Trulucks.com
http://www.DocsAustin.com
http://www.CedarDoorAustin.com
http://www.IguanaGrillAustin.com [off the top of my head that’s all I can think of ]
Like EVERYTHING ELSE…you get what you pay for…Your customers want quality when they dine out. Freshen up those photos and super-charge your marketing. I have always loved shooting food. It's such an art-form in and of itself.
I
had a fun shoot yesterday for The Carl Miner Idea Group. They hired me
for a packaging shoot for new food product that is hitting the market
soon. It was good fun.
Working with the food-stylist I feel we
were able to make a pretty hard-to-make-yummy product look pretty good.
Sometimes it's hard to do. Here's a taste of my result:
Here is a picture of the set up. I also shot some behind the scenes video.
Join my list or subscribe to my blog and you'll get the notice when I post.This is the Set Up Shot...
I thought these tomatoes were very photogenic... This is the only thing I like about fresh tomatoes.

If you have specific questions please leave a comment. I will respond quickly.
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2 Responses to "Food Shoot! When Good Food Looks Real Bad and Visa-Versa..." 
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said this on 22 Feb 2008 8:56:01 AM MST
Great article. I have just started photographing food I recently purchased for consumption. I have posted on my Flickr site Jelly Bean shots and an apple shot - your professional comment would be appreciated. Ed's Photography.
Ed Siciliano
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said this on 06 Mar 2008 4:28:11 PM MST
Boy that first shot look like road kill... LoL.
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