Hi guys! I’ve posted a few times in the past about my Food Photography Equipment, and today I thought I’d do an updated summary of my absolute favorite and most used pieces as of 2017.
The camera
For my professional Food Photography, I currently use Canon 5D Mark III. It brings a full frame and large RAW files, it’s easy to grip and hold, and there are plenty of options to customize the shooting settings. But as much as a great camera body makes the whole creative and production process better and easier, the real difference in photography lies in good lenses.
The lenses
I’ve been using a 50mm 1/8 lens the longest – it’s great for shots where you want to capture more of the scene in frame and include a lot of elements and props.
I got my 24-105mm f/4 lens as a part of the camera kit when I bought my latest Canon. It’s great for flexibility, but as with all zoom lenses, it sacrifices a bit of sharpness.
I just recently invested in a 100mm f/2.8 L — this macro lens lets me get very close to my food while keeping a shallow depth of field in the background, and it’s a prime lens so it allows for a little extra detail and sharpness in comparison to a zoom.
The tripod
When I shoot food from 45-degree angle I hand-hold my camera to be able to “foot zoom” and easily shift around to change the composition. But when I do the overhead shots, I use a tripod that allows me to tweak my composition and the light while keeping the frame set. For my studio, I invested in Manfrotto tripod with a geared head and a side arm. This set up is sturdy, flexible and allows incremental shifts and adjustments.
Be very careful with compact “travel” tripods – they are cheap but also very lightweight, which means they should only be used with a very small point and shoot camera. PLEASE do not use a compact tripod with your DSLR and heavy lens, especially for outdoor shoots where a sudden whirl of wind could cause your whole set up to crash.
If you want to hear about my studio lighting equipment, software, props and food styling, let me know and I’ll make another post!
The video
For my YouTube vlogs, I simply use my iPhone 7Plus with either the gorilla pod with a smartphone adapter or this selfie stick that connects to my phone via bluetooth. It’s an easy setup because I always have my phone with me, and I don’t need to carry any extra filming equipment when I’m out and about or traveling.
The only downside is audio, which is not ideal on busy streets with lots of external noise like traffic, other people, and wind. Right now my solution is to film with the phone’s headphones — not only does it look more natural in public when I talk into my headphone mic while walking, but it also helps dramatically improve the quality of sound.
The film – Just for fun
We’ve been using our Fujifilm instant camera since 2010 (11?), it has travelled with us everywhere, moved continents and cities, and helped us fill numerous photo albums, frames and wallets with tiny happy cards. I also love bringing it along to hang outs and sharing copies of the photos with friends. These days there is no shortage of fun film packs for any occasion and accessories for displaying the memories. Some of my favorites are below:
My GoldenHalf 35mm film camera is my absolute favorite of a very wide range of toy and lomography cameras that I’ve collected over the last 8 or so years. If you’d like some examples, check out my old post with lots of shots we took with it during our Mauritius honeymoon back in 2012.
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