Here are a few images from the last day of our three-day food shoot. I think we got some great stuff.

We shot ribs today. I find that ribs are one of the most difficult things for a food photographer to shoot. The photographer has to put just the right amount of shine in just the right places. Too many reflections doesn’t let the viewer see the color of the sauce, and too few highlights makes the shot look just plain weird. The brightness of the highlights are a tough call too. Too bright, and it just doesn’t work, too dark, and they aren’t worth the effort. They have to be jusssssssssst right…. ) I feel that I’ve come up with a really good sauce look. You agree?

Most people think of me as “just” a food photographer. While I do enjoy shooting food, I still like other types of photography too. If I had to shoot food all the time, it would become real old, real fast. This is a bunch of portraits I shot for a magazine assignment. What’s cool about this is that I shot everything with only little flashes, the type that are usually “on camera”, only I have them on a light stand and slaved to the camera. The big advantage to the client is that I can move from shot to shot really quickly. Shooting like this, I can do a ton of shots in a day, making it very economical for the end client.

Photographing a three-day project having to do with “grilling” for a local supermarket chain. We started off trying to make things look as though they were shot outdoors on a picnic table, and then decided that making the food look good was the priority. Here are some of the images from the first day’s shooting. (today)

All the shots were outlined and that explains all the crap on the formica. That will all be dropped out of the photo. I was very pleased with everything we did today. Good shots and a great client. Had a good time.

I’ve come up with an interesting and fast way to do environmental portraits. The technique basically revolves around using the existing light for the background and adding “quality” portrait lighting to the subject. This would be a great technique for shooting lots of doctors, teachers, students, and any type of staff photos for any marketing need. Because there is a minimum of equipment needed, I can move very quickly and get lots of shots in a minimum amount of time.

Here’s some more recent food photography. The beautiful looking surface makes the shot. It’s funny what I appreciate in a food photo compared to other people. Maybe I should pay attention to what other people look at, but I figure that if I’m happy with the shot, the clients are usually thrilled to death. The problem becomes “when should I stop making it better”? The schedule usually dictates that.

I took my family to this restaurant the other night and if you haven’t been there, you just goota go because they have some great food. (Get the shark fin pie for desert) Here’s a shot from a recent shoot we did together… I love going into a restaurant and seeing my work in the menu or on a table tent, unless there’s a printing problem. But With Mitchell’s, there’s never been a problem like that. great food and great clients.

Been busy lately, so I guess the economy is turning around. I have a bunch of new things to upload and share with you. This is a project I did for a local supermarket chain. The shot was much more casual then I’m used to shooting, but it was a welcome change from the “perfectly styled” type of food photography I’m used to producing. Hey, I like change… most of the time… )