Learning Food Photography with Mark Floro

I feel like I'm the luckiest person on earth right now. I always wanted to attend a decent food photography seminar but the thing is., its quite expensive. Thanks to my good friend, Aron Lim, i got in for free! He invited me on a  food photography seminar by one of the best advertising photographer in the country no other than Mark Floro! The seminar was made possible  by the joint efforts of the  members of Accenture Photography Club. 

I always look up to Mark because his photos are really good most specially in shooting food. He is a master playing with highlights and shadows. His Halo-Halo shots at Chowking is very beautiful!  His photo with the syrup dripping down slowly from the leche flan is really awesome... He's also one of the best when it comes to architectural and product photography! 

There are some interesting facts about Sir Mark. He graduated with a degree in political science! But he really wanted to be a photographer and he followed his passion. He went to the states and finished a degree in advertising photography at Art Center College of Design  in Pasadena California. One of the biggest school of design in the states. He is a frustrated painter, just like me.. and he doesnt know how to photograph fireworks! but he can google it anytime he said :)  He believes that light is the key factor to any means of photography. Know how to control it and he assures you, you will make wonders in your photos.  

    

mark discussing about advertising photography

Mark uses continuous lights in most of his photos. He said you should light the subject according to your intent. Always look for the strong "point of view" on your subject. Then make it sharp and properly exposed. Theres no such thing as good angles. It really depends on the food. Lessen the props. Shoot the food dead on. As much as possible shoot the food with the whole plate then leave the cropping to the editor or the client or give your own cropped shot later. Always shoot RAW and tethered whenever possible. Use a booster cable (A-Ten , available at Octagon) to connect your camera to your computer.

mark floro's popular strawberry dip shot. 

When doing food photography, one must provoke an emotion. That ooohh.. that ahhhh, that yummmm. It should be there! To the point that you will still love to eat the food even if you're already full! Mark gave us a great tip when handling  a food presentation with client. He said, deprive them of food. Never schedule a photoshoot after lunch! Talk to them when they'r hungry for sure an ordinary photo will definitely look good!

it doesnt have to be expensive

Some of his photography stuff can be found almost anywhere! These two jugs of water are his weights for his tripod to make it sturdy. Very ingenious actually because if you gonna buy weights for your tripod and  lightstands, for sure it will cost a lot.  

a very unusual flag that came from an endangered animal

He showed us this feather and it came from a monkey eating eagle! (or eating eagle monkey..monkey eagle eating..mark blurted). He uses this one to flag or block the light from its source creating beautiful shadows onto the subject. 

insulation material as reflectors

When shooting food for a client, you must remember one thing, you should always hire a professional food stylist. The photographer and the food stylist should work hand in hand. The food stylist actually creates your photo. Thats why the food stylist must be really good if you want to achieve quality photographs. If not, you will just glorify horrible looking dishes! Mark's food stylist is his wife Linda who owns an Itallian restaurant called  Buon Giorno in Tagaytay.

styling for the on the spot photo contest

Always remember to "implant an idea" to your client. Follow their desires, give them the shot that they want. Make the idea that comes from them. Then give them your own version.  Show it to them side by side. Giving them choices and variations. Food photography is always about texture. Always focus on the texture. Show those highlights and shadows standout. Those will make the food more interesting and look more 3D-ish.  Mark has a hard time shooting siopao because some siopaos lacks texture and it has no details except for a red dot on top of it (pink for asado). I asked where's the best place to put your light? He answered, its best to put it at the left side of the food.

one of our demo food which is sitting for quite some time. 

This is one of the many dishes photographed at the seminar. Mark asked who wants to volunteer with the food styling and I just raised my hand then said "Me!"  

went to handyman to buy some stuff

We even had a little fieldtrip at the hardware store and CDR-King to buy some stuff for a DIY studio lights. He showed us that it doesnt have to be expensive to make a good continuos light set-up. In less than 500 pesos, we already have a decent lightsource out of ordinary household fixtures and cables.  Then at the end of the day, he raffled all of these stuff to the participants. So nice of him.  

Judging the photos. 

