Food Styling | Food plus Digital Texture

Dude, I love the internet.



If not for the internet, I'd never have learned what I do know about photography.  I'd never have found the friends I have through photography forums.  I'd never have found the Bloom forum.  I'd never have seen Laurie's idea to start a food photography group to glow and learn.  And so, I'd never have been a part of The Inspired Plate.

But I did.  I have.  I am!

And I am ever so grateful for that.  I sure enjoy the ladies in our group, and I love how we share, discuss, and learn so much through each other.  Sometimes I let myself get down when it seems that there really is so much evil and selfishness in this world.  But people like these ladies remind me that there IS still good, kindness, and selflessness left here on earth.  Laurie has been hard at work to set up our group's web presence.  If you dig food images, please take a moment to go "Like" our facebook page, where you'll stay updated on what our group is doing.

September's Challenge was to photograph a food and then use a Digital Texture overlay on the finished product.

I'm not a stranger to using textures and overlays, but it certainly isn't part of my everyday workflow or style.  This was a good opportunity to stretch, learn, and grow for certain!

I decided to use a photograph I shot recently for a wonderful local small business, Bellafina Chocolates.  Brenda Barnicki has been very hard at work investigating how to ramp up the business side of her Chocolatiering, and she contacted me to see if I could help her out with better images of her and her chocolates for her online presence.

Um, hello?  Me?  Chocolate?  Camera?             yeah... I'm there!

It has been a lot of fun to work with her.  How could it not be if there's chocolate involved and someone who gushes about your work and is beyond appreciative?

When it came time to think about this month's food challenge, I realized that these chocolate images were the perfect ones to experiment texture food-land with.  Textures on the images probably wouldn't be what Brenda could use for her product images, but they sure would make pretty uses of texture.  Crazy just how much it changes the tone and mood of the image, isn't it?





I used several textures to achieve the look.  The antique script I found from one of my favorite texture places: Shadowhouse Creations.  (see right below).  He was one of the first places I found years ago when I started to play with textures.  I don't know how he does it, but what he puts out there is free and is free for commercial use.  This dude rocks.  A lot of my favorite textures that I use are from him.   I also used the "Extreme4" texture by Jessica Drossin, available on her blog here as a freebie. (see middle below)  Lastly, I added another one of Shadowhouse Creations textures that you can find here.   (see left below).  Goodness, in scrolling through his site trying to find the best link to use I've found about 50 new textures I'm dying to try out!  You really should check this dude out!



One more time I'll show the same image with the original on the left, the finished texture version on the right.  So cool, huh?


 


Next up from The Inspired Plate is the wonderful Sarah Wilson.  Sarah joined our group later this year but I'm so glad she did.  I so totally dig her style!  So pay her, and the rest of our group, a visit to check out their take on adding a digital texture to their food photography work.  Sarah Wilson | Ozarks Fare Grounds

I shot these with my D90  Nikon 50mm 1.4D