Fun camera… but not what I actually do my work with…

Wow. It seems like I just posted my Guide to Food Photography gear… but it’s been almost a year, and I have realized a good chunk of my equipment has changed during that time. Since the number one question I get from readers is what gear do you use, I thought I’d give you a new peak into the studio & camera bags.

Camera

This year, I upgraded to a Canon 5D. Up until the first time I had it in my hands, I was a bit skeptical about upgrading to this body… torn between just squeezing every last little day out of my 20D to save up for a medium format camera, or holding out for a Canon 1Ds III. Well, in June, that changed. I needed a full frame sensor for a shoot, so I rented one locally for the weekend. I placed an order with Adorama as soon as I got back into town… that’s how much I loved it. Yes, the 1Ds III will be better… and one of these days, I really am going to get a digital medium format something or other. But, the 5D is a fantastic camera and it’s going to keep me happy for quite a while.

That said, initially, the 5D has caused me some pain. Because it’s a full frame sensor, the lenses I knew and loved all became wider… and not just a little bit. The wideness is nice, but it often makes you feel like you need to get in closer… which means I’m constantly hitting the minimal focus distance on my lenses. My goto lens for a good chunk of this year has been the 45mm f/2.8 Tilt Shift, but with the 5D, it just can’t get close enough for a lot of my shots. I started falling back almost exclusively to the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro. But, I missed my tilting and shifting so much, that finally I broke down and bought the Canon TS-E 90mm f/2.8 Tilt Shift Lens. Great lens. Great great lens. I love this lens. If you are shooting full frame, and shooting food, it’s definitely worth getting one.

Of course I’m still shooting quite often with my 50mm f1.4, but I also added the 85mm f/1.8. The drawback of the 85 is a pretty far minimal focal distance.. but it is such a great portrait lens, it’s worth ignoring that part. I love this lens for taking action shots of people and food in the kitchen.

I also still use the 24-105mm f/4L, primarily for a monthly shoot that I do for Seattle Magazine called Chef Test. Each month, I do a portrait of a chef taste testing ingredients, and this lens is just perfect for this (on a tripod, with sufficient light btw). Also in my lens bag are the 200mm f/2.8L and the 17-40mm f/4L, neither of which I use for food photography but both of which are nice lenses for travel.

Remember the Canon EP-EX15 Eyepiece Extender I talked about last year? I still love this… but I must warn you, if you use it, you will likely end up buying many more eye piece cups. They tend to slide off very easily. I’ve gone through about 5 cups now. But, it still nicer than a smudgy display.

I also love my Remote Switch, which lets me take photos on slow shutter speed without having to mess around with the timer. I picked up a little wireless remote a few weeks ago. It was great fun. For one afternoon. Then the battery died. Maybe it was a bad one, so I’ll see how it goes once I replace it.

This shot was taken in my old kitchen, but I still have those same lights.

Lighting

My lighting really hasn’t changed much this year. I still use natural light… south and west facing windows, covered with frosted vellum when it is really sunny out. And, of course, my favorite free thing in the world: a few big sheets of styrofoam board to act as a bounce.

I’m still using the Lowel Tota system, which is a reasonably priced start into studio lighting. The Tota-Pak includes a 750W tungsten halogen lamp with bulb, a stand and an umbrella is regularly $280. The V-Light Pak, which is 500W is on sale as well for about $5 less. The Tota-frame and Assorted Lighting Gel Set for the Tota-lamps are nice too, although I don’t use them all that much.

Maybe it was because I was reading a bit too much Strobist, but I did venture into some off camera flash this year, and picked up the Canon Speedlite 580EX Flash which I can use to create some nice off camera flash when used as a master with my old 430EX Speedlite. When I use the flash, I always soften it with some sort of diffuser.

I picked up the Lowel EGO Tabletop Fluorescent Light for an additional small table top lamp, as well as the Lowel EGO Sweep Table-top Background Support Stand. This is a nice inexpensive setup for tabletop photography.

I also have a very small fresnel light by Mole-Richardson that I use only for special cases that I need just a little bit of extra light in one spot. It’s fairly dramatic lighting, esp with all the accessories you can put on it.

