photo by Dorota Domino
When everyone is wondering why Christmas accessories appear in stores as early as September, food and grocery photographers are rubbing their hands and already rushing to find the right accessories. I laugh that these early Christmas sales are dedicated to us. Clients need photos in the Christmas climate, usually long before December, and such shots happen as early as July. Okay, but how do you capture that festive mood in your culinary photos?
Christmas models
The main character of cooking pictures is food. Therefore, it would be ideal if the dish itself was already festive. Dumplings, rings, winter teas, cakes, gingerbread, fish and Christmas dinners. The very atmosphere of the dish helps to create the overall atmosphere of the photo. Then for decoration we can use the actual ingredients used-cinnamon, anise, rosemary, mushrooms or poppy seeds. It is ideal to use as accessories exactly what is actually in this dish.
photo by Dorota Domino
Of course, we don't always influence what we photograph. However, this does not mean that it is impossible to take a Christmas photo of, for example, a hamburger. Anything is possible! How else can we add this winter climate to our photos?
Choosing the right background and accessories
We start by determining whether the photo should be in a dark, dark atmosphere that is very popular with the holidays, or in a bright one that resembles winter and snow. In the first case, boards or dark green or dark blue backgrounds and black or dark brown dishes are perfect as a background, in the second case it can be light wood, white marble or light blue backgrounds. Bright plates made of beautiful ceramics will suit here, and those with festive patterns will also be great.
Then let's think about what holiday colors – and immediately come to mind mostly red, green, zloty and silver. These are the supplements we can use. Fresh cranberries, oranges, or spruce or fir branches plucked from under the house will be ideal, which will lie in the corner of the photo or create the first blurry plan. He can also put them on a napkin as a table decoration. Let's go shopping in one of the chains, where stars, reindeer, gingerbread, red and green napkins, mini – Christmas trees will be waiting for us. You can use artificial snow, trinkets, or cups in patterns.
However, the key point is – what may be the most difficult thing for novice photographers-moderation. Let's choose some side dishes that match the dish, don't cover the dishes in Santa Claus and elves. Always, no matter what dish we photograph, she should be the main character! Let's take a look at the finished photo and think about what focuses our eyes first. If it's not a dish,something went wrong here. First, it is better to start with a minimum amount of supplements, sometimes really less is more.
photo by Dorota Domino
Lights, lights-or how to get a bokeh effect?
That is, what gives holiday photos a wow effect, that wonderful three-dimensionality and magic that we are looking for here. Not all photos will need them, sometimes they don't fit the concept, but we'll use them quite often. They are best suited for photos taken from the front, although they can also be used for flatlay.
Which lamps should I choose? As small as possible, on a very thin, almost invisible wire. These are usually the cheapest bulbs you'll get at Pepco or Action. Monophonic, white or yellowish colors are best suited. Large, colorful, and especially those that have different shapes can give our photo a kitsch character, but there are also sessions where this effect is desirable.
When shooting with lights, we usually aim to get a bokeh effect, i.e. blur these lights in the background. We can get this by opening the camera's aperture very much. The absolute minimum is f / 5, and we'll get more bokeh at f / 1.2 – f / 4, but then we'll have to be careful not to lose the main character's focus. If we find it difficult to get a blur at the aperture around f / 5, it's best to take 2 photos – one with a more open aperture, the other with a more closed one, so that the dish is clearer. Then you can combine them into a single photo in Photoshop.
The aperture is one thing, but the location of the lamps is also very important. We set the indicators either as far away from the camera as possible, or very close to the lens. You can combine both of these treatments. By keeping the glare close to the lens, you'll get a blurring effect in the foreground, such as in the corner of the photo. More popular is showing blurry background lights. To do this, we hang them on the background (here plasticine rubber bands are good for holding them), and the table on which we take photos is moved quite far from the background. We also set the hero of the photo as far away from the lights as possible – so the focus will be on the dish or drink, and the background with the lights will be blurred.
The effect of visible, fuzzy lights will be much better visible on a dark background. That's why these most atmospheric Christmas photos tend to be in the darkmood vibe. It is also good to cover this background, on which we have hanging lamps, on the side of the light source with black cardboard, which will absorb shadows.
We also find it easiest to get the effect of fuzzy lights in daylight or when using a continuous light bulb. Flash can reduce blur, although it is possible, but requires slightly larger combinations. Then you need to remember that the back of the photo is slightly hidden from the lamp, and only illuminate the hero with it. The flash may conflict with the light of the lamps, which will lead to the fact that we do not get this beautiful blur effect.
How to use lights on flat photos? Here we have two options. The first is to bring the light close to the lens and get a blur in the foreground. However, we can also get a background blur. To do this, the dish should stand on a raised platform, for example, on a tray with a high leg or hold in your hand, and the lamps should lie on a photographic background. Here it will be more difficult for us to get a perfect blur, because the distance between the main character and the lights will be smaller. However, it's worth combining and playing with these effects!
Clothing for photos
If we take photos with a human element-a visible figure, a hand, etc. Remember to wear the right clothes. Sweaters (even red, green, or festive patterns!), elegant dresses, and cute aprons are perfect here (especially if we show you the cooking steps). This is the moment when you can go crazy with a cool manicure or put your hands in thick gloves that will "hug" a cup of tea.
And finally, the atmosphere!
Finally, let's take another look at our scene and photo and think about what feelings arise inside of us. Holiday photos are designed to evoke a typically warm, idyllic, or elegant atmosphere. They don't have to go to kitsch (and this border is sometimes very thin). If we are photographing a Christmas gingerbread, then looking at its picture, we should almost smell the spicy spices (maybe this cinnamon stick placed next to it does it?).
Personally, I love Christmas photos, making them brings me great joy and brings a good mood. Try it and you!
Junior specialist in Marketing Communications and PR.
He is a graduate of the University of Warsaw and the Main School of Agriculture. We have been in the HoReCa industry for more than 10 years. For many years, he has been associated with the Trip group, Sobienie Royal Golf and Country Club, and the Florentin Restaurant in Warsaw.
She graduated from the Faculty of Architecture of the Warsaw Technical University with a degree in Architecture for the Knowledge Society and Visual Communications at the Polytechnic University of Milan. A specialist in creating a mood. She has gained experience at home and abroad at numerous international seminars (Seville, Lisbon, Florence), fellowships at La Sapienza (Rome), etc. m.in. in Carmi e Ubertis and ADM Milano.
A manager with many years of experience in the cosmetics, food, and children's industries. During his career, he was associated with such companies as: L'Oreal, Samsung, Danone-Nutricia, Unilever. During his professional life, he was responsible, among other things, for the development of e-commerce sales and content in Poland and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. 
