Unit 25 Studio food photographer research

Café culture

Marcus Nilsson is a photographer who is mostly known for his food photography, with projects such as Sundaez and Weight watchers. 

This is one of the photographs from his project Sundaez, this photo is great because it shows the product but the photographer has gone to great lengths to make the photo interesting by using a different shaped and coloured plate and bowl. Another thing that the photographer has done is used the lighting to create a shadow, a higher angle and has used an interesting coloured background. The photographer has done amazing at making the food look more interesting than it actually is by using different lighting techniques, different shaped and coloured objects. He has also edited the background to have some sort of pop art feel. 

This second image is from his Pastrami. This image is of something so simple but the photographer has gone the extra mile to make this photo more complex and he has made a comfort food look like a luxury. This image has a nice angle although I wish that we got more or even less of the background because we can see some sort of leather couch and then maybe a plaid blanket next to it. This confuses me a little bit due to the fact that he has made this photo look fancy but has kept something so generic in. The lighting of this image is great because there are so many reflective objects used and you can only see the ceiling light. This is great because the photo would've been ruined if he had gotten his equipment in the shot. Another great part of this image is the way he has placed everything, it doesn't look too forced which is what you want when taking food photography. 

David Munns is a food photographer who shows fractions of the food making process and the result of it.

This image is of a cheesecake and the fruit that has been picked in order to make it. This photo collage is great because it shows the contrast between the work that goes behind the food and the end result. The lighting for both images great although I don't like the brightness of the lighting on the left because in comparison to the other hand it is too bright and the person has their ring on and this just ruins the shot in my opinion. However on the right the lighting looks as if he has used natural light which is great when trying to show fresh food. The two angles are a great comparison and the depth of field used in both is amazing. Both images have great backgrounds which complement their foregrounds. Another thing about this image is it's simple and in a good way its not too complicated and not too simple and that makes the image great to look at. 

This next image is of mushrooms before and after they were cooked. This image is a great collage because you get the contrast of before and after. The depth of field used in both images compliments the photo well. The lighting used in both looks like natural lighting and the angle is great because you don't only have the macro shot but a high angle shot to see the end result. The collage is also great because it shows that the food is fresh. The lighting is really nice because the broth in which the mushrooms is in is see through and light reflective. 

Matt Armendariz is a food photographer who is famous for his cook book photography.

 This image is from Matt's album Food I. This image to me looks appetizing because of the colors used, this is because Matt has planned to use a variety of different colored vegetables in order for the burger to look more interesting. Another advantage to this image is that he has placed chips in the foreground and a towel in the background to give the image a home made type of atmosphere. Another technique that Matt has used is he has sprayed the burger with water to look as though it is fresh this is a great technique to use when wanting to make your food look more appetizing.

 The depth of field that is used in this image is great although I wouldn't like to have the chips in the foreground I feel that it just makes the image look too busy. However the lighting used on this image is great especially due to the fact that a big trend in food photography is window lighting. I feel though this attempt to window light it is quite bad only because you loose detail on the upper part of the burger and it kind of washes the color of the onion out. I believe that the angle of this image is suitable for it because it's simple and you don't need to use any other type of angle, especially for a burger because you want to see the layers of what's included in the burger. The composition of this image is great as Matt has used his props as an advantage to make his background stand out alongside his burger.

This is an image from Matt's other album Food II, this image for me isn't appetizing I think because I wouldn't normally associate a dessert with crisps. Although this image is well thought out as you can see that Matt has made the effort to sprinkle crumbs everywhere and also make the food have symmetry. I think this gives the image a unique look. The composition of this image is not good to me this is because you have most of the middle and right of the frame full but the left side is left completely empty. The angle is good, I like it primarily because he has certain parts of the subject going out of frame. For me 99% of the time when I see an image with it's subject going out of frame it annoys me and makes me dislike the image as a whole, however this image makes it work.

The lighting used is great it gives the image a morning type of atmosphere and the shadows it creates are not too harsh. The contrast of the image is well though out due to that Matt has used a darker color food along with a lighter colored food. This makes the colors look great with the background.