My studio, on day 1 of my move. That whole shelf is full now, as is the closet (below). Those windows, btw, are my main light source.

Props & Accessories

My tripod is a set of Manfrotto legs and a Really Right Stuff ball head. This is a heavy duty studio tripod… the kind of thing you wouldn’t want to throw into a backpack and take with you, but excellent in the studio. I also have a great arm that clamps onto my tripod for holding onto miscellaneous gear like reflective discs.

Look at all that room! Not so much a mere 3 months later…

My prop closet has grown. It’s really not a single closet anymore. It’s at least 2, although one of the shelving units isn’t actually in a closet. It’s scary. We need to get earthquake insurance. I’d try to describe what I have, but it’s really too big at this point. If I could have it, I probably do. And, I’m always picking up new things here and there as I find bargains. The one thing I don’t have is pewter… must get going on that.

White is always a great choice for props.

If you are just starting out, make sure you have a good variety of white plates and bowls, and some simple flatware. Trays (like wooden breakfast trays) are really nice to have too. Forks appear most frequently in my shots, quickly followed by spoons. I tend to use the smaller flatware more frequently, but I also have a couple of interesting serving tools, like a copper ladle and coffee scoop. Ebay, thrift stores, CB2, Cost Plus, Pier One are all good places to go to find inexpensive props. Also, ask at the store if they have a rental program. Many places, like Crate & Barrel do, and you can just rent things for 20% of their cost as long as you bring them back with the tags on and in new condition. This is particularly good if you need something like a table for a shot, but don’t want to pony up the money for a full table or maybe, like me, don’t really have the space for one.

For backdrops, head to your local fabric store. You can get some good deals on cloth paying by the yard. Who cares if the edges aren’t finished when they don’t show up in the photo. Also, hand-made paper found at arts supply stores or card stores makes for some really nice backdrops, esp when you have a working sweep.

For a more finished look, I also have a fairly wide selection of towels and linen napkins that can be folded and placed under or around dishes. I prefer simple patterns and solids, in fairly light colors for these… but I do have the occasional piece that is quite bright and playful. I find most of my linens in the sales racks.

For styling your food, a good set of tools to have on hand are a pair of chopsticks (for pushing, poking or picking things up), tweezers, toothpicks, a pair of manicure scissors, some cotton swabs, a spray bottle (with water) and plenty of paper towels. Joe Glo wipes are also really good for little clean-ups. Also, my new favorite quick clean stuff are the Method wipes.

Computers & Software

In my last post, I talked about software, but didn’t talk about my computer at all. If you’ve been reading the blog and comments, you might have seen a Mac vs PC debate going on. You won’t get me going too much on that kind of debate. I know people have personal preferences that make them very passionate about what OS they use. I’m fine with that. If you have something you love, great!

As for what I use, I have a MacBook Pro. I like it. It’s pretty. It goes pretty fast. It has all the apps that I need. It annoys me sometimes too. But, that is true of any computer. My next computer will be a desktop Mac with one of those gorgeous Apple Flat-Panel Displays, which will be color calibrated all the time and more storage space than I can pronounce. Hopefully, this will be soon.

For image editing, I’ve upgraded to Adobe Creative Suite CS3 Design Premium. It’s really, really expensive (I had a bit of a discount through a friend), but it has Photoshop CS3 along with web design, illustration and print design tools. If you don’t need advanced editing, just go with Photoshop Elements. If you outgrow it, Adobe is generally pretty good with giving upgrade discounts. Or, if you are really just getting started, you can always go with iPhoto on the Mac or Picasa on the PC without any outlay of cash.

That said, I almost exclusively use Phase One’s Capture One Pro now, and only go into Photoshop if I need to do something like clean up a wrinkle or a crumb (or, ack, sensor dust!). Capture One is a raw workflow tool that lets me shoot tethered to my Mac. I have a long USB cable that connects my camera to my Mac, and as soon as I take the photo, it’s on my laptop and I can see it full res to make sure that I’m getting what I wanted. It’s completely changed the way that I shoot and edit, and I couldn’t be happier about it. But, it was a serious expense. Unless you are going pro, there is no reason to pay that kind of money.

