Appetizers

[Mike Buckley]

I rarely do food photography. That's because I have never taken the time to do it right. Once I do get into it, I plan to take the time required to do it really well.

I'm showing this photo because I'm really surprised how well it turned out. I had no opportunity to set the shot up properly because everyone other than me wanted to immediately get on with eating the food. The set up and capture was done in a matter of two minutes. I didn't even take the time to position the various skewers on the plate; I shot them exactly as our hostess presented them.

I positioned the food in the best light available on the outdoor deck with no reflectors, diffusers, light other than sunlight and the like. I quickly shot four handheld photos at f/8 using different focus points and selected this photo because of the ideal depth of field. Depth of field is best viewed by clicking the photo.

By the way, the appetizers were terrific!

[Digital]

Mike, did you use a macro lens? Good shot by the way.


Bruce

[travis4567]

Nice shot Mike. I am a chef as well as a photographer and it frustrates me sometimes when I create a beautiful dish and can't capture it in a photo. Most of the time the depth of field is an issue as I like to shoot fairly close up. Wondering how far away you were and what length lens you used. Nice job.

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks to Bruce and Travis!

I used a 35mm prime lens on a camera with a 1.5 crop factor. The lens allows me to focus very closely. I was probably about 6 to 9 inches away from the plate. I intentionally made the photo to include the three forward skewers in focus and the others behind them to be a little out of focus. This photo is shown full-frame (no cropping).