How to Photograph Food: Tips From a Pro

Maintaining a food blog has it’s perks: it’s an excuse to cook and eat great food (as if an excuse was needed), try out new recipes, and share kitchen tips and insights with other food-lovers. But, believe it or not, writing a food blog has its challenges.

Image courtesy of Gabrielle Geiselman

One of the biggest challenges I encounter – and I’m not alone – is taking great-looking photos of the food I cook. If it’s not bad lighting, then it’s poor staging or monochromatic food (which might taste great, but just doesn’t look that appetizing). Hoping to improve my food photo skills, I began following several accomplished food bloggers and photographers on Instagram – ‘grammers whose photo feeds overflowed with amazing-looking dishes and cocktails.

One of the best, in my opinion, is photographer Gabrielle Geiselman.

A close collaborator with food blogger and cookbook author Joy Wilson (also known as Joy the Baker), Geiselman’s feed is peppered with images of scrumptious-looking baked goods, sexy cocktails, and gorgeous shots of the Irish Channel, the particular district in New Orleans she calls home.

I’ve admired Geiselman’s photography for a while, and on whim reached out to her via email to see if she would share some tricks of the trade with an aspiring food blogger. She obliged, and generously offered a smorgasborg of tips, musings and candor.

Image courtesy of Gabrielle Geiselman

I was struck by how important a sense of place is to Geiselman – she takes photos in both New Orleans and Los Angeles (I doubt two cities could be more different from each other than these two). Both cities not only serve as the subjects of so many of her photos, but their “spirits” all but embody her work. Her photos, particularly those from Mardi Gras, can be boozy, sweaty and hangover-inducing – or light and delicate, like a pillowy meringue or lemon curd.

I could go on… but instead, I’ll let you read about Gabrielle in her own words – enjoy!

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O&M: How long have you been taking photos?

Geiselman: I got my first camera when I was 12. I shot for two years and then didn’t come back to it until I was 22 and embarking on a trip to India for college.

O&M: You live in New Orleans, but do you also spend time in LA? Those are such different cities – your photography must pick up on that. What’s it like taking photos in such different places with such different people?

Geiselman: Well, I spend the lion’s share of my time now in New Orleans but do still work in Los Angeles often. I like the juxtaposition of the two cities and their energies: Los Angeles is tough, fast and constantly pushing. If there is an ease to that city, it’s not one that I sense. It pushes me harder, inspires me and is full of wildly interesting, diverse people who always have some project to collaborate on. But I find after a few weeks I REALLY miss the ease of New Orleans. I’m consistently drawn back to the slow seep of humid mornings and rainy afternoons on my porch. It gives me the time to let all those racing thoughts I have in Los Angeles get a little breathing room. It’s also a much more family-centric vibe for me: crawfish and BBQ’s, long runs in the park and waking to the sunlight cracking through my old cypress shutters. There is an undeniable familiarity for me here, and it makes it safe to try new things.

Image courtesy of Gabrielle Geiselman

O&M: Your portfolio includes fashion photography, portraits, photographs of musicians, and of food. Do you have a favorite subject to photograph?

Geiselman: No. For many years I couldn’t imagine shooting anything other than music. It was in my blood. It was WHO I was. I grew up on Ike and Tina Turner and old Rod Stewart – those albums were my babysitters when I would stay with my dad. My first concert was AC/DC (Yeah, thank God for my older brother’s taste in music), and so becoming a live Rock photographer just seemed natural. As I got a little older, my other influences, especially fashion, took center stage. I also became very close with Sheri Bodell who is undoubtedly one of the most brilliant fashion designers in the business. That relationship really helped me flourish and take on skills I would not have had a chance to experience with Rock ‘n Roll. Most recently, shooting food came out of not only coming back to New Orleans and being SO inspired by what everyone here is doing, but also out of my own interest in cooking and recipe development. I’ve been very inspired by my two dear friends Jessica Bride and Joy Wilson. Working with them has opened up a whole word of styling and shooting that has been really thrilling.

Image courtesy of Gabrielle Geiselman

O&M: Do you take a similar approach to photographing fashion or doing portraits as you do to photographing food? If not, what’s the difference?
 
Geiselman: The primary difference is light. I rarely use artificial light in food photography. I use strobes and flash all the time in my other work, but I find that using reflectors and ambient light with food works best for me. I also allow myself to be a lot more swayed by subject matter with food – maybe it’s because I’m still fairly new at it, but I find that there is a lot more latitude to push what I see with food. When I’m working with portraits, someone comes to the table with who they are and usually the magazine or label comes to the table with needs. Then I’m forced to find that perfect moment of falling in love between the two. With food I feel a little more freedom.

