Today I headed to Winona MN, to photograph some menu items for the Winona Family Restaurant. We had a total of 30 dishes to photograph and edit in a total of 4 hours. Cloudy skies gave us little to know room for error on this project. Before the shoot we stopped at the local Shopko and picked up some white bounce boards to insure that we would have enough light on all side of the food to make the food pop right off the page when printed.

When photographing food in natural light I highly recommend blocking any overhead lighting from the food. Having a over head light that is most likely a very warm incandescent light, cast a warm and brown shadow tint and will give any gravy a warm tint that will not match the natural light.

We chose to photograph the food as close up. This shoot was not about how much food you get on the plate, it was about the quality and craftsmanship that goes into the dish. Because these images are being used to showcase the food and food only no table placements or fancy composition was needed. With a macro lens you have pin point focus and will get all the quality you need to showcase the food properly. If there are multiple items on the plate I recommend bringing a zoom lens like the 24-105mm to capture all the items. Don't lose focus on the mane corse shoot at f/4 to give some slight blur to the side dishes. Remember its all about the main course. Bellow I have included some of my favorite images from the shoot

BEHIND THE LENS: WINONA