Food Photographer, Michael W. Rutherford

Welcome to the Food Photography webpage of Michael W. Rutherford. Michael is based out of Nashville, Tennessee coming from the northern Illinois area and is a nationally known food photographer. Noted for his beautiful photographic techniques ranging from the look of Rembrandt to the ever so popular high-key lighting of today. He specializes in supplying dramatically lit food images for advertising, packaging, editorial and many cookbook projects. He has been ask to do his magic for their food photography projects by many ad agencies, graphic design firms, grocery stores, restaurants and food suppliers. In his food photography studio as well as locations around the globe.

Michael has a large 13,000 square foot food photography studio. His food photography studio has a very large fully equipped restaurant styled kitchen. He also has one of the largest prop and background selections available in house as well as a prepping station by his food photography bay. Not to mention hundreds of shooting surfaces to photograph his images. As a food photographer the equipment is almost as important as the style. Rutherford Studios goal is to keep its digital camera and equipment “state of the art” and has three full time food photographers and can run up to four bays at a time. Michael uses all Sinar Leaf Capture systems in the large studio format as well as medium format and 35mm. With in-house computer specialists at his side fulltime. But Michael still prefers to shoot as in the days of film to do as much of the look in camera for his clients. Especially after 25 years of learning food photography techniques before going digital. He believes in as much in camera work as he does post production. In postproduction work…some looks just can’t be mimicked.

The food photography studio shooting area is spacious enough for creating large sets as well as multiple set-ups with 14-foot ceilings and huge natural light window areas for either half-day direct light bays or the beautiful soft light of the north. All this makes a food photographer’s dream.

Food photography has always been considered one of the most difficult specialties and one of the least favorites to go into for young photographers. One of the reasons it is so difficult is the time your given to shoot the food before it withers and dies under the lights and camera.

With in a few minutes, sometimes just one…you can see a beautiful plate of food turn into a pile of crap. Everything to whip cream that runs to dried out food, fried foods that turns color and becomes greasy quick to ice cream that melts, not to mention that in seconds you can loose the steaming fresh look that food photographers are supposed to create. Many times you can have one shot and its over! The way that you achieve all your special lighting and composition of these beautiful food shots that will only last for a few minutes is too use complete mock up “stand in” food. You set up everything from props, flowers, etc. for the final shot. When the client finally passes “the look” which could take hours, then you put in the real food and go from there. During the time of “ stand in” food you make sure you have all your colors, plate choices, reflectors and props making sure you have finalized your lighting and exposure right on before you get the food. You have at this point your client’s stamp of approval before you bring in your hero dish and shoot hoping it will be accepted the first time. But many times…not until the 30th!

I always do professional food photography with professional food stylist and always make sure the clients have this in their food photography budgets. The good food photography food stylists are more like artists. The food stylist often and in most cases help arrange the props and table settings…but not in my studio. In my food photography studio I want the food stylist to concentrate on how beautiful she can prepare the plate. I as a food photographer prefer to do all my own set-ups and compositions. That helps me concentrate that much more on the style of food photography I want to accomplish.

Of course, as you can imagine, much of what a food stylist prepares is done with bottles of glycerin, several sizes of artist’s paintbrushes, q-tips and miscellaneous pharmaceutical items. Of course food dries out very quickly under the modeling lights, which are much cooler than they used to be. The glycerin and karo syrup and miscellaneous gells will keep the food wet, shiny and fresh. There are many of these hidden secrets from crystals to paint that are used on meat, fish, fresh and cooked cut fruit and cooked vegetables especially if it is to look wet and have lots of highlights. Things such as vegetable oils don’t last long even though some stylists use this method. We also use much glycerin mixed with water as well as deodorant and dulling sprays on such things as beer bottles to water glasses and salads or fruit that need to be long lasting water drops and sweat.

Steam is used in some food photography and is obtained in many ways including dry ice, water soaked cotton balls out of the microwave, cigarette smoke as well as smoke cookies. Most times your best option is smoke pellets or crystals.

