by Jaden
I recently made Marcus Samuelsson’s Open Faced Salmon Sandwich with Sweet Mustard Sauce (recipe) and thought I would share with you my step-by-step photos on how I got my money shot. The above photo is my final money shot. All other photos are unedited except for the money shot.
I first started with a cork surface, the quick shot to see how color would work. I didn’t like cork color with the salmon. I wanted the salmon to stand out, and it just didn’t pop enough next to the cork.
Took the cork off, much better. I wanted to be sure that I could show the crisp skin of the salmon as well as the flaky layers of the salmon – see how each piece is laid out different? I also wanted to be sure that you could see all of the ingredients.
Playing with lettuce:
Notice there’s a shadow to the top right… that was my bowl of mustard sauce. Since I was still doing test shots, I really didn’t care. also, if you look at the photo above you’ll see a big empty space between the two sandwiches, and both sandwiches are about equal distance to the camera. I nudged the right sandwich forward just a bit to create a little more depth.
Okay, time for the mustard sauce.
Capers…
The a photo above is okay, but it is lacking some dimension. I could get closer and take a shot from a different angle. Also, the light from behind reflecting on the cutting board wasn’t really working for me. I really wanted the walnut board to be dark brown. Here was my position for all the photos above.
To get rid of the glare, I moved my reflector board behind the sandwich, blocking the light.
I like this better, the colors are richer.
Moved the egg back behind the salmon.
In Lightroom, increased the saturation, sharpened, got rid of a tiny breadcrumbs….and final shot.
Looking back, I probably would have fixed the lighting so that the egg white wasn’t so bright – see how the white is a bit too jarring? Your eye immediately goes there (not good– I want you too look at the salmon first!)
In total, the photo shoot took about seven minutes, much longer than I would have liked to spend on a shot (tummy growling). The key to getting the money shot in less time is Mis en Place!!!!
Terrific post! Thanks for sharing your process with us Jaden, that final shot looks great.
What a great photo, I am learning more and more everyday, thanks!
I have so much to learn about photography. Natural light seems to look better than artificial, I noticed that you took your shot by a window. If you don’t mind I’m going to use your idea of 2 pieces of foam core to use as light reflectors. We don’t have good lighting in the kitchen, just one overhead light and I always have too many highlights or my shots look overexposed. Thanks for the post I thought it was very informative.
Very helpful stuff, Jaden. Thanks. What lens/aperture/ISO did you use in this photo?
24-70mm 2.8 lens
ISO 320
f6.3
1/4 sec
Thanks!! Great info and nice photo!!
I am so so soooo lusting after that lens!
Is that a 24-70mm f2.8 you are shooting with? Great post, got to love the foam board, best reflector there is.
yes, it’s a 24-70mm 2.8
I’m finding that I just don’t get enough natural light at any time but early morning. gonna have to set up a studio in the garage. *sigh* Need EGO lights
Hey Jerry,
I’m in the same boat, my house doesn’t get good natural light either. I can’t afford EGO lights, so I made my own. Here’s a link with instructions on how to make your own
.
http://epicbaker.com/2010/05/do-it-yourself-photography-lighting/
Thanks Rene,
Awesome tutorial and great lighting, but I need the portability of the EGO’s (and the ability to get them out of reach of kids and dog, who destroyed my umbrealla lights)
I’ve grateful to Jaden for sharing these insights. There is still so much to learn and articles like this help tons.
Lighting is a problem for me as well. I appreciate all of the tips and tricks that people share. I found another post from a digital photography blog that gave me some ideas. It might help others as well.
It’s titled “Putting Together a Budget DIY Lighting System”: http://www.shuttertalk.com/articles/diylighting
what kind of lens are you using with your canon?
I’m using 24-70mm f2.8
Is that a toy on the floor in the background? Looks like one of my shoots, LOL
This was so helpful! Thanks!
Thank you so much for sharing your shoot. It’s ultimately fascinating to learn what people use for their lighting techniques. Wonderful image. My stomach would be growling too if I had to look at this delicious sandwich for seven minutes without eating it.
My coworkers are wondering why I am licking my monitor….:). Thank you SO MUCH for the photo tips, I need them!
Another great post Jaden! Lighting is my biggest problem here at my house. I have plenty of windows so sometimes it can be too harsh. I really have to go to the craft store and buy my poster boards.
It’s very helpful following your thought process on how you arrived at the final shot. Thanks!
There’s a lot to learn to getting the photograph right and this was a very helpful step-by-step guide. thanks!
This is exactly why Food Blog Forum is my FAVORITE website. Thank you so much for taking the time to teach us food photography novices how to create (otherwise baffling) great food photos. I can’t get enough of the posts here.
Outstanding tips. This site is one of the best – thank you for being a leader in your field!
Thanks Jaden, The shot is fantastic. Thanks for sharing all your valuable information with us.
[...] Photo Shoot: Salmon Sandwich: Jaden walks us through some food styling. [...]
Thanks, Jaden. I am still learning to photo food. Some of it is easier than others.
Very helpful post!
I am such a newbie but this is so great, thank you for pointing out all the little things that make such a great big difference…off to make some food now, that shot made me hungry!
This is a really great step-by-step, thank you!
Gastronomy & Everyday life in Spain
http://www.agirlinmadrid.com
It is great to see your process on this photo. The difference from the first shot to the final shot show how important it is to try different things. I sometimes take 100 different shots of a dish, tweaking this or changing a prop, for that same reason. Thanks!
Thanks for this wonderful post Jaden . I was always skeptical about changing the saturation levels in my pic. Now I don’t think the same.
[...] highly recommend joining foodblogforum for any foodie, but especially for food bloggers. This article by Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen really helped me get a better feel for food photography in action. [...]