Need tips for photographing food...

Can anyone offer some tips for photograhing food?

What lens is best, lighting tips, or anything else you can think of would be great.

I really like this photographers work!

http://www.loumanna.co​m …t=1&pi=10000&p=​3&a=0&at=0

You'll probably want a faster lens, especially if you're going to be using natural light (if so don't forget to use a bounce of some sort) so that you can shoot at a low ISO.
Also you might want to consider bringing some food stylist tools (google the term food stylist) such as a small blow torch to sort of singe or burn the edges meats, a few paint brushes (you'll want to get decent ones, the cheap ones drop hairs very easily when used with heat and syrupy mediums),a couple of artist's pallet knives for pushing bits of cake or looser foods into position, corn syrup or glycerin to keep that fresh off the stove and juicy look, tweezers, a bit of brown shoe polish for getting a more consistent color on meats , lint free towels for shining the edges of plates, silverware, glassware etc. a tiny vacuum like the kind for computer keyboards and such for crumbs etc., a spritzer bottle with water and glycerin mixed to add water droplets on glasses of liquids that will be i your shots. Remember to change out things that change over time, like bits of vegetable that become too limp or ice cubes that begin to melt, you want to give the impression that you snapped the image just as the food hit the table, though there will be a good bit of prep going into each shot. With food photography there is really a lot of work that goes on before you take the capture. This is almost like with model photography, hair make-up, and wardrobe all need to be just so before you even begin shooting. Don't feel rushed, if they want good images they will let you do your thing. Make the food look perfect first, then shoot it.
Above all, make sure you eat fairly well before you go, unless they are going to feed you, and tell them that you would like to eat first , just so you don't have to stare at all this great food all day on an empty stomach, and have fun.
Good luck! And be sure to post a few of the shoot here for us to see when you get done.

Hi Digital Zen ... your response is very interesting.. is there any website / book you would recommend for the rest of us to learn food styling for photography? Your reply will be very much appreciated.

Digital_zen wrote in post #8635190
You'll probably want a faster lens, especially if you're going to be using natural light (if so don't forget to use a bounce of some sort) so that you can shoot at a low ISO.
Also you might want to consider bringing some food stylist tools (google the term food stylist) such as a small blow torch to sort of singe or burn the edges meats, a few paint brushes (you'll want to get decent ones, the cheap ones drop hairs very easily when used with heat and syrupy mediums),a couple of artist's pallet knives for pushing bits of cake or looser foods into position, corn syrup or glycerin to keep that fresh off the stove and juicy look, tweezers, a bit of brown shoe polish for getting a more consistent color on meats , lint free towels for shining the edges of plates, silverware, glassware etc. a tiny vacuum like the kind for computer keyboards and such for crumbs etc., a spritzer bottle with water and glycerin mixed to add water droplets on glasses of liquids that will be i your shots. Remember to change out things that change over time, like bits of vegetable that become too limp or ice cubes that begin to melt, you want to give the impression that you snapped the image just as the food hit the table, though there will be a good bit of prep going into each shot. With food photography there is really a lot of work that goes on before you take the capture. This is almost like with model photography, hair make-up, and wardrobe all need to be just so before you even begin shooting. Don't feel rushed, if they want good images they will let you do your thing. Make the food look perfect first, then shoot it.
Above all, make sure you eat fairly well before you go, unless they are going to feed you, and tell them that you would like to eat first , just so you don't have to stare at all this great food all day on an empty stomach, and have fun.
Good luck! And be sure to post a few of the shoot here for us to see when you get done.

PineCone wrote in post #8693621
Hi Digital Zen ... your response is very interesting.. is there any website / book you would recommend for the rest of us to learn food styling for photography? Your reply will be very much appreciated.

The guy linked in the first post seems to have written a book (http://www.digitalfood​photos.com/) and the blog also has some tips: http://www.digitalfood​photos.com/blog/ .

But shoe polish? Ugh.. I'll never look any food photo the same way I used to, I'm sure...

Food links...