5 Indianapolis Food Photographers You Need to Know

Indianapolis' creative community is ever expanding, and that includes a strong line up of food photographers. From bloggers to commercial photographers, the talent here is supplying us with a lot of eye candy and I can't complain.

What I love most about food photography is the variety of styles, lighting and composition that can convey a story about the food experience. What are you trying to communicate with the photo? Is it a mouth watering burger, dripping with cheese and garlic aioli - tailored to encourages viewers to high tail it to your restaurant? Or perhaps an image where the morning light dimly shines on a rolling pin, aside a rising sourdough - conveying the labor of love put into a fresh baguette. There is so much character and emotion that can be built into these images. Not to mention, the technical expertise required to bring them to life.

I interviewed five photographers in the Indianapolis area that are blazing the trail and telling an amazing story with every image. Take note, and read on for an in depth look at their experiences and what drives them to craft some truly beautiful work. Fair warning, you may be hungry by the end of the story.

Martina Jackson

Well of course I would be remiss to not chat about my own love for food photography and a little bit of what I do at Drea & Co. As most of our readers know, I’m a long time foodie and I keep my camera in tow whether exploring new restaurants or curating product photography for commercial clients and partners. My equipment of choice: Canon Mark IV 5D with my 24-70mm lens.

I provide commercial food photography services to restaurants, publishers and food & beverage brands. I have recently been published in the Staples +5 cookbook, by Tanorria Askew. I’ve also been kept busy working with Edible Indy, as well as other authors and food brands in Indianapolis and across the US. You can check out my latest food flicks by following along on The Blog or by following my foodie hashtags #eatswithdrea #drinkswithdrea over on Instagram. Here’s a quick look at a recent commercial shoot done for MOTW Coffee & Pastries (Muslims of the World). You can also view my food photography portfolio at www.eatswithdrea.com and reach out for any needs.

Dave Pluimer

What made you interested in food photography? Cooking for myself and my family is really important. And, the idea of eating with one's eyes first really hits home for me.

Pots de creme from Rene's Bakery in Broad Ripple. Studio lighting.

Belgian waffles and blueberries. Studio lighting.

Tell us about your work and your favorite types of recipes to capture. Cooking was a big thing for me growing up. Both of my parents cook and do it really well and made a point to teach me. I really enjoy baking - I enjoy the process. So, breads and cookies are amongst some of my favorites. Anymore, though, I am always thinking of taking a picture when either me or my wife is working at something in the kitchen.

Recently, I have been fortunate to work with a couple of local businesses that specialize in baked goods - The Cake Bake Shop and A Taste of Amish. I love our local food scene in Indianapolis. I consider myself fortunate that I get to help show others how great our local businesses are and drive customers to them.

I was a finalist in Photo District News' TASTE food photography competition last year. I was really excited about that, also. The work that is submitted there is so great and I felt lucky to be a part of it.

Concept image of the dynamics between eating healthy and draw of junk food. Studio lighting

Do you eat all of the food you shoot? Nearly always. But, when it comes to sweets, I will often simply buy things only to shoot them. It's funny how often I think of the things I buy as subjects first and food second these days.

Lauren McDuffie, of Harvest and Honey

What made you interested in food photography? My interest grew from my love of both food writing and recipe development. I started my blog Harvest and Honey a few years ago as a way to grow my freelance writing career and focus a bit more on a subject about which I am truly passionate. Food has always been such an interest of mine and I started my blog as a way to explore it from a writer's perspective. But what I didn't expect was how much I would fall in love with the aesthetic side of the project. I quickly realized that people like to look at the food that they're reading about, and I felt like I needed to put more effort in my photography and styling to cater to that. I got my first DSLR and just really took to the whole process - both the actual styling of the food as well as the photography and editing. I've found that food photography can be many things, and for me, it is a way to support the narrative of my blog. So, it's not really about "food porn" so much as it is a way for me to create a feeling and to maybe make people feel what it might be like if we were cooking and sharing the meal together. That goal - of storytelling and creating a sense of memory and mood - is what keeps me constantly interested and inspired in food photography.

Does your photography include professional projects? Personal blogging? Please elaborate. Yes. My photography is almost exclusively used for my blog, but that extends to posts and work I shoot for clients as well. And my book (Smoke, Roots, Mountain, Harvest - to be published). That's a huge photography step for me, and the biggest project I've tackled yet.

There is so much diversity in lighting and styling for food photogs these days. What is your style? What are you shooting with? My style is decidedly moody. And rustic. And I think kind of romantic. I genuinely love food and cooking, and I think I tend to romanticize my shoots as a way to convey that. They're not supposed to look like my actual kitchen - they're intentionally very styled to portray a feeling. I tend to gravitate toward darker, more brooding setups with low lighting and shadows, as I think darkness can highlight a subject just as well as bright light can, sometimes more. I also think the shadows play well into my vintage style and help to suggest the notion of a memory ... a time that once was, leaving a bit to the imagination. I focus more on lighting and composition than anything else - even more than making the actual food look good - because again, I think those are the most important elements in any photo. As for my styling go-tos, I love me some negative space and I tend to adhere to the rule of three (groups of things look better in threes or in odd numbers). Also, I think perfection is overrated and that there is real beauty in the imperfect ... it's just more interesting.

