CONSIDER SCALE
Size matters, so shoot the table, not the dish
We have a tendency with a lens in hand to keep stepping inwards, trying to tighten the composition by cutting out all the things we don’t want in the scene. This is a reductive process. We end up with very simplistic compositions and no idea where we went wrong. The trick to building richer and more detailed compositions with still life and food is to step back and bring more into the frame, not less. It’s not just a matter of a different lens, it’s a different perspective.
Thinking bigger is better. We get obsessed with what’s on the plate without realising that there is a bigger scene on offer. As you step back a little you find yourself shooting the table, not the dish. Now you have options for your compositions. Step back a little further and you have a restaurant, not just the table. At each level of scale you get different options for composition. Stepping back lets you put the dish into a bigger context, with room to include a sense of place. When working in the studio it’s a common mistake to keep the scale small. Limiting yourself to a fraction of a bench, or a small piece of plywood you painted to look like weathered timber, is limiting your creativity as well. For big results you need to think bigger than a bread box.
Expanding the scale of your shoot zone also enables you to make room for multiple dishes. One plate offers far fewer options than two or three. With multiples of the same dish on a table or studio bench, you create the potential for layered compositions. As you move around you’ll find shots within the scene, and those multiples of a dish give you multiple moments of inspiration.