Food Photography for Catering Company in Pittsburgh PA

Yesterday I did a food shoot for a local Pittsburgh catering company, Common Plea Catering.   When I look at their online menu, I can see that most of the food photos aren’t mine, but I’m happy to add to their library of photography.  I’m told that Common Plea Catering is now the largest catering business in Pittsburgh and I can vouch for the quality of their food.

For yesterday’s food photography assignment, we were asked to shoot several photos to help promote the fact that they have a new Pastry Chef and that they will now be offering custom wedding cakes and new types of pastries.  What was really nice about this shoot is that we were given a great amount of freedom to make beautiful food photography and let them worry about how they would eventually use the photos.  Basically, we were hired to make pretty pictures, with is unusual for most commercial food photography assignments.

What was really nice about this shoot is that we were given a great amount of freedom to make beautiful food photography and let them worry about how they would eventually use the photos.  Basically, we were hired to make pretty pictures, with is unusual for most commercial food photography assignments.  Usually, in Advertising food photography anyway, much of the “creative” is already done and the food photographer’s job is to

Usually, in Advertising food photography anyway, much of the “creative” is already done and the food photographer’s job is to follow a layout and produce someone else’s concepts.  The job was different.  The food shoot started with three shots, but we worked quickly and ended up completing a total of six images, along with some variations.

1.  Cake Photo

The most challenging of the five shots was the cake.  We had to create a background beyond the horizon of the tabletop that was interesting and large enough that the clients could have plenty of room for “copy” when this image ended up in an advertisment.  Quelcy, my wonderful stylist on this project, ended up coming up with some lights to add interest to the background.

The wood and the greenery was something we already had here as a stock studio background.  We choose the dark wood so that the white cake would contrast nicely and not blend it.  It also had the added benefit of looking like a backyard wedding background.  We left enough plenty of room around the cake for the type of an advertiement.

2. Cheesecake Dessert Picture

The next shot we did was on Cheesecake covered with some green chocolate, poached rhubarb, and some other fancy stuff.  To me, it looks like a slice of apple, but then again, I’m a meat and potatoes kinda guy…

3. Cupcake Photograph

Cupcakes are sort of a specialty of theirs, so we ended up shooting two different variations of this one.  Minimum depth of field was a key photographic element to both of these shots.  Shallow focus tends to make any food photo just a little more appetizing.

4. Lolly Pops

For a catering company, weddings are a staple and this particular catering company had a “thing” about lollypops.  I have to admit, they are beautiful!  I ended up photographing this with and without the prop ribbon.  I figured that it looked better with, but might prove to make a better advertising photo, without…

We chose the pink background because it supported the use of the desserts.  They would be purchased for weddings and the color pink is popular with a large percentage of the wedding croud.

5. Dessert Trio Image

Our last food photo was the “trio”.  Luckily we didn’t need to shoot this as a “product shot” but were give the latitude to make a “pretty picture” communicating the idea and feel of the fact that they offer multiple desserts on a single plate.  I really like how we used unrecognizable glass items in the background to create highlights.  The effect added to the festive feel of the photos. Again, shallow focus allowed us to create beautiful food photos.

All in all, it was a great day in the food photography studio.  We had fun shooting some great food for wonderful, friendly clients, and we made some mouth-watering catering photos that will help sell their tasty food to future clients.