How to Shoot Bread, Bread and More Bread
Thursday, September 9, 2010 at 3:56PM posted by Mye
I used to fear bread.
Back when I was starting out food photography, I really thought bread was a piece of cake (no pun intended.) It really looked so simple.
So I went to Breadtalk, got myself a tray, basked in the aroma of freshly baked goodness and spent a fortune buying what was supposed to be my masterpiece for that day. I proudly went home with that bread bag in my hands!
Then things turned really awful as I opened the bag and watched the disaster unfold. All the bread looked distorted. Some had their toppings falling off the plastic. You know the feeling when you walk inside a toilet and upon seeing the toilet bowl's lid closed you open it and find that big blob of brown inside, that's how I felt when I openned the bread bag. I then realized my one big mistake, I failed to tell the staff that I wanted the pastries wrapped in such a way that they wouldn't lose their original shape. Luckily I got one piece intact. It was a bear-shaped bun with some thin chocolate icing forming the shape of its eyes, nose and mouth.
To my horror, that one last surviving piece looked horrible in the camera. The icing was falling off on one side and it looked like a bear's bleeding head instead.
I guess I was traumatized by that day because I refused to shoot bread since. It was only recently when I was called for a new project for Bizu Patisserie that I decided to face my fear of bread. Three things I kept in mind for this shoot:
1) Never shoot bread alone unless the client wants it that way
Sadly, shooting bread on it's own will make it look like a thigh with a lot of cellulites2. It's always better to shoot bread in groups that way you can experiment and match different shapes together.
Istock would love this! Sadly Bizu won't allow me to upload this there!3) Unless you're using the shot as stock, shoot bread with only one light for a more dramatic mood
Bread will always have one predominant color, golden brown, which is why a low-key one light effect would give it more depth and emphasize its beautiful textures. Fit the light with a softbox and prop it on one side. Remember to add a reflector on the other side for a soft fill light. Lastly, don't forget to use a dark baseboard to fill the gaps and spaces in between.
It took me around 15 to 20 minutes to style this shot. It actually felt like piecing together a jigsaw puzzle!
A big thank you to all who still visit our blog from time to time. I promise to post more tips and shoots regularly. I was too busy for the past few months, but I will definitely start updating this blog again!
Reader Comments (9)
I love the last shot! Learned a lot from this entry!
I'm a fan of your works Ms. Mye ^_^
Thank you for the tips, I'm not a pro at photography
but I love taking pictures of food.
I have attempted some bread for textures but never a 'bread' shot as the star. I guess its a little intimidating for me too. Thanks for the post and the information. I may have to try a bread shot now.
I love the one with the white background, the 'triangle' of bread draws my eye in.
@ Iris Lyn: thank you so much Iris. I hope you continue to read our posts!
@Khang: You are very welcome and thank you very much for the support!
@Tlemetry: Thanks! That shot looks more like a stock photo, but I am glad you liked it! Keep shooting!;)
Accidentally landed in your blog through your portfolio site. Loved your food photoraphs. I saved some for reference when I style food. I will inform you when I post inspired pictures. I was curious to know whether you have styled and photographed Indian food. I find curries, gravies rather difficult to photograph. If you could offer some tips it would be great.
Thank you so much for this informative post. I will be back for more.
"You know the feeling when you walk inside a toilet and upon seeing the toilet bowl's lid closed you open it and find that big blob of brown inside, that's how I felt when I openned the bread bag. "
Haha Mye, this is an epic way to describe your emotions that time.
Mye! I'm a fan! If ever you'll teach food photog, I will surely sign up. ;) Excited for the next blog entries!
Sunshinemom: Sure, I actually have a photo of chinese crab curry, but the feel was very much chinese with bamboo floorboards. I think the best way to work with curry is to match the color scheme of orange & brown. Try styling props that look more organic like a darker shade of green and magenta. Some distressed wood may add a good effect too. Thank you so much! I do hope you could post some of your inspired photos in our fan page:D http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Manila-Philippines/PhotoKitchen-Food-Photography/357549551761?ref=ts! Keep u posted!
@Jerboa: HAHAHA it was actually dwight's idea, but I put it in writing.
@Ching: Thanks so much Ching! Will keep you posted! Hope you can share our fanpage with your friends!
We are tibia gold Seller,You can buy cheap tibia gold,tibia money,tibia item,tibia leveling and tibia account from us.
We provide an unparallel value-adding 24-hour customer service, guaranteed transactional security and cheapest tibia gold prices to allow you to skip the hours upon hours of repetitive boredom necessary to collect the tibia gp needed.It’s our pleasure to deliver the highest quality customer service.
Meanwhile, for the financial crisis, price of all products on our site have been updated for a cheapest tibia gold price.
We meticulously avoid practices that may have a negative impact on the game play. You can definitely purchase anything from our website with 100% confidence that you won’t lose your money for nothing! If we happened unfortunatly to be short of tibia money stock and can't make the delivery, we'll issue you a full refund immediately! You can count on my words!
Besides that, we esteem your privacy and works hard to safeguard the privacy of your personal information.
What are you still waiting for ? let’s feel the exciting space together immediately,buy cheapest tibia gp now!
武汉婚纱摄影