I also still just use Adobe Bridge for my “organization.” It’s fine. It’s kind of lame. This is an area I really need to improve on, so expect a post on that sometime in the next several months… or sometime after the new Mac gets bought and installed.

For other software, my blogs are powered by WordPress. I use a client editor called Ecto. I’m currently using Firefox for browsing, in support of their recent announcement to start respecting image colorspace info (Ya-hoo!) I also use an app called FileChute, in conjunction with my .Mac account, to help me get files to my clients. It’s kind of nice because you just drag the files on, it zips them up for you, posts them, and gives you a URL. Then, you just email the URL to your client and they can download the photos. You can even password it if you want. Neat.

So, that’s it! Well, I’m surely forgetting something… but that probably means I don’t use it all that much.

If you have a favorite gadget or must-have piece of gear, please feel free to leave it in the comments!

Camera

I’m still shooting with a Canon EOS 20D for most of my shots. I love this camera… it’s a great size and produces beautiful shots. Of course, the Canon EOS 5D is on my wishlist… but I think it’s still many months off.

In the studio, I shoot with one of three lenses almost exclusively: the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro, the 50mm f1.4 and the 45mm f/2.8 Tilt Shift Before I got the tilt-shift, I used the 50mm quite frequently… but it’s so close to the 45mm, that I rarely use in the studio anymore. 75% of my shots are now with the 45 T/S. It is an amazing lens.

Outside of the studio is a different story. For shooting on location with minimal gear, the 50mm 1.4 is a must have. Nothing else handles low light like this lens (ok, the 1.2 version would, but can anyone afford it?). I also love to take the 24-105mm f/4L, which is a great lens for well-lit shots and gives a bit more flexibility for framing. Just the little bit of zoom handles most of the shots I want to take. If I’m up for bringing a 3rd lens with me, then it’s the 200mm f/2.8L , which is my favorite telephoto lens… cheaper than the 70-200 2.8 and a bit crisper.

I also have some accessories. My favorite is the Canon EP-EX15 Eyepiece Extender, which lets me look through the view finder without always smudging up the display on the camera. Such a simple little thing, yet it makes me so happy.

I also love my Remote Switch, which lets me take photos on slow shutter speed without having to mess around with the timer. Of course, I’m sure I’d also like the Wireless Radio Remote too.

Lighting

A good portion of my lighting is free, or nearly so. Big windows and french doors that face south and west. I’ve covered the southern windows with a frosted vellum that is available at art supply stores by the roll. That, and a few big sheets of styrofoam board are my lighting solution for about 75-80% of my photos.

When I don’t have enough light, I use the Lowel Tota system, which is a reasonably priced start into studio lighting. The Tota-Pak includes a 750W tungsten halogen lamp with bulb, a stand and an umbrella is regularly $280, but I just noticed that it is on sale for $194 on Amazon right now. The V-Light Pak, which is 500W is on sale as well for about $5 less. I haven’t used them yet, but I recently got the Tota-frame and Assorted Lighting Gel Set for the Tota-lamps as well.

I also have a very small fresnel light by Mole-Richardson that I use only for special cases that I need just a little bit of extra light in one spot. It’s fairly dramatic lighting, esp with all the accessories you can put on it.

Props & Accessories

My tripod is a set of Manfrotto legs and a Really Right Stuff ball head. This is a heavy duty studio tripod… the kind of thing you wouldn’t want to throw into a backpack and take with you, but excellent in the studio. I also have a great arm that clamps onto my tripod for holding onto miscellaneous gear like reflective discs.

White dishes are my most frequently used, but I have quite a few solid color things as well. And some dishes with Asian prints. But, if you are just starting out, make sure you have a good variety of white plates and bowls, and some simple flatware. Forks appear most frequently in my shots, quickly followed by spoons. I tend to use the smaller flatware more frequently, but I also have a couple of interesting serving tools, like a copper ladle and coffee scoop.

For backdrops, head to your local fabric store. You can get some good deals on cloth paying by the yard. Who cares if the edges aren’t finished when they don’t show up in the photo. Also, hand-made paper found at arts supply stores or card stores makes for some really nice backdrops, esp when you have a working sweep.