A small propane blowtorch is one of the most popular tools for a food stylist and food photographer. Uses include grill marks on meat, melting butter on pancakes and corn cobbs to heating forks, spoons and rods for different markings. Kitchen bouquet is one of the most used necessities especially on the outer skin of meats such as turkey and chicken. It used to be very often that in food photography fake food was used. Now in the United States law there is “truth in advertising” regulations. As long as it’s used in an advertisement it must be the actual food you would eat. However, the food that is not the main subject that might surround the advertised piece can be artifice. This also holds true for cookbooks and editorial articles. Many times it is easier to work with something besides the real thing such as using Crisco and powdered sugar, etc. to make ice cream. You can also use thickeners in whipped cream and fillers in such things as pies and soups.

Most of the time fake hand carved both acrylic and crystal ice cubes are used which are very expensive up to $100.00 per cube. Although some drinks work better with real ice if you can work very quickly. Then using compressed air with additional liquid or even your breath to make the glass have moisture and look cold. Most drinks ranging from alcoholic beverages to coca-cola is mixed with water and thinned down to be more transparent for the back lighting to come through the drink.

Style of a food photographer is one of his most favored attributes. Becoming known for a look is one of the most sought after qualities a photographer can hope for. Many clients have their own look or expectations for a look they want which should never be overlooked. Usually the last shot I do of each subject has my own twist put on it for my own satisfaction and my own personal use. You are always looking for the most complimentary angle and arrangement and lighting that will be the most appetizing. Every food shot that a food photographer does should make you want to take a bite right out of it! Most of the time when I’m ask to do backed off shots I will always do a very tight close up shot as well as that’s where the appetite is. I will select different aper tues on the lenses to make things either very sharp or soft focus also combining many swings and tilts of the studio camera for the favored selective look. All this combined should make your food photography look mouth watering. Along the way helping you develop and even change styles. This is what clients pay good money for.

After shooting food photography for nearly 30 years and in the early years it being all Mole Richardson hot lighting most food photography is done now with all studio strobe lighting and very often using the combination of the two…hot lighting and strobe lighting. Hot lighting is an old term used for tungsten lighting. The strobe lighting of today is a much more efficient way of lighting food photography because it is much cooler and does not effect the food as much. Sometimes I mix in everything from daylight correct to florescent strips and even flash lights for the look I want to achieve. It is now becoming more and more popular to use daylight for a natural look which I also combine all these other light sources for the controlled look I am after sometimes using many reflectors and diffusers to achieve the soft lighting of today. We will use a combination of strobes and mainly hot lights for a long exposure to show motion. This will also add warmth to your food photography. Using too much light that does not have direction or does not have shadows is called flat lighting and should never be used, as there is no appetite to this. Light always needs direction, which then will always cause shadows that adds interest and desire to your food photography. If an art director says he does not want your shadows then tell him we much shut the lights off because if we have any form of directional tasteful lighting there must be shadows. If all you ever see is one great big soft box above the set then this is not a creative food photographer and can be very boring. I light my food like I do most other subjects that I work with from Presidential photography to CD covers, coal miners and from Russia to Africa I still use the same rules of lighting that the masters of art used through the centuries.

My studio is full of very expensive antique props as well as very contemporary props. I do my own entire prop shopping because I am a collector as well as a food photographer. The excitement of finding the right prop can inspire an entire shoot for me. I never rent…I always buy!

I have learned to be very quick with food photography because of the timing issue but yet timing it out with my clients to keep the professionalism that one would attribute to my profession. This is where many years of being a food photographer pays off and the clients can appreciate years of experience in food photography more than any area of photography that sometimes does not require as much experience.

I have only shared a small portion of my experience, tips and suggestions in food photography, as it would take many pages to cover all the ins and outs of true food photography. Food photography must be a passion and a love that you never tire of because to the young photographer it can be very mundane, boring and tedious. Your food client will always know if your passionate about your work and have the artistic flare and knowledge of what it takes.

THANK YOU AND GOOD NIGHT!
Michael W. Rutherford
Food Photographer