Ok maybe that's a little extreme….

The simple truth is that Food Styling and Food Photography are a very specialized niche and those who succesfully work in it, totally master their craft and have built their clientele over a long period of time; getting in is hard - that's for sure.

However if you are really determined, then here is my best advice on how to get started:

 you need a Portfolio  You need a GREAT Portfolio

Let's develop this concept: your Portfolio is gonna get you work ( or not ), so it has to be awesome. How many photos will you put in your Portfolio? IT DEPENDS - you only want to show your best work, so if you have a lot of great images go ahead and show them to the world; otherwise choose only the very best and go with a smaller Portfolio.

Chances are, in the beginning, you will not have a LOT of great images; that's ok, no one is expecting you to - show your best ones.

How do you go about building a Portfolio? well this is VERY IMPORTANT, I'll articulate in a few steps:

PHASE 1

a) get inspiration : create a folder ( on your computer or a physical one ) with some images you really like for different reasons - make a note on each image to remind yourself what it is in particular that you like about it

b) identify your resources : what's your strenght, what do you have access to? think in terms of props, people, places... Can you develop any idea from point a) with what you've got in point b) ? Sure you can, scratch your head !

c) think about the message : what's the message or the feel your images will be delivering? There can be an implicit message ( as well as an explicit one ). Images that engage the viewer are more powerful.

d) push your creativity : be different, be brave - TAKE SOME RISKS. People want to see something new, people want emotions. Let the world see things how you see them, through your eyes and imagination.

e) think about the package : one or more series of images work much better than random images without any link between them 

PHASE 2

What do you need to execute a) - e) ? now it's the time to think about gear, eventual studio hire and all that stuff.

Set your budget, define priorities, borrow, hire, buy ( follow this order ), set dates, plan every shot in the minimum details

Do - just do it !

Now, I know I made it look " simple "..... it's not; however what I'm trying to tell you is : you need to have a plan - it's my best piece of advice and it comes from someone who has learnt trial and error style.

ACTUALLY, talking about yours truly....I am in the process of REvamping my own Portfolio and this time I am gonna follow my own advice :)

So I have big plans, everything is kinda been decided on paper and I am getting ready to tackle PHASE 2 , the do stage.

If YOU are in Sydney and have a culinary background , AND would like to take a closer look at the Food Photography / Food Styling professional world.... I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

I need help with one series of images that require some MASTERCHEF skills.

Let me tell you one thing, I am gonna go KREIZY this time, no ordinary stuff, it will be big !

Dario Milano is a professional food stylist and photographer based in Sydney and freelancing for editorial and advertising clients.

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Posted in dario milano, food styling sydney, food photography sydney, Food photography workshop, food styling, food photography, building portfolio

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Summer is finally here and, with the raising temperature and sunny weather outside, I feel like something chilled and light for lunch ; gazpacho is the answer ! I discovered this cold soup native to Spain and traditionally made from tomatoes and other raw vegetables, while travelling through the Andalucía region in Southern Spain, a few years back.

A traditional Andalucían gazpacho includes stale bread, vinegar, olive oil, onions, garlic, tomatoes and other summer vegetables. I love the stuff and since my assistant, Ana, is from Argentina, I asked her if she could prepare some to be photographed at last weeks' food photography and food styling workshop, here in Sydney.

( I know Argentina is in South America.... they also list gazpacho as a traditional dish, that's it )

The gazpacho was delicious and I am also quite happy with how the images turned out, especially the first one here on top, which is the hero image; the second picture, below, was just an exercise we did with speedlights to show students how to work the flash at home.

But one thing at a time; top image is a two lights set up: main light is a strip box coming at the glasses from roughly 2 o'clock - the shadows of the props on the table are the giveaway here. This light does not fall on the background which is a few feet away and is lit separately by a second strobe placed right next to the other one but pointing away from the food .

I like these sort of setups as they allow for more lighting creativity in keeping the hero and the background separated.

The second image was instead achieved by a single speedlight hidden under the table, at 9 o' clock camera left, and bounced off a white wall a couple of meters away; the reflection on the glass is the giveaway in this case.

Notice how the wall does a very good job in diffusing the hard light bursting off the flash? no fill card was used here, just that one light.

Both images have an intriguing mood, but I prefer the first one, for the angle and the neater separation between food and backdrop; which one's your favourite?

P.S. it looks like there will be an announcement, soon , about the first ever food photography workshop in Brisbane; if you are interested it might be a good idea to register your interest asap.

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Posted in Food photography workshop, flash photography, dario milano, gazpacho, food styling, food photography, food photography sydney

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Food Photography and food styling can be tricky at times, especially when you have to deal with highly reflective surfaces and objects; but i always enjoy the challenge and I always learn something new myself.

I posted an article on Bright Field Photography in July 2010 ( here it is ) with a few sample images and a lighting diagram that illustrates the setup I used for this particular technique. This post is a sort of follow up to that article; I spent the past few days photographying my new collection of retro-vintage 1950's hand-blown harlequin crystal glasses and I wanted to share some images with you - imagine drinking some nice wine out of these flutes?   

The great thing about the bright field technique is that it really captures the shape and textures of your glass objects; in my opinion it is the best way to photograph a glass since it also allows you to get rid of all reflections. One hundred per cent backlighting and one hundred per cent flash in my case.

The glasses are sitting on a sheet of black perspex which gives a lovely specular reflection; and you have to make sure there's enough separation between the subject and the background ( a plain white wall in these pictures ).

It's also important to shoot raw files so it's easier to recover the glass colour in case it appears a bit washed out. And everything must be absolutely simmetrical and aligned: tripod, perspex, wall, the glass with the camera and the black cardboard sheets perfectly equidistant .

I had a lot of fun taking these pictures; at the end of the day all you need, gear wise, is a speedlight, a black perspex and a white wall - totally doable right?

I am considering introducing a bright field lighting tutorial as part of my next round of Food Photography and Food Styling Workshops in Sydney and Melbourne next month ( follow the link for detailed info ); if youb were to attend would you be interested in learning more about this technique?

From Sydney, Dario Milano

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Posted in bright field photography, bright field lighting, food photography, food photography sydney, food photography melbourne, props for food photography, prop hire online, dario milano, Food photography workshop, glass photography, vintage glasses

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