For a more finished look, I also have a fairly wide selection of towels and linen napkins that can be folded and placed under or around dishes. I prefer simple patterns and solids, in fairly light colors for these… but I do have the occasional piece that is quite bright and playful. I find most of my linens in the sales racks.

For styling your food, a good set of tools to have on hand are a pair of chopsticks (for pushing, poking or picking things up), tweezers, a pair of manicure scissors, some cotton swabs, a spray bottle (with water) and plenty of paper towels. Joe Glo wipes are also really good for little clean-ups.

Software

I reference Photoshop CS2 for most of the articles on Still Life With. It’s really, really expensive but it’s also just about the only tool that you can use to do advanced editing. If you don’t need advanced editing, just go with Photoshop Elements. If you outgrow it, Adobe is generally pretty good with giving upgrade discounts. Or, if you are really just getting started, you can always go with iPhoto on the Mac or Picasa on the PC without any outlay of cash.

My newest software necessity is Phase One’s Capture One Pro. It’s a raw workflow tool that lets me shoot tethered to my Mac. I have a long USB cable that connects my camera to my Mac, and as soon as I take the photo, it’s on my laptop and I can see it full res to make sure that I’m getting what I wanted. It’s completely changed the way that I shoot and edit, and I couldn’t be happier about it. But, it was a serious expense. Unless you are going pro, there is no reason to pay that kind of money. That said, I’ll have more info on shooting tethered in an upcoming post.

BTW – I’ve been thrilled to get so many mails asking me my opinion on this stuff. I’m very happy to help… so if you have other questions, do feel free to shoot them my way!

Technorati Tags: camera gear, Food, Food Styling, Photography, shopping

So, it’s quite strange, that I’ve become so into the photography thing and get excited about things like lighting fixtures, lenses and, even more so, tripods. Tripods are the ultimate accessory for the gear head. They come in a plethora of material and weight configurations with different components for attaching, spinning, leveling and positioning. Perfect for those who want to spend hour searching away on forums to find just the right equipment.

But, even if you, like me, aren’t all that into gear, you need a good tripod. Even if you are using a point and shoot. If you’ve ever worried about whether you had enough light for a shot, or read your light meter and noticed shutter speeds considerably below 30, a tripod will set your mind at ease. Use one for a week, and you’ll be amazed at the difference in your photos. It’s the only way you can get predictably sharp results in your food photography. Or, at least, it’s absolutely critical for those of us who drink caffeinated beverages and can get a bit shaky at times.

A tripod is made up of two components, the head and the legs (plus, of course, a ton of accessories). On lower end models, you usually just buy the whole thing as a once piece kit, and you are getting what you pay for. It will do the basics… the camera will attach to the head, and you’ll be able to move it around, adjust the height and even with the most basic tripod, get a more stable shot. More stablity means you don’t have to worry about shake during long exposures or potentially moving the camera a hair between the time you set your focal point and click the shutter button. A basic tripod is considerably better than no tripod, and if you are shooting with a point and shoot camera, basic is really all you will need. In fact, if you are using a point and shoot, you might even look for a very simple table top tripod, such as the Pedco ultra lightweights:

Pedco UltraPod Mini – Lightweight Camera Tripod

However, using just any tripod doesn’t guarantee you complete stability, particularly as you start dealing with heavier camera bodies and larger lenses. I’ve been shooting with a lightweight hiking tripod for a few months now, and each time I touch the camera to make a small adjustment, I have to let it “rest” while I stand perfectly still so I don’t introduce more shake. In addition, whenever I position the camera with my heavier lenses… my 180mm in particular, but also some with my 100mm… it slowly creeps down, and out of position. I say slowly because I can’t see it moving, but really, in shutter speed time, it’s moving quickly, enough to introduce some blur that I don’t want.

As you move up the quality (and price) chain, you start getting options that give you better stability, easier access and greater precision. You’ll buy the head separately from the legs, and you’ll need to understand what the different options are for both. There are basically 3 different types of heads: 3-way heads, ball heads and gimbel heads.

