Here at atebites we love photography as much as we do food and iPhones. It’s really the central theme of what we do. Great recipes for the food we want to eat and beautiful photography.
“Wow, great photo! That must be a really nice camera.”
Naturally our website visitors are curious about which gear and workflows we use to create tantalizing food photography. First, let me start by saying that vision is more important than gear. So much so that in the right hands an iPhone camera could produce better photography than even the best pro gear. For those interested in the craft of photography I highly recommend David duChemin’s PixelatedImage Blog. He’s got some great eBooks which sell for about five bucks each.
Now on to the gear.
Our main studio camera is a Nikon D7000 with a D700 used mostly for wider shots. That may sound backwards because the D700 is a full-frame pro camera while the D7000 is step down, a prosumer model. Well, the D7000 is so good that in a studio environment it can create images on par with its pricier cousin. What you give up are the large viewfinder and pro-level controls of the D700, such as viewfinder depth of field preview. Again, because it’s a studio setup low light isn’t an issue. When going out into the field the D700 goes with me for sure.
Because its sensor is smaller the same lens has a telephoto effect on the D7000. I use a Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G on both cameras, but on the D7000 the perspective is about the same as an 85mm lens on the D700.
Going forward, though, as soon as the new replacement for the D700 is released (this spring?) the studio camera is getting upgraded to that plus a Nikkor 85mm f/1.4G lens.
In the studio we use natural light. That’s it. No strobes, soft boxes or umbrellas. I love the way natural light moves. It just can’t be replicated artificially. Strong ambient light is diffused using either a white or gold colored curtain made of translucent material.
Just give me the list
Gear:
- Nikon D700
- Nikon D7000
- Nikon 50mm f/1.4G lens
- Nikon NC (neutral clear) filter
- Vanguard 235AP tripod, adequate but not great
Workflow:
- 15″ MacBook Pro w/4GB memory
- 1TB WD Elements USB drive for image storage
- Apple Aperture 3
- Adobe Photoshop CS4