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Digital Food Photography

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Author: Lou Manna
Publisher: Course Technology PTR
Category: Book

List Price: ~~$39.99~~
Buy New: $26.39
You Save: $13.60 (34%)

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Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

35 reviews
Sales Rank: 20713

Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Pages: 312
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.8
Dimensions (in): 9 x 7.3 x 0.9

ISBN: 1592008208
Dewey Decimal Number: 778.99641
UPC: 082039508207
EAN: 9781592008209
ASIN: 1592008208

Publication Date: August 1, 2005
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
Great food always elicits strong reactions-the smell of freshly baked bread, the taste of a perfectly prepared steak. The job of a food photographer is to elicit that same mouth-watering reaction, but without the benefit of scent or taste. A well-shot photograph can send crowds flocking to a new restaurant or boost the sales of a culinary magazine. Capturing the perfect image requires a trained eye, finesse, and photographic skill. Digital Food Photography gives you the ingredients to cook up your own recipe for success-with professional lighting techniques, composition, food and prop styling, retouching, and tricks of the trade. You'll learn how digital photography combines teamwork, creativity, and technology, and how to make money creating delectable works of photographic art.

Customer Reviews: Read 30 more reviews...

2 out of 5 stars

Somewhat disappointed October 6, 2005
B.T. (Sydney, Australia)
21 out of 24 found this review helpful

I am a professional photographer, and I was greatly looking forward to receiving this book.

I was hoping to get some detailed information on lighting techniques, specifically for food. The additional sections on food and prop styling were handy extras.

What I did get was a nice easy read, and some useful tidbits of information that I can use. Some of the sections on Photoshop were useful (and would be more-so for serious amateurs and up).

What I wasn't expecting and was very disappointed with, were the large chunks of the text dealing with the relationship between ISO, aperture, and shutter. Come-on! This should be a book about digital food photography. Anyone who doesn't know about the basic photographic relationships should be reading a book on basic photography. There were other parts of the book that likewise contained very basic general knowledge I would not expect in a specific book.

Additionally, much spaced was used as almost a portfolio for Lou Manna rather than providing useful information. He does have some beautiful work, but that is not what I was paying for.

All in all, I was disappointed with this book, although it was not a total waste, especially if you were just wanting to get into professional photography.

5 out of 5 stars

Lou is Right - His heart and soul are in there! December 9, 2005
flowered-up (Bloomfield, NJ USA)
16 out of 18 found this review helpful

I highly recommend this book, and I'll tell you exactly who this book is for -- it's for me. I am a semi-professional photographer who is still learning, and trying to step up to the next level shooting full-time. I shoot still-life photography, with many of my images containing food and other organic subjects.

This is the most comprehensive digital food photography book available today. I have looked high and low, and this one book covers more material, in an accessible format for any level of photographer, in a style that is warm and generous of information.

But most importantly, here is what I specifically liked best -- information that is not just hanging around out there:

- Lou reveals many tips and tricks about "food magic" and styling, the oh so important starting point for any food shot.

- He also discusses the importance of the teamwork between prop stylist, food stylist, photographer and client -- they all make the shot.

- He gives an informative overview of the industries that support food photography, from print to packaging to advertising uses.

- His explanation of digital photography equipment, and digital workflow are VERY appropriate to anyone who wants a thorough understanding of the minimum information you'll need to get great results. I am a knowledgable photographer, but I appreciated that he did not take for granted that everyone works in the same manner, and sharing what works for him answered my question, "how'd he do that?"

- MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE part of the book is his section on COMPOSITION -- this alone makes the book worth it's salt. He gives many examples of a play-by-play sequence of shots that lead him to the final image. Not surprising is that the first frame is usually what the client requested. But as Lou experiments and collaborates with his prop and food stylists, a really solid and beautiful shot materializes. I can't thank him enough for sharing this level of insight -- it is invaluable.

- And additional sections that are well presented include lighting (great ideas for photographers on different budgets & many sample set-ups you should try to see what works best for your subject and style); digital retouching techniques that enhance the work and don't overwhelm it (Lou reminds us that our ultimate job is to make the food look appealing); and data organization and storage which is a real concern once you have built a library of images.

- Lastly, it's truly amazing the results he gets from his 8mp Olympus. Just goes to show you don't have to have a Megalo-Canon camera to get the job done, and to create beautiful images as Lou does.

Overall, this book is comprehensive, well-organized, in good sequence, with ample real-world examples of shooting for various types of clients.

What I learned most from this book is that Lou truly loves what he does, and he really emphasizes experimentation and pushing the shot -- even benefitting from happy accidents that occur while shooting. This is what makes me want to shoot!

I had the pleasure of meeting Lou at the Photo Plus Expo in New York this year, and he is a very warm and open person, willing to share detailed information which I think is just wonderful.

I will definitely check out his workshops to get more hands-on insight into the world of food photography.

5 out of 5 stars

This is the only food photography bible you will need January 4, 2006
Matt (Boston)
15 out of 16 found this review helpful

I have been working with a fantastic commerical photographer in boston for the past year and a half who shoots food regularly. I have since decided to pursue food photography as a career. I've been looking for a 'text book' to help me pull together everything i've learned...finally, I've found it.

Manna's book is like going to food photography school. Reading every chapter made me relive my entire experience working on set: dealing with art directors, clients and food stylists....understanding complex lighting situations, camera angles, stand-ins...understanding the importance of post-production and how to digitally get the results needed.

Shooting food is one of the most difficult work experiences for a photographer, and manna has broken it down so even the novice can become successful. Kudos to him for explaining the process in such a concise and clear cut manner.

For those who have never had hands-on experience, make not mistake...he brings you through the entire process....you'll be in the trenches the entire way.

If I could give more stars, I would.

3 out of 5 stars

Beginning Food Photography October 7, 2005
Pinwheel Photography (Louisville, KY USA)
13 out of 14 found this review helpful

I was a little dissapointed in the content of Digital Food Photography. The book, layed out in textbook style, is a little basic for the complexity of the subject. Mr. Manna spends too much time on the "old days" and takes too long to dive in to the meat of food photography. It would have been helpful to show specs of each shot; ie camera, lights, exposure, etc. Instead there is a lighting 101 class in the book that does little for the example shots shown. Overall though it's a great book to add to your basic arsenal of photography books.

5 out of 5 stars

The Dirty Tricks that Clean the Plate! January 25, 2007
Robert Barnwell (Johnson City, Tennessee)
11 out of 13 found this review helpful

Okay, when you were a kid playing video games, were you a purist or did you love learning the cheat codes right off the bat? When you read a mystery, do you read as you should or do you ever flip ahead to preview what happens next and how the story ends?

If you went with the second option in either of the above than this is the food photography book you've been waiting for. Sure, some define the techniques here as cheating. I personally define them as smart.

Soapy water to make coffee look fresh, mashed potatoes in the cherry pie to make the cherries stay in place under the lights and glue those sesame seeds down baby! You can use these techniques and spend a few minutes with a camera, or not use them and spend a couple hours or days in Photoshop. (Actually, that's an exaggeration. You will have to spend time in Photoshop either way, but at least you can get a step ahead with these technique.)

So I say bring on the dirty tricks and thank you, Mister Manna!

food food photography food styling photography photography book

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