Lou Manna - Digital Food Photography

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Francesca Abbracciamento (Prop Stylist):

Adrienne Abseck (Prop Stylist):

Momo Attaoui (Chef): Cover,

Betty Barquin (Prop Stylist):

Wayne Harley Brachman (Chef):

Tina Marie Casaceli (Chef):

Tom Colicchio (Chef):

Anne Dawson (Prop Stylist):

Franck Deletrain (Chef):

Alex Dzieduszycki (Chef):

Chris Enright (Chef):

Dave Evans (Photographer):

John Fraser (Chef):

Lynn Gagne (Food Stylist):

Sarah T. Greenberg (Food Stylist):

Justin Haifley (Chef):

Henry Haller (Chef):

Richard Hamilton (Chef):

Lisa Homa (Food Stylist):

Matthew Kenney (Chef):

Marian Laraia (Chef):

Richard Leach (Chef):

Michael Lomonaco (Chef):

Rodney Mitchell (Chef):

Neil Murphy (Chef):

Reid Nicholls (Photographer):

Samia Patel (Food Stylist):

Morgan Poor (Photographer):

Brian Preston-Campbell (Food Stylist):

Marco Runanin (Chef):

Joyce Sangirardi (Food Stylist):

Bruce Schlesinger (Photographer):

Ilene Shane (Chef):

Jason Silverman (Prop Stylist):

Suzie Skoog (Food Stylist):

Kristin Slaby (Prop Stylist):

Micki Stolker (Food Stylist):

Kathy Stromsland (Prop Stylist):

Ben Swanger (Illustrator):

Ian Topper-Kapitan (Chef):

Matt Tuttle (Prop Stylist):

Diane Vezza (Food Stylist):

Brian Watterson (Photographer):

Jay Weinstein (Chef):

Bill Yosses (Chef):

Fran Zaccaria (Chef):

Tarese Zaccaria (Chef):

During almost every commercial-photography assignment in my pre-digital days, one of my major concerns was whether I got the shot before the set was dismantled. No matter how carefully I planned or executed a shot, a wide range of technical problems could arise that were out of my control.

Even for a professional photographer, it is very hard to see an image in a large-format, 8x10-view camera because it is upside-down and very dark. Not only was it very hard to view the image, but because of variations in emulsion from one batch of film to another, I would have to test the film for color balance and fidelity before shooting, and make fine adjustments with filters. That meant the exposure could easily have been wrong. Also, parts of the image could have been slightly out of focus, although they were not intended to be that way. There might have been reflections you couldn't see due to lack of detail in Polaroid test shots or on the ground glass of the camera. There might have been dust or scratches on the film. In a few instances, the lab ruined the film and we had to reshoot entire jobs. And sometimes, clients simply changed their minds and rejected images that had been previously approved.

The solution was to overshootthat is, to take pictures from many different angles and exposuresto cover myself and to have a wide selection of images to choose from. It was time-consuming and expensive in terms of film, processing, and setting up, not to mention cleaning film holders in the darkroom, loading sheet film, and so on.

Note

In food photography, subjects can quickly lose their visual appeal under the hot lights. We regularly use stand-in food for focusing and composition, and then bring in the star dish after all the technical aspects have been determined. Only a few minutes of shooting and bracketing might be available before the star dish fades as well. Ice cream might look great for a minute or two, but it quickly becomes a mess. Shooting Polaroids was necessary for composition and lighting, but it cut into the time available for taking the "real" shots.

As an artist and professional photographer, one of the most important skills I have is the ability to previsualize an image. I can see vividly in my head what the final image will look like before I ever take the picture. Taking test shots on Polaroid film, which was the practice in the days before digital photography, helped me give clients an idea of what the final image would look like, but it was not a foolproof solution. Although Polaroid prints can show composition and lighting, the one-minute chemical process cannot reproduce the color and clarity that can be captured on film. Also, it was very hard to explain to clients how the final image would differ from the Polaroid.

A 4x5 Polaroid test shot taken in my studio almost 20 years ago. Polaroids were useful for lighting composition, but were limited in their ability to accurately portray colors and details in the shadows.

A 4x5 transparency of the final shot from the same setup.

4x5 Polaroid test shot.