Phone-camera capabilities have grown exponentially in the last few years, but as any chef or baker knows, great equipment will only take you so far. Knowledge, practice and dedication are what make an end product memorable and enable a creator to produce high-quality items consistently, be they pictures or pâte à choux.
Patrick St-Arnaud, a filmmaker and photographer in Montreal, Canada, is responsible for the stunning and informative videos on the Chocolate Academy™ website and the eye-catching Reels seen as part of their Instagram feeds. We asked him to get specific about how to set up and edit great images, whether you’re working with a digital camera or your phone. His honest and practical answers offer guidance for anyone looking to improve their photos and brand image.
We’ve talked about photography in the magazine before, and the most mentioned topic is proper lighting. If you could give just one piece of advice regarding lighting your shots, what would it be?
For starters, I would always follow the “one sun” concept. By having only one light source, you’ll always have a natural lighting feeling because it emulates the most natural light scenario there is. From there, play with angles, diffusions etc. But make sure you block any light source that is not your main “key” light.
Say that you agree that lighting is the #1 key to a good photo. What’s the second-most important quality?
Has to be composition. One does not go without the other.
What’s the right way to achieve/create this quality?
Like with any craft, rules are meant to be broken. But to break them, you have to know and master these rules to do so. Therefore, I would probably start with the Rules of Thirds to start composing my shots nicely. Imagine the frame of your shot being divided in thirds horizontally and vertically. Then, place the main subject or intention at one of the converging points of those lines. Most cameras and even phone cameras have a “Grid” option nowadays that allows you to see the subdivisions on your screen while photographing.
As a professional, can you tell the difference between a picture taken with a camera and one taken with a phone when you’re flipping through Instagram? What about if you’re on a website?
Any good photographer can do well with any type of camera that is on hand. Those new phone cameras are getting seriously good, so the quality lies more than ever in the eye of the beholder. Having said that, if we leave the pros out of the equation, it’s pretty easy to spot, yeah.
If so, what gives usually gives it away? Is it something that could be avoided when taking the picture or adjusted when editing?
The most notable differences that still exist between conventional cameras and phone cameras today are the focal length and depth of field. With wide-angle shots, if the lighting and composition are properly done, it’s hard to tell the difference, but when you get into more close-up shots, the phones have their limitations. Because of that, a natural blurry background effect is hard to achieve on a phone.
After that, there is the editing factor. A pro would always correct his shots in post-production. Retouching should not feel heavy. Always making sure colors, contrast and exposure are well-adjusted makes a big difference in the final images.
Filters are also often applied in post-production to convey a feeling, but they have to be used with moderation. If it’s too heavy, this also screams “non-pro.”
When you are editing food photographs, are there some general rules to follow?
The main line of conduct you have to follow would be to keep the color accurate. Food photography will also have a tendency to be a bit more saturated to make it look craveable. Again, without overdoing it.
Is professional editing software worth it for someone who isn’t a professional?
I think it is if the goal is to have a proper brand and to achieve consistency throughout your content. Instagram, TikTok and Facebook are brand-selling platforms. When your brand feels unified, it makes you look more serious, obviously. And also more in control.
Let’s talk about that cool, blurry background effect. Many newer phone cameras will do this automatically now or have a “portrait mode.” Do you think this feature works well on phone cameras?
I didn’t try every phone on the market, obviously, but in my opinion, they don’t work well. It doesn’t feel natural.
How do you achieve this effect with a digital camera?
It’s super easy to achieve on a digital camera. All you need to do is to use a wide aperture with your lenses and make sure there’s distance between your subject and the background.
Professional photographs of plated desserts often have a pure black or white background with focused lighting. How would a non-professional create that set-up?
A good place to start would be to start with that “one sun” theory: use only one light source. Then, frame the item so that you have only the white/black background and nothing surrounding it.
Next, you’ll want to zoom in as much as possible with the native lenses your phone has to offer. On an iPhone, the native lenses are the little numbers (.5, 1x, 2x, 3x) that you see at the bottom of the camera screen. Don’t go to 10x if the highest native number is 3x.
I would also shoot these photos in RAW (many newer phones have this option in the Settings) and then correct the exposure, contrast and color in an editing software afterward.
If someone is considering buying a digital camera, is the kit lens sufficient for taking good photos of their creations? If not, what are the specs for a good lens for a chef or artisan?
Depends on the kit lens, but if it goes above 70mm, I think it’s good enough to start with.
After that, ideally, you want to look at 90mm and above and at lenses that have wider apertures, such as 2.8 to 1.4, to create a bigger, shallower depth-of-field effect.
Photos by Patrick St-Arnaud
(This article appeared in the Fall 2024 issue of Pastry Arts Magazine)
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