Social media has undoubtedly changed the way that we think about food and drink. It has become a culture of “If you didn’t take a picture of it, did you really eat it?” This has become the norm across the social media platforms of Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat. This is not surprising, considering the growing interest in food photography and food blogging, both globally and in Ireland.
Lighting is key. You can make the same salad leaf look either dead or alive by the way you light it.
Gary Jordan, an eminent food photographer, welcomed me into his studio, which he shares with two others. Surrounded by lenses and tripods, we got chatting over a cup of coffee. Gary described how, because of digital photography, you can now learn anything online. Although this allows for widespread accessibility, these advances have certain drawbacks. Gary feels that the focus on quantity rather than quality means that “the craft has got a bit lost.” When Gary set up on his own in 1994, most commercial photographers in Dublin did a little bit of everything. He found that there was a lack of food photographers and, after establishing his business, the interest in food photography exploded. On the ripe competition that exists within photography, Gary advises on picking a niche: “Where you have millions of people doing the same thing, you need to be able to shine in some way, and the only way that you’re going to do that is by specialising.”
Gary shed some light on the relationship between social media, food, and marketing: a relationship not necessarily beneficial to all involved. Although people blogging and using social media is huge for business, “It has pros and cons for clients, like the people that I would deal with. You have restaurants where people would come in and take bad photos of their food and put it online.” When he’s not working on photography jobs for clients, Gary runs food photography workshops with top Irish food stylist, Erica Ryan. Since starting the workshops in 2013, they’ve been extremely busy. The clientele are 99 percent female and are mostly bloggers, business people, and those who are just in it for fun. Erica works on everything from packaging to movies. According to Gary, “Erica makes food look good, not taste good.” Painted sausages that aren’t fried and ice cream that doesn’t actually melt are all part of the necessary illusion.
Think you know how to photograph your food? Think again. Whether you’re a blogger, a photographer, or just a regular foodie, Gary has some words of advice on how to up your game. If you don’t have a professional camera, there is no need to worry: he promises that you can take sufficiently enticing pictures with a smart phone. Here are his ten essential tips on DIY food photography.
1. Hold onto your coppers. If you’re a budding photographer, there’s no need to fork out the big bucks. At the workshop, Gary tells his students how they can be cost efficient with what they buy. For instance, you can pay a lot of money for a photography light, whereas you could just go to Woodies and buy a Tungsten work lamp and put some tracing paper in front of it.
2. Lights, camera, move. “Lighting is key. You can make the same salad leaf look either dead or alive by the way you light it.” Also, try different lighting techniques. Whether it’s artificial light mixed with daylight or different lenses, they’ll all give you varied results. A classic blog photo is an overhead shot, which everyone is familiar with, but there’s no need to restrict yourself creatively. Gary also stresses the importance of moving the camera. Don’t do every shot from the same angle, and get a tripod, if you can afford it.
3. Get a little closer. Gary advises to get up close and personal with your subject. Getting into the texture of the food is what gives “appetite appeal.”
4. Leave the math at the door. When it comes to photography, there’s no need to think with a mathematical mind. Gary laments the fact that, “There’s a lot of people that think that photography can be learned like mathematics. It’s not like that; it’s like learning how to draw or learning how to play an instrument. You have to experiment with it.”
5. Limit the props. People can tend to get overly obsessed with props to go along with food photographs. Who doesn’t get excited over a brand new floral mug? Gary cautions not to let props take over, and to always remember that the food is king, so keep it simple.
6. Seek out inspiration. “You can learn a lot by looking at a Caravaggio painting, by seeing how he uses light. You can learn a lot from painters, from photographers. Look at what they’ve done and ask yourself: ‘Why is that good?’”
7. Join a camera club. “The best way to learn is from working with people.” Dublin Camera Club, located on Lower Camden Street, is a good one to check out.
8. Take millions of photographs. For Gary, “No matter how many books, how many courses, how many people you talk to, you will never be good at photography unless you take millions of shots. You learn every time you do it.”
9. Know your camera. “It’s very important to learn how to use your camera in manual mode. This gives you greater control of your camera and will result in better images.”
10. Forget everything and begin again. In the workshops, Gary teaches about things such as composition and lighting. He ends by saying: “These are the basic rules. But, once you know how to do them, you break all of the rules and try different things.”
So, think outside the box, and let your creativity run wild. Have another go at taking that perfect picture of your latte art, or your Belgian waffle oozing with chocolate. You may just surprise yourself.
You can check out more of Gary’s stuff at www.garyjordanphotographer.com
Photos by Gary Jordan
