Cafe culture with the Canon NZ team

Canon NZ employee, Tracy is as passionate about documenting everyday life in new and fun ways, she loves storytelling with imagery and you'll occasionally find her standing on a chair or crouching really low to get the best angle for her shot. Join Tracy and co-worker Julie, on a trip to Bread and Butter Cafe for an afternoon of eating and photography.

Framing & composition:

Don’t be shy to get up high! (With permission first!) It helps if you can get directly over the food and table. Utilize a flip-out screen to make it easier to view what your composition looks like – this is also a great way to make sure there are no awkward gaps as what you see in the photo may not reflect how you see the table setting.

There is often an abundance of shapes on a table setting! Round plates and cups, square napkins and serving platters; the key thing to tie your setting together is to look for leading lines. Turn on grid lines on your camera to square up your image with any leading lines in live view.

Focus & angle:

What’s your message? Telling a story in your capture adds a layer of interest, and it can be as simple as adding human touch to it! Just a pair of hands can turn it from just a plate of food to a shared meal, or experimenting with creative ‘behind the scene’ angles can show your food photography journey with an exciting spin.

Sometimes it’s great to show the whole setting - although if there are intricate details you want to highlight, try playing with your depth of field or try switching out your lens! Utilize the guided display to help determine what you want to focus on. Experiment with low aperture to focus on the food, or higher aperture to show everything in the shot.

Don’t feel like you need to show everything – like the saying, ‘less is more’, by cutting off the edge of plates and other items, it can create a sense of mystery, leaving it up to the imagination of the viewer!

Lighting:

As more and more cafes start to pop up, each have their own character! Some are adorned with remarkable ceiling to floor windows while others can be quaint and quirky. It’s best to use natural lighting, try and nab a window seat ideally on an overcast day (perfect for a delicious meal & hot coffee!) to avoid direct sunlight which can be extremely harsh on your photos. Just be mindful of your camera settings in different scenarios; check if your photos are correctly exposed and adjust your ISO if needed – the guided display will also give handy tips if you’re ever stuck.

 

About Bread and Butter:

Bread & Butter is a great little local café in Auckland with three locations. They specialize in traditional European baking, from German rye breads to Italian ciabattas. We were excited to showcase their new menu, featuring their avocado & pea on toast ‘The Smash’, the mouth-watering ‘Seoul Fried Chicken Burger’, a flavor-bomb ‘Shakshouka’, nicely topped with their Rhubarb smoothie.