O&M: What’s your favorite type of food and/or drink to photograph?

Image courtesy of Gabrielle Geiselman

Geiselman: I do love shooting cocktails. They are fun to style – of course, champagne is fabulous.

O&M: What do you look for in food or drink when you photograph it?

Geiselman: Texture and a way to light it to create drama. Irrespective of if it is a high key shot or something stark and dark, I’m always looking for the drama, the edge.

O&M: How do you get your shots to look so good? The colors so vivid, the contrasts and shadows so perfect? (Million dollar question, right?)

Geiselman: I do a LOT in-camera. I never will be able to understand when people refuse to shoot on manual – especially now! When I got started it was film and all manual. I have presets for color and some minor adjustments in the contrast department, but am still shooting manually ALWAYS. Also, shoot in RAW people! I recently saw a very well known photographer turn in .jpegs as deliverables to be edited for a job where I was one of the shooters. That just ties the hands of the editor. Raw images have SO much more information in the file allowing one to really have a lot of latitude. I also edit all of my images myself and find that with food photography in particular, Lightroom has been my best friend. And truth be told, I shoot much of my Instagram with my iPhone 6 and edit with Camera+.

Image courtesy of Gabrielle Geiselman

O&M: What’s the best time of day to photograph food?

Geiselman: It depends on where you live. I live on a corner, facing downtown, so for me the best time is the morning or late afternoon. Hazy or cloudy days are my VERY favorite. That’s one of the things that makes New Orleans so magical – we have constant “God Light,” that diffused, beautiful, warm light, and I adore it. I’m always chasing that!

O&M: Best location?
 
Geiselman: My Studio in the Irish Channel.

O&M: Tips on angles you should take when photographing a dish?
 
Geiselman: It really depends on the dish and it depends on the light. Right now, obviously overhead shots are really popular. I will usually shoot things from five or six different perspectives. It’s like anything else that is intuitive, it often takes a few attempts to find the “pocket” of the shot, but when you are in it, you just know.

Image Courtesy of Gabrielle Geiselman

O&M: If you could critique what you see on many other food blogs and offer advice on something they’re constantly missing, or doing wrong, what would it be?

Geiselman: I think there is beauty in chaos. My eye gets exhausted by LOTS of props, or things in the shot that just simply don’t belong there (here’s a tip from my friend Jessica Bride: “if it isn’t in the recipe get it off your plate”). These types of shots just start to feel cookie-cutter, cluttered for the sake of looking “styled,” and in the end they seem to lack focus. Working with Joy and Jessica, I have learned a lot about the power of effortless chic, and let me tell you – it’s not so effortless. Often, I think its just one of those things you’ve got or you don’t.

O&M: Should food bloggers us their iPhones or real cameras?

Image courtesy of Gabrielle Geiselman

Geiselman: I’m torn on this. I use both myself, but must admit sometimes using my phone just seems like cheating. My phone doesn’t have the ability to sense light or deal with shadow the way my camera does. But with that said, I love using my phone like a Polaroid. When I started, we pulled Polaroids a lot to get a sense of an image, and I like using my phone for that. But if I have the time, I’m always going to reach for my camera.

O&M: What do you use?
 
Geiselman: I have never shot a frame that didn’t come from a Canon. I’m diehard. The glass is tack sharp and the fastest out there. When I die, I want to be buried with my 50MM. I currently shoot a 5D MKII with either my 50MM 1.2 or my 24-70 2.8 both L lenses.

O&M: When staging a shot, what should a person look for?

Geiselman: Color, light, texture and drama. Drama comes in so many forms, it’s difficult to quantify.

O&M: In addition to taking photos, you cook yourself. What are your favorite dishes to make, favorite cocktails to mix up?
 
Geiselman: I love making very rustic, local stuff, and its what I always return to. Steak, rice and gravy in the winter months with a cold Abita Amber. During the summer, I’m all about the BBQ. I actually make my own BBQ sauce in the middle of the night when I can’t sleep. I love champagne with a little St. Germain and meyer lemon during the warmer months.

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Hungry for more? Check out Gabrielle on Instagram at @gabriellegeiselman.

Image courtesy of Gabrielle Geiselman