We had a on-the-spot photo contest. The members are grouped into 3's and they were asked to shoot different kinds of dishes. Mark asked 4 members to be the judge. My friend aron told me not to join the contest and be one of  the judges intead. Why not :). Photos were really good but there can only be one. It was a unanimous decision and we picked group number 4 with their amazing shot of the Tamago and sushi rolls. 

Accenture Photography Club

We had our group picture taken at the end of the day. Im so happy to be a part of this workshop. It was actually a whole day event! I was there at 9am and the seminar ended at 8pm. I learned a lot from the seminar and I really appreciate it. Many thanks to Aron for inviting me. I met new friends who has the same passion as I am. It was an honor to be here. 

with THE Mark Floro, an ambassador of light

Of course ! I wont go home without a photo with sir Mark Floro! Like I said, he's the guy that I look up to not only because of his talent but also with his great personality. He is really a down to earth person and he's very easy to talk to. Photography is his passion for quite some time and he really knows what are the ins and outs of the photography business. He teaches advertising photography at Philippine Center for Creative Imaging or simply PCCI in Pasong Tamo. 

some interesting facts : 

• 600 Million photos are uploaded on facebook everyday
• Mark Floro has a degree in Political Science
• You should learn how to talk to a "mayabang" person
• Sigma is Mark's first camera before using canon
• According to Mark, the best camera would be a Canon body with a Nikon Lens and with a Sigma sensor .
• Shoot with One Light.
• Diether Ocampo took 40+ takes on that "cheese stretch" sequence on a pizza hut commercial
• Never shoot 50/50 on your food.
• Minimize the use of photoshop.
• 100% of the photos in advertising is edited
• Warm, neutral colors. always.
• shoot tethered
• Your food stylist creates your photograph.
• Draw an imaginary line for your shadows
• Rule of Thirds
• Use Selective focusing
• Lemon, Calamansi on bananas will prolong oxidation
• An ice cream stylist's talent fee - 9,000 pesos per scoop
• Add some of the ingredients on your photos but not to many.
• Implant an idea to your clients.
• Ask yourself, what are your intentions in shooting this particular subject.  

What a great day for photography. =) Thanks again sir Mark for the knowledge! It was an honor to be part of your workshop. I hope someday I can attend your classes in PCCI. Visit Mark Floro's official website at www.markfloro.com

2012 Ensogo Halloween Party

 Time flies so fast its like a blink of an eye, November is already knocking and the amazing people of Ensogo celebrated their annual Halloween Party at the Ensogo office in Bonifacio Global City. Last year's party was fun specially with the traditional trick or treat with the kids. But this year was really something!  

The decorations were awesome. Balloons were everywhere! They also hired a professional party host for the kids. There were games, magic tricks and face painting!

And of course! It aint a party without food! The HR department prepared some delicious meals for the kids and for the adults alike! I love jake's "band-aid" which is basically  graham crackers + cream cheese + strawberry jam. simple and delicious!

Kidshad a great time with an overload of candies! From the games and also from the magic tricks, they surely had fun! I actually enjoyed it as well! 

But the real highlight of the party is the costumes and the masks! The production team's awesome masks were really amazing! All that gore, blood and carnage. Amazing creativity!  

 There were interesting ones as well! The research and yield management team had their interesting crayon costumes! Very creative! I love it!.

 But EJ's mask / costume is pure effort! Made from paper mache using paper towels, white glue and acrylic paints, he made this really disgusting, rotting masks that looks so real! He belongs to the right department! Good job EJ!

Nikos and Anne's masks are scary as well! Specially Anne's!Look at that teeth and the hair! Its just scary!  

Also with this kid with a really nice darth vader costume! I always wanted a mask like that! 

 I would like to congratulate the Marketing department for winning the 1st price in the annual Halloween party presentation. Last year was from the production team's great effort in making the haunted house hat. This year its the guys from Marketing who bagged the crown . Good job guys! Sunshine's costume is just amazing!

Sir Win's mask is inspired from the movie "Chucky"! Awesome mask as well! Very creative!

 This year's Halloween party is one for the books! The kids really enjoyed it. The decorations were awesome. The effort poured to make the masks and costumes is just phenomenal. Everybody is a winner actually. I went home at around 2 am already because i have to finish all my product shoots in preparation for the long weekend. I just locked myself up inside the studio with some house music and a couple of beers. What a great night!