I shoot with a Canon 6D and my favorite lenses are a 35mm 1.4, 50mm 1.2, and 100mm 2.8 macro.

Pretty Brown Vegan

What made you interested in food photography? My passion for food photography truly stems out of my love for food itself. I’ve always loved to cook, and, naturally I’ve always loved to arrange my food on the plate in a way that makes you want to reach out and eat it. Once I started my Vegan Food Blog, Pretty Brown Vegan, I discovered that I was pretty good at photography as well and I’ve been steadily building my photography skills as well as my blog simultaneously.

I grew up around a family of good cooks, men and women; as a result, I’ve had a passion for cooking most of my life. About 2 years ago I began transitioning towards a vegan based diet and launched Pretty Brown Vegan soon after. My goal is to transform the traditional dishes we all know and love, and, show that you can enjoy them in a healthier way. I am currently enrolled in Culinary Arts School. I attend The International Culinary School at The Art Institutes.

Any cool projects you are dying to tell us about? I recently launched a vegan meal pop up service for the 2017 fast. I dropped a new vegan menu every week for 40 days and delivered the meals around Indy. It was amazing and I plan to launch another one soon! Stay tuned.

Can you tell us something about your favorite setup or maybe your go-to lens to get the perfect shot? I’m currently switching back and forth between my beginner camera, the Canon T3i, and my new baby, the Sony a5100. When shooting I typically opt for a basic cutting board or white surface as a background; this gives me the opportunity to focus on the beauty of the food itself and let it shine. Natural lighting is always my go-to lighting, and, its free! On gloomy days I use umbrella lights.

Do you eat all of the food you shoot? If I could, I would! I have family that lives nearby and stalks my social media to find out when they should have their plates ready, lol.

Anything else you would like to share? You can download my Pretty Brown Vegan App in both the Apple and Google Play stores to stay up to date with all of my recipes.

Duane Grant, of DFG Media

What made you start working in food photography? Traveling and exploring new places with my significant other was a really big part of it. I travel frequently on business, so the opportunity to try new food comes up a lot. I began capturing all of the memories of the deliciousness, and things took off from there.

Do you shoot primarily for yourself or for professional work? It's really a hobby that has turned into a profession. I've been taking photos casually for years, starting back when camera phones became popular. I had the flip video...one of those Cool Pix point and shoot cameras. I started taking things more seriously when I purchased my Cannon Mark IV. After losing that (editors note: gasp!), I appreciate it a lot more now. I have quite a few projects in the works these days that I am really excited about.

What are you working on now? I've been working with a private chef in Indy - we've created videos chronicling his preparation of unique dishes. I've been having a lot of fun and eating good food in the process! I also do a lot of sports photography and videography, so I've got some things keeping me busy.

Would you call yourself a foodie? Oh yes. It's a requirement in my contract that I get a plate of what I'm shooting. I'm dead serious.

Heather Schrock

Tell us about your favorite recipes to create and shoot. I have always enjoyed cooking, but I haven't always challenged myself. In the past, I tended to stick with tried and true recipes and ingredients that felt safe. But often they aren't the foods that are intriguing in a photograph. So I decided to step out and begin cooking more so I could attempt to photograph the foods I thought were beautiful. I will admit, I enjoy baking more than cooking. Nothing is as fun as shooting a well-curated cake or stack of cookies.

Does your photography include professional projects? Yes! Right now I shoot for a food magazine in Indianapolis and I also shoot stock photography on the side. I also occasionally shoot content for small food creatives. I don't blog at this time, but I have been toying with the idea of starting that up again as an outlet for my love of writing.

Tell us about your photography style! My style can range from light and airy to rather dramatic and dark. It kind of depends on what my client is searching for. But overall, I would say my style very much emulates film. I love simplicity and I tend to work really hard up front to understand the food I'm capturing and have a vision so I'm getting it straight into the camera. I don't like having to tweak in post, so most of my blood, sweat and tears is in preparation prior to shooting. If I can do a one-click edit or tether and capture a shot straight through my film presets (mostly Porta 160, pushed two stops), with little to no post, I feel like I have done a good job. I shoot with a Canon 5D Mark II, and any simple 50mm lens, it doesn't have to be fancy. My favorite lens, however, is a Canon L series 1.2, 50mm. My favorite setup is a simple backdrop, clean underlay, a two-stop diffuser in a window with direct sunshine, and a black foam core board opposite the window to absorb some of that light. That setup seems to provide a lot of good texture, preserves midtones, and gives gentle shadows. Love it! (editors note: so do we!)

Food And DrinkMartina JacksonJuly 10, 2017food photography, photography, indianapolis, indianapolis photographer, canon photography, nikonComment