Gimbel heads (like this Wimberley) are one of the best choices for anything that you are using very, very heavy lenses on, as they provide an extra support. And when I say very heavy lens, I mean 400mm+. You really don’t need these for food photography and I only mention it here in case you stumble upon them as you are researching.

A three way head is the simplest construction, and has different knobs for adjusting the camera position… one to pan horizontally, one to move front to back and one to move right to left. There are some benefits to this approach beyond price… you can lock in two dimensions and just adjust one. But, it’s also a lot more futzting, and I find that I often end up needing to readjust in multiple ways, creating more hassle than advantage. Still, the three-way heads are a good affordable choice.

Finally, we get to the ball head. The ball lets you adjust any which way with one main knob that can rotate forward, backward and pan precisely where you want to with a single movement, and another for panning horizontally only. The variations you’ll see in ball heads have to do with the amount of weight they support, and how smoothly and accurately you can position them. Manfrotto has an interesting grip action head that lets you simply pull a lever to move the camera position instead of tightening and loosening a knob. However, one of the benefits of the knob approach is that you can make it “almost tight” and make more precise adjustments. For years, the Arca-Swiss Monoball B1 was considered the top of the line for ball heads. However, Really Right Stuff’s BH-55 has become one of the new favorites. And, as of last Wednesday, this is the head on my new tripod. I’ve now shot with it about 3 times, and it’s absolutely gorgeous. The movement is like butter. It stays where I want it. There is no jiggle.

In addition to the head, you will want to get a quick release plate if you ever want to take your camera with you anywhere outside of your studio. The quick release plate has a piece that screws onto the top of your tripod and one that screws onto the bottom of your camera. The plate on the camera fits into the clamp on the tripod, and releases easily with a lever. Really Right Stuff makes a great one that has a nice safety feature that keeps the camera from accidentally sliding off if the clamp gets opened unexpectedly. It also has a level, which is probably really useful, but that I generally ignore.

Next, are the legs. Legs are made from many materials that vary widely in both weight and stability. The top of the line are carbon fiber legs. These are light(er) weight but still incredibly stable. If you are transporting your tripod around a lot, it may be worth investing in a set. However, for studio work, weight is really less of an issue. I’m using the aluminum Manfrotto Pro series, which weight a bit over 5 lbs, but are amazingly sturdy.

Beyond their materials, leg sets have a variety of different options. You can get 3 section or 4 with the ability to lock into different angles, a knob or a crank to raise or lower the center bar, a built in level, and accessories to allow extremely low angle to name a few. My favorite feature of the Pro series is that the center bar that can be inserted horizontally to allow you to take shots from directly above your subject easily. For food photography, this is incredibly useful.

The top of the line system, including a ball head, quick release plate and great legs will cost you about $1000. It’s not cheap. But, you will see a dramatic difference in the quality of your photos. For those of you, like me, who love a good rationalization as to why you should start at the top, there’s a great article here on the steps he sees almost all amateurs go through, and how you can “save” money by just getting the good stuff to begin with. I recommend renting or borrowing a couple of different configurations before you purchase to make sure it will meet your needs.

Really, when it comes down to it, for studio food photography, there are only a few absolute requirements:

• Does the tripod hold your camera in place with your heaviest lens on?
• Does it get into the positions you care about (does it go high enough, low enough, and in the right angles)?
• Is it completely cleanable?
• Is it sturdy enough that you can’t easily knock it over when your hands are full, and you are trying to position the food in front of it?

The rest, like how quickly it can change position and how smoothly it moves, is personal and tolerance level.

Oh, one more thing. As long as you are investing in a tripod, you may as well do everything in your power to minimize shake in the camera. As soon as your hand touches the camera, you introduce shake. To prevent that, you need a remote. I use the most basic Canon cable release whenever I’m using the tripod. There are very cool, higher end wireless remotes that do all sorts of fancy thing… but you really just need something that lets you click the shutter without touching the camera.

Canon RS-80N3 Remote Switch

“NIKON MC30 Remote Cable Release (31.5 in)” (Nikon)

Technorati Tags: Food, Photography, Tips