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How to take quality smartphone photos of all that bread you're baking
May. 19, 2020 4:40 pm, Updated: Jul. 8, 2020 9:51 am
Show of hands — who's been baking bread during the pandemic?
Thought so!
Bread making has become very popular in the last couple of months, and people are experimenting with sourdough for the first time or trying their hands at fougasse and other types of artisan loaf, right on down to the humble white sandwich bread.
In the spirit of sharing our bakes on social media, I'm sticking with the smartphone as my camera of choice.
Last time I mentioned using a neutral background for food photography and I wanted to explain that a bit more with some visuals, using bread as a centerpiece.
Here are three commonly used choices. These loaves can all be found at Rustic Hearth Bakery on Mount Vernon Road in Cedar Rapids.
Natural wood is a popular choice for bread photography. Its warm, neutral tones mimic the color of the subject and wood as a substance tends to signify the rustic in our minds. This can be a good way to hearken back to bread's humble beginnings. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)
I'm using the same white sketch pad that I did in my last food shoot to bounce a little window light into the shadows and give some definition to the dark crust on these sourdough pretzel rolls on Tuesday, May 12, 2020. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)
Gray or slate is another popular color and material to use as a background on Tuesday, May 12, 2020. The dark color creates contrast between the light and dark parts in the crust of this French baguette, which helps to define the texture of the surface in a subtle way. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)
Bold, highly saturated colors, however, can have a negative effect on the subject. They tend to create a color cast on the surface of the food, such as the subtle red tint here that muddies the neutral color of the crust and crumb, and competes with the subject for our attention. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)
Reds and other bold colors are best used in a supporting role with a neutral color as the dominant background. Here, the red actually helps move our eye around the frame between it, the crust of the loaf and the lighter colored slice, whose crust is emphasized with the help of that bit of color in the top part of the frame. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)
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