Digital Food Photography (Paperback)

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Product Description

Great food always elicits strong reactions-the smell of freshly baked bread, the taste of a perfectly prepared steak. The job of a food photographer is to elicit that same mouth-watering reaction, but without the benefit of scent or taste. A well-shot photograph can send crowds flocking to a new restaurant or boost the sales of a culinary magazine. Capturing the perfect image requires a trained eye, finesse, and photographic skill. Digital Food Photography gives you the ingredients to cook up your own recipe for success-with professional lighting techniques, composition, food and prop styling, retouching, and tricks of the trade. You'll learn how digital photography combines teamwork, creativity, and technology, and how to make money creating delectable works of photographic art.

About the Author

Lou Manna is an award-winning Olympus visionary photographer whose work has appeared in national ad campaigns, major magazines, and more than 30 cookbooks. After shooting for the New York Times from 1975 to 1990, he went on to establish his own Fifth Avenue studio, where he works with corporate, advertising, and restaurant clients to create photos that can only be described as "exquisite." Lou is the author of DIGITAL FOOD PHOTGRAPHY, the only book on the art of food photography devoted exclusively to digital technology. Craig Clairborne, restaurant critic and food writer for the New York Times, said, "The important thing about being a real photographer is not only having a great lens, but having a feeling of warmth, collaborating, and bringing out the best of a subject. It requires a sense of style and a feeling of creative arrangement--Lou is marvelous at this."

Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: Course Technology PTR; 1 edition (August 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592008208
• ISBN-13: 978-1592008209
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #33,266 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Beginning Food Photography, October 7, 2005

By	Pinwheel Photography (Louisville, KY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was a little dissapointed in the content of Digital Food Photography. The book, layed out in textbook style, is a little basic for the complexity of the subject. Mr. Manna spends too much time on the "old days" and takes too long to dive in to the meat of food photography. It would have been helpful to show specs of each shot; ie camera, lights, exposure, etc. Instead there is a lighting 101 class in the book that does little for the example shots shown. Overall though it's a great book to add to your basic arsenal of photography books.

35 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Somewhat disappointed, October 5, 2005

By	B.T. (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews

I am a professional photographer, and I was greatly looking forward to receiving this book.

I was hoping to get some detailed information on lighting techniques, specifically for food. The additional sections on food and prop styling were handy extras.

What I did get was a nice easy read, and some useful tidbits of information that I can use. Some of the sections on Photoshop were useful (and would be more-so for serious amateurs and up).

What I wasn't expecting and was very disappointed with, were the large chunks of the text dealing with the relationship between ISO, aperture, and shutter. Come-on! This should be a book about digital food photography. Anyone who doesn't know about the basic photographic relationships should be reading a book on basic photography. There were other parts of the book that likewise contained very basic general knowledge I would not expect in a specific book.

Additionally, much spaced was used as almost a portfolio for Lou Manna rather than providing useful information. He does have some beautiful work, but that is not what I was paying for.

All in all, I was disappointed with this book, although it was not a total waste, especially if you were just wanting to get into professional photography.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the only food photography bible you will need, January 4, 2006

By	Matt (Boston) - See all my reviews

I have been working with a fantastic commerical photographer in boston for the past year and a half who shoots food regularly. I have since decided to pursue food photography as a career. I've been looking for a 'text book' to help me pull together everything i've learned...finally, I've found it.

Manna's book is like going to food photography school. Reading every chapter made me relive my entire experience working on set: dealing with art directors, clients and food stylists....understanding complex lighting situations, camera angles, stand-ins...understanding the importance of post-production and how to digitally get the results needed.

Shooting food is one of the most difficult work experiences for a photographer, and manna has broken it down so even the novice can become successful. Kudos to him for explaining the process in such a concise and clear cut manner.

For those who have never had hands-on experience, make not mistake...he brings you through the entire process....you'll be in the trenches the entire way.

If I could give more stars, I would.