A Vision of Grandeur : Waterfront Hotel and Casino Cebu

I am probably one of the luckiest people on earth to be invited at one of the most prestigious  event this side of the country called A Vision of Grandeur : A Fusion of Fashion and Technology at the newly renovated lobby of Waterfront Hotel and Casino in Lahug, Cebu.

The event was so prestigious. People came with their best cocktail dresses and suits. The prominent people of Cebu flocked the grand lobby. They enjoyed the soothing music of the band playing at the middle.

Armed with violins and cellos, these guys played really good music. Very relaxing, very soothing to the ears kind of music which usually i dont normally hear in my everyday grungy life. 

French born pastry chef , Daniel Lagoux and his group of executive pastry chefs  showcased their wonderful creations. There are a wide selection of pastries! Choosing which one to eat first is a tedious task. A lot of them is on bite size so its really easy to eat!  Everything is mouthwatering. Every food is intricately designed  and crafted. Its just so unbelievable the effort making it is just remarkable!   

This one is really good. I apologize I dont  have the name of this pastry and what it is made of but i tell you this one is wickedly delicious. Same goes with the 1st food photo, the combination of the strawberry, blueberry and the mango with a whip of chocolate is just phenomenal... Its bursting with flavour i cant describe. Its really good!  

In every party, theres always a favorite..and this one is one of them! The Chocolate Fountain! This looks lovely and very delicious. They have different kinds fruits and marshmallows on the side. Dunk it in and feel the chocolate rush!  

I grabbed the opportunity to take a photo of Chef Lagoux. I was hesitant at first but what the heck. He seems to be a very nice man. I asked for a photo and he deeply obliged. He told me to wait one moment, then he grabbed a plate, placed on some of his creations and posed. I dunno if he's psychic or what because thats the poze that i actually want him to do. He holds the honor of receiving the “Maitre de Gout” (Master of Taste) award from the Corporate Chefs of America.  It was an honor meeting him. 

While munching with some gourmet food, i looked up and noticed these huge murals on the ceiling. Very interesting actually. It kinda gave me that feel that i jumped into a different time zone or something. Not only the ceilings interests me but the furniture, the structures at the hotel. Its really upscale. 

Once your in the area, it will instantly give you that first class sensation. That aura and the atmosphere of such exclusivity penetrates deeply under the skin. Such a wonderful feeling.  

  

The cutting of the ribbon is high tech! With a press of a button, theres an animated graphic of a red ribbon being cut projected at the walls of the hotel. Honorary guests were Gov. Gwen Garcia, Cong. Cutie del Mar, Mdme. Mariquita Salimbangon Yeung and Department of Tourism Region 7 Director Rowena Montecillo.

General Manager Mr Alfred Portenschlager gave his opening speech and welcomed everybody at the event. He's such a nice guy. Upon arriving at the hotel, he greeted each one of us which is very unusual because I rarely shake a hand of General Manager of one of the biggest hotel in the country. In his speech, he spoke about the changes that went through the hotel. The huge renovation of the lobby. The upgrades in interior design and technology of the hotel. Hiring international executive chefs.. all of these were all carried out for the benefit of the hotel's guests. Giving them the experience of grandeur.Which indeed I felt!

Even the uniforms of the hotel staff is not the ordinary. The uniforms were designed by world renowned fashion designer - Mr. Rajo Laurel! Wow!  

Short after the ribbon cutting ceremony, the fashion show began. Highly acclaimed fashion designers showcased their works of art at the runway. 

 Beautiful collections by Cary Santiago , Edwin Ao , Jun Escario , Oj Hofer , Protacio Empaces and Philip Rodriguez grazed the runway leaving us all in awe.  

After the fashion show, the guests enjoyed the rest of the night at the brand new hotel lobby as the band plays on top with some jazzy tunes. I also had the chance to mingle with the members of the media who were there with us.Also, I had an opportunity to speak to Sir Alfred.   

