Photographs of floating food look quite spectacular and, at first glance, seem difficult to execute. However, photographer Skyler Burt, founder of the We Eat Together channel, shares one easy way to create such photos. All you need is a little time and patience.
As an example, Skyler decided to create a photo of a sandwich tossed on a plate. For this, he used two poles with a fishing line strung between them. First of all, a fishing line is stretched above and below, marking the boundaries of the entire structure. Then the other levels are evenly distributed, after which the cooked food is placed on the fishing lines. Skyler finishes off the composition by placing additional props like jugs, spice jars, and other utensils on the table.
The technique consists in making three frames. The first picture is made with the food structure and additional props. The construction with the food is then disassembled and, without changing the position of the camera, a second shot is taken. Additionally, a shot is made with the plate in hand, which will simplify further post-processing.
Next, all the frames are loaded into Photoshop and pre-color-corrected, then they are layered on top of each other and layer work begins. A mask is added to the top layer and all the fishing line on the left and right side of the photo is erased. Then, using the Clone Stamp Tool and Patch Tool, a more detailed edit is made with the removal of some of the fishing line remaining on the products..
You can learn more about the process of creating a sandwich from Skyler Burt’s video, which is available at the link:
youtube.com/watch?v=97S4N_wUMns
Can you please share some tips or techniques on how to create the stunning effect of food floating in a photo? I’ve seen some amazing pictures where the food appears to be levitating, and I’m really curious about the process behind it. Is it achieved through photography tricks or is there some post-processing involved? Any advice or step-by-step guide would be highly appreciated!