Cropping

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I once again had the privilege of working with two of my favorite stylists – Kim Colburn, and Veronica Smith. As a food photographer, it is a real treat to work with people who share the same passion for food, creativity, and art. Thanks again ladies for another great shoot!

Every once in a while a photographer is challenged with how to crop an image. Most of the time food photographers do not constrain themselves to the standardized crop dimensions that the camera captures. Instead, we choose to shoot wider and give ourselves the opportunity to crop with our software later in post production. This is also a “best practice,” in case the image ever needs to be re-purposed. Needless to say, cropping can make a big impact on how people see and connect with an image.

On commercial packaging shoots, art directors have the most influence on composition and cropping, and how the food fits within the layout. On editorial shoots like magazines, cookbooks, and web it’s usually left up to the photographer; still we must have a clear understanding of what the client wants to convey to their audience. Should I crop in tight on the food? Should I open up the crop to show more environment? Am I telling a story? How can I crop this image so the consumer will want to make this recipe? Should I shoot it from a different angle? These are all thoughts that run through my head during a shoot.

So, tell me what you think….. What image makes you want to try the recipe and eat the food? What is most inviting to you? You can be my focus group so to speak!