He told me about the vision of grandeur not only with Waterfront Hotel and Casino in Cebu but also the other Waterfront  hotels around the country. He plans to renovate the hotels in Davao and also in Manila - which is the Manila Pavillion. This is just the start. He wanted to give that 1st class  feel to the hotel's guests. A delightful experience grand enough for everybody to enjoy. World class amenities, world class service, truly the characteristics of the best hotels in the world and you will find it here at Waterfront Hotel and Casino in Cebu.    

I would like to thank Waterfront Hotel and Casino Cebu, most specially to Sir Alfred. It was such an honor. Also to Ms Maui of Manila Pavilion who invited me for this grand event. She even made a way to let me bring Abby to the event. Thank you so much Ms. Maui. Also to the staff of Waterfront Hotel, from the ladies and gentlemen at the front desk, to the concierge, and to the shuttle drivers, they are very nice. Awesome service indeed. Thank you so much. Also to Abby, for the continuous love and support. 

Even though the trip was fast and short, it was quite an experience. Me and Abby had a great time. Till next time! Again, Congratulations to Waterfront Hotel and Casino Cebu.

Digital Photographer Philippines Anniversary Party!

The Digital Photographer Philippines, the best photography magazine here in the Philippines held its Anniversary Party at the Bonifacio High Street. The event was attended by so many photographers and photography enthusiasts alike. Young and old, im sure they had a great time. Its information overload actually but these knowledge is what i need to perfect my craft as a photographer. Im happy I have been a part of this wonderful event.Even though the weather is scorching hot, i dont mind the sweat, its all worth it. I would like to thank Ms. Rose for inviting me at the event. I arrived early at Boni High Street. As early as 7:45 AM. I anticipated the huge volume of people who will attend and luckily I did because when I arrived theres already a long line at the registration. After signing in, I immediately bought a DPP shirt! Not one, not two, but three different DPP shirt designs! I always wanted to have a DPP shirt. I even planned make one for myself. Coz of this event, I already have the authentic DPP shirt. And I  have it both in Black and White :) 

Right beside the Canon booth, there was a yellow mini cooper parked in front of the tent. I stayed there for a while then suddenly a gorgeous model arrived and started modelling beside the mini. I had the perfect point of view coz i was the first one at the scene. Boy, photographers flocked like mad crazy. Firing, shooting away.

 

I saw her actually when I was buying a cup of double vanilla latte at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf early that morning. I didnt knew she's modelling for the event. She's pretty and she has this glitters on back.. hmm.. hey.. i was at the line and i was just behind her ya know! My eyed just glanced at her..

They call this the "Group Hug" where all the participants gather along for a one big photo op. After two shots, I instantly went on top and took a photo of my own. What a view! I always wanted to have a photo like this when i saw it on DPP. Photography is shared by a lot of people and many embrace the beauty of photography and the beauty of this profession. If you love taking photos, you are welcome to join this one big group hug... well only by name, they didntt really hugged each other...

My first lecture was with Jo Avila. He is a pro photographer and he is one of the best food photographers in the business. I was so lucky to be at the front rows of this lecture. He held his lecture at the Mango Tree Bistro and they served three dishes. He showed us that food photography can be simple and being not to extravagant on gears. All you need is a kit lens, yes, a standard 18-55 f/4 lens will do. Its light, you can shoot close at the food, it can be sharp at a certain aperture (like f8) and you can achieve creamy bokeh at its widest. The best thing about the kit lens, its usually comes free with your camera. :)

Jo is using a Sekonic Flashmate L308 to measure his desired settings before taking the photo. He uses this device as a baseline, making it easier to set the right aperture and shutterspeed that you will use on your camera. Its an essential tool because it cuts work time in an istant! I need to buy one coz i chimp most of the time.Taking a lot of shots before I get the right exposure. These things are accurate. You can just oveexpose or underexpose from your baseline reading whichever you like. It also makes you look more.. professional looking according to Jo. :) He quoted "Dont underestimate the power of Porma.." 


