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Food

Ruben Alfu

New member
Here are some food and still life photos that I've done for stock/editorial use. Nothing extraordinary, just wanted to share them as this is an important part of my photography that is pretty much unknown here at OPF (well... and the rest of the world LOL).

I've been doing this type of photos for about three years. During this time I have collected some great books on the subject and had the opportunity to assist to a very popular class by food photographer Lou Manna in NY. I must say that Lou's work was one of my main motivations to get into this.

Hope you like it!


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Ruben Alfu : Shrimp cocktail


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Ruben Alfu : Cup cakes


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Ruben Alfu : Cup of tea


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Ruben Alfu : Spices
 
Last edited:

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
20080315_160809_food.jpg


Ruben Alfu : Spices


Ruben,

I commend you for doing something like this which requires the brain to re-order the value scales in your mind as to what might be important. Spices and herbs have nice colors and textures. Often, in markets in countries where they are grown, I am amazed at the sheer varieties of each spice filling so many barrels of color, like a new set of pastel crayons with more colors than one can imagine.

How did this get lit? The reflections in the steel walls of the containers are interesting. Can they be enhanced? I wonder why you made a narrow framing? You must do more?

Asher
 

John Angulat

pro member
Hi Ruben,
You are certainly a man of many images!
Now food photography! These are superb!
What drew you to this? How did you get started?
Images aside, I'm equally impressed you got an assist with Manna.
Sweet!
 

Ruben Alfu

New member
Ruben,

I commend you for doing something like this which requires the brain to re-order the value scales in your mind as to what might be important. Spices and herbs have nice colors and textures. Often, in markets in countries where they are grown, I am amazed at the sheer varieties of each spice filling so many barrels of color, like a new set of pastel crayons with more colors than one can imagine.

How did this get lit? The reflections in the steel walls of the containers are interesting. Can they be enhanced? I wonder why you made a narrow framing? You must do more?

Asher


Thanks Asher, so glad you like this photo, it's one of my favorites.

The key light is a soft box just off the frame, the position is evident looking at the bright reflection on the containers, there's a reflector on top and another to camera left (or perhaps this was another soft box). This was done about two years ago, I can't remember the details.

I have experimented with stronger contrast in the containers and it enhances the visual impact, I just happen to like that smooth, sort of silky look in this photo.Two reasons to crop the elements around the frame: to make them less important as they are just a complement, and, more important, to get closer to the spices in the containers, which are the main subject.


Hi Ruben,
You are certainly a man of many images!
Now food photography! These are superb!
What drew you to this? How did you get started?
Images aside, I'm equally impressed you got an assist with Manna.
Sweet!

John, thanks very much for your kind words.

In first place, my fault, what I meant to say was "attend", not assist (in Spanish it would be normal to say "asistir"), I just attended this class, sorry about that.

Food and photography have been traditional hobbies or professions in my family, including myself, since my grandfather who was both, a great cook and an enthusiastic photographer, my wife is a chef... actually I wonder why it took me so long to get into food photography.
 

Prateek Dubey

New member
Hello Ruben,
Food and tabletop photography interests me a lot. I loved these pictures. Effective. Makes my mouth water. I'm so accustomed to life arranging the elements for my type of work, that now I feel when I'm attempting some kind of food photography, its another kettle of fish. Really, just getting the geometry right is a huge task.
Please share some more, your work is inspiring me.
Prateek
 

Ruben Alfu

New member
Thanks so much for your comments Patreek, that means a lot to me. Those are indeed traditional Indian spices: cardamom, garam masala, cumin, turmeric... mmhh, now my mouth is watering!
 

fahim mohammed

Well-known member
Ruben, I commend for undertaking one of the toughest challenges in Photography....How to get people
to eat!!

It has to be clean, fresh, well lit, appetizing, subliminal. It does you great credit that you can handle it so elegantly.

I like the last Basil and Garlic in BW. But wonder how it might look in color?

most of the spices though are common to many regions of Asia. Pakistan, Sri lanka, Nepal, Indonesia, Malaysia etc. to name a few.
 

Ruben Alfu

New member
Thanks for your support and encouragement Fahim! Here's a color version, this is pretty much as shot, except for contrast asjustment and sharpenning.


IMG_0359_flat_color.jpg


Ruben Alfu : Basil and garlic (color)​
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Thanks for your support and encouragement Fahim! Here's a color version, this is pretty much as shot, except for contrast asjustment and sharpenning.


IMG_0359_flat_color.jpg


Ruben Alfu : Basil and garlic (color)​

Wonderful image, but why the blur to the left?

Asher
 

Ruben Alfu

New member
Wonderful image, but why the blur to the left?

Asher

Thanks Ahser, glad you like it!

The photo is based on the mix of two ideas: sweet basil (soft) and pungent garlic (sharp), the transition from one to the other is all over the photo: in the texture, the light, and the shapes (I want to think that also the "posture" of the food, but I'm not gonna make a case for it LOL). IMO, in this photo, that mix of concepts is better achieved in BW because the color scheme is all soft. What do you think?




IMG_0359_flat.jpg


IMG_0359_flat_color.jpg


 

fahim mohammed

Well-known member
Lovely Ruben. The blur keeps my attention on the garlic and basil. I am partial to the color one here.

Thanks for sharing.
 

Teena Celis

New member
20080527-IMG_3243_food.jpg


Ruben Alfu : Shrimp cocktail


What a nice composition here. Even though I'm no fan of onions you make this food likable. kuddos to your skill in photography.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Working on simplicity concepts the other day, here's one of the shots:[/CENTER]



IMG_0359_flat.jpg


Ruben Alfu : Basil and garlic

Rubin,

There's a lot of form and texture and a rich shadow to be a good B&W picture. The background mesh, however is very fine and detailed so gets a lot of attention. So is it possible that remove a cm or so fro, the top and entirely working on the gradation of shadow on the lower left to balance the round form and with it, dominate the composition.

I'd even consider blurring and/or reducing the contrast of the weave that gets so much attention.

I'd have loved to have seen this picture taken with a large format camera with more limited DOF and a soft periphery. If you have a 1.2 or 1.4 lens of 50 to 85mm or else a 2.8 lens at 180-200mm that would do the same thing ... approximately. Since there's no model to wait for and please and no makeup artist to actually pay, redoing this picture would seem to be no big deal.

I like the subject and would love to see more possibilities that you come up with.

Asher​
 
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