“Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Come join us. Life is so endlessly delicious” - Ruth Reichl
■ Learn to take great food and drink shots without the luxury of working with a food & wine stylist
■ Focus on the right gear, including smartphones, on the best cameras, lenses and set ups
■ Look at food provenance & preparation, the light, colour, backgrounds, props & using motion in your images
■ Case examples from the great food regions from the world - Indian, Vietnamese, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Western, wineries, distilleries & more
■ Tips and tricks for great food & drink images
■ 10 creative projects to enhance your food & drink photography portfolio
■ Best ways to edit and export your images
GENERAL PRINCIPLES
■ INTRODUCTION - what the food & drink photography course is all about
■ HOW THIS COURSE WORKS - study - read the notes | assignments - do the practical projects | critique - submit 10 images for critique | certificate - receive your certificate of completion | social media community - join our photography space group on facebook & instagram
■ GENERAL CAMERA GEAR - full frame dslr cameras | cropped sensor dslr | prime & zoom lenses | quality compacts | mirrorless cameras | bridge & hybrid cameras | medium format cameras | smartphones | speedlite flash units | supplementary lighting | off camera lighting | tripods, monopods & gorillapods | filters | batteries, memory cards & backup | cleaning your gear | camera bags | gear for food & drink | tips & tricks | summary | recommended gear
■ STUDIO CAMERA GEAR - fixed studio set ups | portable mini studio set ups | continuous lighting | studio flash units | on camera flash units | soft boxes & brollies | panel reflectors | tips & tricks | summary | recommended gear
■ CAMERA HANDLING - shooting modes | raw vs jpeg | metering modes | colour space | focusing modes | white balance | iso | picture style & control | exposure lock compensation & bracketing | adding light into shadows | high dynamic range (hdr) | using flash | tethering | tips & tricks | summary
■ LIGHTING - types | how to use light | natural light | white balance | time the light | tips & tricks | summary | recommended gear
■ COMPOSITION - backgrounds | props | styling kit | what angles work best | leading & converging lines | the rule of thirds | framing an image | reflections | odd & even numbers | colour | focusing on detail | showing motion | viewpoint | point of view (pov) | selective focus | recurring patterns | fresh & simple | vertical vs horizontal | aspect ratio | the end result | tips & tricks | summary | compositional aids
POPULAR FOOD & DRINK THEMES TO SHOOT
■ TRAVEL - introduction | where to go | when to go | how to go | what to shoot | accessories | food provenance | on location | street etiquette | be adaptable | back up & storage | auto smartphone back up | workflow on the road | upon return | vietnam in focus | kerala in focus | scotland in focus | japan in focus | greece in focus | padstow in focus | tips & tricks | summary | recommended gear
■ WEDDINGS - overview | cameras lenses & bags | essential details | a casual wedding in focus | a formal wedding in focus | tips & tricks | summary | recommended gear
■ PARTIES & EVENTS - overview | product placement | dinner evenings | street festivals | birthday parties | food & drink festivals | tips & tricks | summary | recommended gear
■ FOOD, DRINKS & LIFESTYLE - overview | margaret river | wineries in focus | cruising | desserts in focus | pizza in focus | tips & tricks | summary | recommended gear
■ BUSINESS & COMMERCIAL - shooting commercially | shooting for business | product photography | world expeditions in focus | my kitchen rules in focus | blogging & social media | tips & tricks | summary | recommended gear
■ SMARTPHONES & WIFI - introduction | smartphone models | lens systems | clamps | wifi cameras | iphone apps | android apps | commercial applications | social media | tips & tricks | summary | recommended gear
EDITING, PROJECTS & MORE
■ BACKUP, EDITING, SHOWCASING & UPLOAD - auto smartphone backup | home & office backup | basics of editing | editing in lightroom | output from lightroom | colour balance | transferring files - hardware | uploading files - wireless | showcasing your images | social media | selling online | photo books & frames | photos as a print medium | tips & tricks | summary | recommended gear
■ ISSUES & COMMON ERRORS - common mistakes | photos are not sharp | rotational perspective | barrel distortion | dirty sensor, filter or lens | wrong lens | unwanted reflections | slanted horizons | excess clutter & unbalanced | digital noise | over tilting | incorrect colour balance | lurid colour & hdr | tips & tricks | summary
■ 10 FOOD & DRINK PROJECTS - light | styling | recurring patterns | natural & complimentary colours | provenance | reflections | adding motion | creative angles | showing lifestyle | incorporating humour
■ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs) - why do a photography space course | benefits | tutor support | accreditation | background needed | certificate | computer skills | course style | course cost | online social network club | FAQ hotline
■ RESOURCES - camera & studio gear at good prices | nikon & canon field guide & support | studio & interior lighting equipment | tripods | camera bags | retail outlets & processing labs | camera & lens tests | camera magazines | photography books | inspirational business books | indesign & lightroom tutorials | interesting photography websites | digital albums & services | photo sharing | creating smaller pdf files | photography tours
■ GLOSSARY - the a to z guide to all things photographic
■ ABOUT THE AUTHORS - serena pearce code lime photography | andrew thomasson focus 10 photography
■ This course is suitable for amateurs to serious semi pro photographers alike - the course is very comprehensive
■ Whilst it's advantageous to have some background photography knowledge, the course is very detailed with easy to understand, step by step procedures to teach you every facet of camera handling skills and composition, lighting and a myriad of other techniques to become a competent food and drink photographer
■ What is important is to have good camera gear, a cheap $500 DLSR and your smartphone is capable of taking great food and drink photographs. If you are shooting professionally, you need camera gear that reflects your commitment and professionalism to your craft and a bag of quality camera gear does just that
■ Any full or cropped frame DSLR camera or mirrorless camera is ideal. Full frame cameras with their bigger sensors will give better results in certain situations. For this course one DLSR / mirrorless camera is sufficient. For professional shoots, you need a back up camera in case of equipment failure
■ We also suggest you have a quality compact with macro capability such as a Sony RX100, Lumix LX100, Yashica, Fuji or equivalent. Quality compacts with accurate colour rendition are great food cameras!
■ The two main lenses in a food and drink photographers camera bag would be a 24-70mm and a 70-200mm (preferably on its own dedicated full frame camera body). A wide angle such as a 16-35mm can be useful for restaurant & venue shots, a telephoto lens eg. 70-300mm or a mid range lens (eg 24-105mm or a 24-120mm) are useful. A macro lens such as a 60mm or a 100mm are essential for pro work
■ At least one external on-camera flash unit is essential to do this course
■ We highly recommend you have a quality smartphone with at least one optical zoom lens. They are great for air dropping samples of the shoot to the restauranteur or food trucker and are capable of taking a great food and drink shots in their own right. They are perfect for instant posting and blogging on social media sites
■ A sturdy tripod, U/V, polarising filters and a 5-in-1 reflector (a 42" one is a good size) and other reflectors of various sizes (ie pieces of styrofoam or white card)
Food & Drink Photography Course - $190 (35% discount - reduced from $290)
If you prefer to pay via Direct Deposit, please complete the information below. Submit the form and look for the confirmation and payment instructions via email. Once we have received your payment we will email you a link to download the online photography course. We will send this through WeTransfer and it may take up to 24 hours but we want to ensure these large print and screen PDF's are of the highest quality
Our courses are practical and fun with lots of tips and tricks, case studies and amazing images to inspire you
We share our experiences as working generalist photographers - lots of advice and recommendations with less jargon
Our courses are suitable for all camera types - full and cropped frame DSLR's, mirrorless, quality compacts, smartphones and drones
We are here to share our combined experience of 40 years as working professional photographers and educators with you