Essentials when shooting food according to Jo Avila : 

• choose the window. Natural light is always the best
• Use P mode sometimes. 
• Highlights and shadows are keys for a great photo. 
• The ISO on the light meter should match the ISO of your camera
• White Balance - Cloudy
• Shoot in RAW
• Transcend SD Cards has a data recovery software that you can download
• Buy a small mirror for those reflections 
• Some blue tac to hold the mirror

Now here's the secret! Jo told us that you dont really need to buy expensive gear to capture great food shots. You dont even need a soft box or even a tripod! All you need is an assistant, your flash and a remote trigger to fire it up and a sheet of bond paper. Yeah bond paper! It acts as a very useful diffuser that when you put it closely on top of the dish, the light envelopes the food once the strobe is fired. But the first thing you should do is never fire your strobe in front of the the camera (using the pop up flash is a mortal sin!). Put your strobes at the back, on the right or left but never at front. Putting the flash in front gives you a flat photo making it not interesting. Putting the light at the back gives you the highlights and the details making the food more enticing and delicious. Also, shoot a portion of the food , and as much as possible dont shoot the whole plate, or the table coz you are not selling the plate, the spoon, the fork.. you are selling the food and that should be the hero of the photo not anything else. Also, never shoot food top view.. (oops...i sometimes do that and probably not anymore).

The lecture with Jo Avila is lot of help for me since im really interested in food photography. I learned a lot from him and watching him work is amazing! "One shot, One Kill". He takes photos really good and he's fast! Experience is the key. When you know what you are doing, you will definitely do wonders. Thank you sir Jo for all the tips and tricks on food photography.

I never seen personally a 400-600 mm f/4 lens in my entire life and yesterday not only i saw one, i gave it a try as well! I went to the Nikon booth and and tried this 500,000 peso monster lens and it just gave me goosebumps! This is a photo of Ricky Ladia and Jigie Alejandrino way way far from the booth. What an awesome lens. Ricky and Jiggy had a lecture on  Portraits and how to use Strobes, wether it may be speedlights or studio lights all fired up by an amazing brand called Phottix. =) Hope someday, Phottix will sponsor my gear as well hehe. They just have this really amazing line of wireless triggers, studio strobes that other studio equipment. 

I cant help myself taking  a photo of the model's shoes. Those heels are sooo high! Isnt it hard walking on those?

Ricky demonstrated where the photographer should position the model. The photographer  should always consider where the shadows will land on her face. Shadows and highlights are very important in portraits. Well, in all aspects of photography i guess. The masters showed us how to do it and they are really good. 

After Ricky and Jiggie's lecture, I went to the Nikon tent to listen to Lito Sy. He's one of the best Wedding Photographers  here in Asia, and probably in the world! He won a lot of International Awards with his and tell you, he is definitely one of the best out there. His post processing skills are outstanding and its really inspiring to see someone as successful as Lito Sy. Travelling around the world doing workshops..doing photography as his first love and getting paid top dollar.. I saw a quote before that says, "If you dream of something that you wanted to be, you are already halfway there"So dream it, Have a goal. Who knows it may come true. 

Lito said, its important to focus on your subject and nothin else. Close your eyes, and open it, what do you instantly see. Where does your eyes lead you?? You should emphasize on that and mind the details and crop out the unnecessary things.

Meet Val Rodriguez. He is the chief photographer for Philippine Star. At the age of 60 plus, he has many awards under his belt. He is a Pultizer Awardee - the most prestigious award any photojournalist could ever have. He showed us how dangerous, how hard being a photojournalist. There are times, he only sees his family three times in a month and everytime he goes on location, he wouldnt know if he will ever come back alive. He's been to the frontlines in basilan..in scarborough.., went to afghanistan...seen a lot of action. He is the official photographer of the late Ninoy Aquino.   He was also assigned as the official photographer of the late President Cory Aquino. He is also a National Geographic photographer and his photos grazed the covers of the popular magazine... He is also a photographer from Associated Press or simply AP. What a photography resume!

Val told stories of his work... his experiences and even his work flow at Philippine Star. Its a hectic job really. He told us, during film days, they have to develop their photos in a minute. They will get two rooms, one to sleep in, one to be converted into a dark room. Now, its much faster. With the technology now a days, in just seconds, he can submit his photos for editorial, wherever he may be. He is a devoted Canon user and he has the lenses that he needs. From the long ones to the wide ones. Same goes to his team of photographers at Philippine Star. The lecture kinda went emotional when he reminisced the Maguindanao Massacre. Few of his fellow photographers died in vain there..Saw the actual photos of the massacre and it was scary..Life of a photojournalist is always on the line. Thats why, you got to give them with such respect. Here, he is with fellow Canon ambassador Bong Donato.

