The GEAR you need for Food Photography !
Raised in the middle of the Alps between cows and lakes and educated at HEC Lausanne, Maxime Chatillon is both the person you want working on Growth/Business Development for your company, and the person you want to be travelling with (always taking pictures of everything) Yes! He’s a photographer. Before coming to Foodetective, Max studied Management at HEC Lausanne. He would also like you to know that he’s the inventor of the “Getting out of the friend zone“ perfect for — category and certainly the best Wing-Man you could have while going out.
Article Starts here:
3 steps to consider before buying a camera !
- Point and Shoot vs DSLR 📸
- Lenses 🔎
- Accessories ⚡️📼
Quick Recap: Last week we talked about HOW to take mouth-watering pictures 🤤 ( 👉 https://medium.com/@foodetective/food-photography-explained-a969e727de59 ). Today, I’ll shed some light 💡 on what gear to use in order to capture it.
Disclaimer: 🚨 Before we start, I believe it’s important to mention that gear is not everything in photography. The best camera in the world will not turn a picture of a dog’s 💩 sprinkled with 🚬 on the floor into a sumptuous 🌷 with droplets of water 💦 hanging from the leaves… You can have the best or the worst camera, it will still be a dog’s 💩 sprinkled with 🚬 on the floor. Ok, now we may start.
Point and Shoot or DSLRs ? 🤔
Good question you might ask ! On the one hand you have a versatile, small compact camera you can carry anywhere and hide in your pocket.
On the other, “big” cameras with interchangeable lenses, a bigger sensor and more “buttons”. 🎛
“Go with the Point and Shoot !” would say any reasonable person. Well… Yes, it is effortless to carry them and shoot with it, however, the price point is a big no for me. When you compare them with DSLRs it’s sometimes the same price or even more expensive ! In conclusion, paying the same amount for a smaller camera, where you’ll be limited down the line is a con for me. ( Sure, the sensor is smaller too but pictures will be posted on social media or on a website so the difference is irrelevant ! 🤷 )
I recommend starting with a DLSR. Try the Canon 1300D (aka Rebel T6 in the USA) or Nikon D3400. Around $390 ($496 for Nikon ) both including the 18–55mm Lens ! It is a great camera to start with and might be more reliable if you have a few requests for small photo shoots. You also get wireless transfer 🚠 between your phone and the camera. It has enough settings to play with but not to many unnecessary to be submerged with.. The advantage is the bigger sensor indeed, but also the interchangeable lenses.
Lenses
At Foodetective, we shoot with the Canon ecosystem but every cameras are more or less the same ! We recommend shooting with a 50 mm 1.8 from Canon ( only $125 !, the 50 mm1.8G from Nikon is $216). As you read in the article from last week, an aperture of ƒ1.8 to ƒ2.8 will enable you to have “burr” in the picture. With a relatively inexpensive lens you can take pictures that look professional ! 👌 They are called prime lens because they only have one focal length ( 50 mm in this case) and are considered to be sharper. In addition, with the other 18–55 mm lens you’ll be able to get great wide shots of the table and dishes. In other words… YOU’RE ALL SET ! 🙆
Accessories
So you have your camera + two lenses ( 50 mm and 18–55mm ). You also need an SD card, obviously… You might already have one laying at home and that’s perfect. Otherwise, consider the San Disk 16 GB Extreme. It’s only $12 and has sufficient space to store all you wonderful pictures ! 🖼
I don’t necessarily recommend a tripod as it can be cumbersome to carry around especially in restaurants. It’s really not a must for us here 💁.
Consider having an SD card reader if your computer doesn’t have one… (Thank you apple, because “Courage”)
There is also an SD Card reader for iPhones/iPad. Useful, when on the go. ( https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MJYT2AM/A/lightning-to-sd-card-camera-reader ).
For Android phones — Micro USB and USB C ( https://www.brack.ch/fr/lmp-card-reader-extern-16067-551382?origin=pla&keyword_id&remote_ad_id&matchtype&pla_target_id=470807153914&creative_id=269230025212&keyword=&productid=551382&__gclid__& ).
Remember to shoot as much as possible near a natural light source (Window) and you pictures will be 🔥🔥 !
Thank you for taking the time to read these articles ! 💌 (Let me know how I can help on something — photography related — in the comments ! )
By registering on Foodetective, you’ll become two things: Smarter than the guys next you (unless he’s registered) and the person that people like to hang out with when looking for restaurants, bars and secret spots. (I’m just saying).
