You will explore the various aspects of light including its quality - color, intensity, and distance, as well as what kind of lighting works best when photographing food. You will also look at the types of light - natural, strobe, flash, and continuous, as well as the various tools that you can use to modify the light.
Chapter 4, "Styling & Props," form the basics of food presentation. When you look at a photograph of food, you only have your sense of sight to capture what the rest of your senses can only imagine. When it is done correctly, the viewer of your image will feel the desire to want to sample the food.
In this chapter you will take into consideration things like, should you use a food stylist - a professional artist whose specialty is laying out food in its best light, ethical situations, and food quality. You will also get into the basics of food styling. This includes the use of gadgets and tools that you should have on hand to help you with your presentation. You will also learn about various styling tips and tricks to ad bulk, how to work with garnish6es, faking grill marks, and adding steam to the look. You will also work with props such as dishes and other accessories.
Chapter 5, "Framing & Composition," is important to creating a beautiful food photograph. Being able to create a good composition is extremely important in getting your point across to the viewer and presenting to them an appealing vision.
This chapter looks at various compositional elements such as using the rule of thirds to help find balance within your image, balancing the background and foreground, and using triangles to create balance. You will look at perspective and framing through the use of the vertical and horizontal aspects of the image. You can shoot three-quarters, level, and overhead viewpoints, as well as how to use point of view to your advantage for perspectives to what you shoot. Here you will also look at focal length, lens compression, and depth-of-field as well focus, shapes, lines, & color to create a compelling photograph.
Chapter 6, "Processing Images with Adobe Photoshop," is not about creating the image in post processing, but making it look like your photo has never been edited. Through the use of subtle techniques you can make your food creations look like they were straight out of the camera.
The first thing you will learn about is the need to calibrate your monitor. Then it is on to photo editing software - the ones in use here are Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Photoshop Elements. Here you will see how to work with RAW files, making adjustments, viewing clipping warnings, and in general setting up your image. Then you will learn about working with layers, blending modes, as well as other tips and tricks to bring out and clean up your photographic images.
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