Keynotes from Val's Lecture :

• One Situation - three kinds of shots 
• Establishing Shot (usually the original situation shot)
• Medium Shot (cropped usually)
• Detail Shot (zoomed in, detail enriched)
• Back-up your photos always. Play with the backed up photos not the original. 
• Photojournalist literally sleep with their cameras
• They should always have a photo of every event. No excuse. 
• Never say 1,2,3 when taking photos...instead say " Cheese!!" or "Kabayo!!" then hold ur breath for 2 seconds then shoot. 
• The best professor is yourself. Experience is a great teacher.

The much awaited Carwash babes is starting! After Sir Val's lecture, i headed instantly to the mob of photographers at the middle of the street. Carwash babes is on going. My point of view sucks that literally i have to climb a truck to get decent photos of the girls but failed.. :( Look at that crowd! 

I just have to get close..I went down and joined the crowd. Live View is much of a great use right at this moment. 

Its Crazy! I love this photo! Lot of details, stories that the photo is telling. You can see the car, the girl, the mob of photographers at the background and an L lens on the foreground. You can just feel the intensity.

After the carwash babes, I head on to the Canon tent once again. Pro Fashion photographer Raymond Isaac showed us his work and gave us tips on fashion photography. He said, a photographer must do the exact opposite of the other photographers do. Thinking out of the box.. Read a lot. Imagine a lot. Be creative. Dont be afraid to ask questions. Theres money shooting male models...

Raymond brought along Jinri Park as his model for the lecture. He said its important to have this connection with the model. Talk to her.. make her comfortable. He also said that, models are not psychics, they dont read minds.. so as a photographer, make them do what you want., what pose or where the model should position herself

Ask nicely. Be polite.  Dont be rude. Dont ever say "You dont look good at this... at that dress" but instead tell them " I FEEL., this one is much better.." If the model has her/his own opinion, respect it.

Never hold the model as much as possible. But if you must, never hold the model's hand. Its kinda akward. Hold her wrist instead. Dont hold her back as well. Raymond never holds the camera when he positions the model. He leaves it on the table for a while then once the model is ready, thats the time he picks up the camera and shoot.

Hearing these tips from Raymond is really a treat for all the budding fashion photographers out there. Raymond Isaac is a great artist. A visionaire. He does wonders with his camera..Again with experience and practice, those are the keys in becoming a good photographer. Thanks to Jinri Park for posing for all of us.

Abby is around the area as well. She had a make-up shoot with maffi who is studiying make-up school in Burgos Circle. After class, they went to Boni High Street and wow.. My girl Abby looks really gorgeous! Nice job with the make up Maf! They went along with Noel, Maf's boyfriend and we had dinner at Aria.

Meanwhile at the Nikon Tent, Manny Librodo shared some tips in capturing his awesome portraits. I went to the Nikon booth once again and used the 600mm f/4 lens. That lens is just outstanding... its so  sharp even at high ISO (ISO 1100). 

Bumped in with Edge of Light Photographers Xander Angeles and Niko Villegas with his ladylove Kate.  Thanks to Spam for taking the photo.  

Xander and Niko had their lecture near the Phottix booth. They shared how they got into the business. How to become a really good fashion photographer. The importance of doing things you love and make the most out of it. These guys do photography almost everyday. They value their work so much. Xander said, you should believe with what you can do. If you are good, believe in yourself. Market yourself.

Before i end my super long blog, i just want to share this photo of the Nikon D4. This is like, holding a dream...its in the palm of your hands...but then again its a dream, if you wake up its gone. I want that camera someday..or.. the Nikon D800. Hopefully someday i can have one of those without disappearing. 

I learned a lot today. But one thing seems to be the common denominator among these masters of photography, they dreamed to be  a master. They dreamed to be the best. They practiced, worked hard and shoot everyday until they perfected the craft just like riding a bike. I pray someday i can be one of them. Not only to be as good as them, but also to become a great photographer who can affect change from my photographs. Congratulations DPP! I really had a great time. Happy Anniversary!