Hey guys,

I'm helping my uncle start a new restaurant and I took on the role of making the menu. I'm thinking of buying the Canon T1i with the stock 18-55mm lens to take pictures of the food. Is the T1i with the stock lens a sufficient weapon of choice for this job? I'm assuming it will be more than enough for this role, but wanted your inputs. Macros is probably the only setting I'll be messing with. Any advice or suggestions? Thanks in advance.

Tim

 

Hire a pro, to do the photography it would prob be cheaper than buying the proper gear.

in lieu of that read this thread


https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=840915

 

Thanks for the link and advice.

 

I did some work for a restaurant before.

You will want... at least...

an off camera flash + wire or wireless trigger
a macro lens
few props like fork or knives, fresh fruits and vegetables etc, tablecloth... whatever you think would make it look good.
small clamps / rigs

it was tough work, because there is a lot of design that goes into how the plate is served, the restaurant i worked for didn't really know that, so I ended up re designing whatever was on the plate. then off to the plate of the food, I had small fillers like colorful bell peppers + misted water beads, and a bit out of focus with the use of DOF. Small camps and rings were used to hold up a fork or a spoon as if someone was really holding it.

the stock 18-55 wont be close enough I dont think. Get a proper macro lens if you want to venture this route. Good luck!

 

I actually shoot menu's as part of my commercial work. Its not easy getting the perfect shots. A good understanding of light along with the proper gear is needed. In lieu of a macro if you have room you can shoot with a long lens for the compressed dof but you need to know what your doing..

 

If you want the food to look GOOD, hire a pro. I am not talking about surgically good like McDonalds, but food is actually very difficult to photograph, so I think a small investment in a professional would be the best idea.

 

I don't know what kind of restaurant he's opening up, but I agree that your uncle should consider hiring someone. If menus are going to cost money to make, they'll cost even more to re-make if there are issues with the photos. If it's a simple BBQ joint and they're just laminated card stock, then you can more likely do it yourself. I wouldn't want to discourage you from getting a dSLR, because it's a fun hobby, expensive, but still cheaper than cars.

Having said that, lighting is very important. I'll disagree with the need for an off camera flash. If you use a softbox with regular lights and a tripod, you can get good photos.

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/07/how-t...oto-studio.html

Stop the lens down for more DoF. A macro lens or extension tubes would help. You probably want something a little longer than 55mm, but that isn't a too big of a deal.

 

I wonder... If the menu is fairly common, think diner, BBQ, or something vs. something very specific to this restaurant,

What about stock photos? There's got to be hundreds if not thousands of burger pictures out there with some of the services?

I doubt the pictures in the menu where I eat were taken at the place I eat of food they made there.

Just a thought...

 

Any "decent" restaurant would not use stock photos.

Food photography is more than just photography its an art. You need to understand how to make that food look good and what props and preparation are needed before you take the shots.