Giedre Barauskiene is a freelance photographer and stylist. Based in Vilnius, Lithuania, she worked as an Editor-in-Chief in several Lithuanian magazines for women before pursuing a career as an editorial and commercial food photographer and stylist. She contributes as a food editor and photographer for one of the most significant Lithuanian fashion and lifestyle magazine “Moteris” @moteris for now. Also Giedre is a several cookbook author and photographer.
What backdrops are you using?
Usually wood, cloth, painted cloth – they are my favourite backgrounds. I love textured backgrounds. Sometimes I use paper. I don’t want the colour of the background or backdrop to contrast too much with the colours of the food I am shooting. Every time my eyes are looking for something new for the background or backdrop. During my journeys, especially being abroad, I catch myself staring at beautiful textured walls and doors which I would like to bring back home…
How do you start with styling?
Sometimes spontaneously and it usually happens when I work for personal projects. Love this feeling – not to be restrained by rules, just follow your nature, intuition.
Commercial projects are planned and this part of my work I accept as training myself. This experience guides me and lets me achieve better results even though I imagine I work spontaneously.
When I shoot a hot dish, I prefer to have my set prepared. I make some testing shots with an empty plate looking for a better composition, angle and framing in advance.
If it is not a hot dish, I can improve the scene for hours – it gives me satisfaction. This improving doesn’t mean overdoing the set, to me it means making it more natural, simple, not boring.
It’s easer to take pictures of sweet dishes than hot dishes, meat and fish dishes. That’s why so many accounts on Instagram are dedicated to cakes and other sweets.
What is your focus with styling
All the time a feel of the inner dispute between minimalism and not minimalism, old stuff and modern things. So every time I try to find the balance and harmony between contraries.
Love both – high key and low key.
For many years I worked as an editor-in-chief in several Lithuanian magazines for women. During that time I collected a huge and rich background as a viewer. Now I am enjoying creating pictures myself.
My two daughters are my models;-)
What props do you often use?
Prefer calm, neutral or dark colors, natural materials. For dish styling I can use a modern brand bowl or unique handmade ceramics or a dried monsteras flower which naturally has a bowl shape. Or I use my grandma’s antique plate. It all depends.
I already have a big enough collection of different props.
Witch light do you work (daylight/artificial)?
I am a daylight photographer. Light plays the main role in every picture – it makes the picture alive.
The daylight is volatile, sometimes unpredictable and not easy to control but only in very critical situations I use studio lighting which I find more and more interesting to me.
What camera and lenses do you use and/or tripod?
My camera is quite old – Canon 5D Mark II. Thinking about getting a new one. The main two lenses I use – 50mm/1.4 and 24-70mm/2.8. Tripod – Manfrotto.
Which program to edit your photos?
More often I use Photoshop but sometimes I work with Lightroom as well.
Tips and tricks?
* After many photo shoots I proven to myself that a white agro cloth is a very useful tool – it perfectly serves as a light filter. You can use several layers of them.
* While shooting food always remember that the hero is the dish (or the product) and not the props even though they are very beautiful, new or antique, rare or trendy. They are only assistants, they can help to complete or to destroy the picture.
* Find the beauty in imperfection, do not try to eliminate the human factor from the picture: not identical size of cookies or slices, crumpled cloth, etc.
* If food in the photograph looks good that’s great but if it looks beautiful and tasty – it’s perfect.
*If take a picture for a magazine think about the place for the text on it.
*Don’t miss golden hour without making a capture.
Do you want to follow Giedre?
Instagram: @giedre_barauskiene
More behind the scenes..?
@flourgirl
@ofearthandink
@joorkitchen
@foodlove
@daileygreenspiration
5 soorten dark moody fotografie
Dark, moody fotografie, je ziet het steeds vaker op Pinterest en Instagram.
Het brengt een hele andere sfeer mee dan wit, lichte fotografie styling. In deze blogpost leg ik uit hoe je dit kan bewerkstelligen op 5 verschillende manieren.
1. Gebruik zwart karton om het licht te beïnvloeden.
Ik heb om oude hout blokjes zwart papier getaped. Ook gebruikte ik mijn zwarte piepschuim en een grote doos die i mijn studio stond. Zie je hoe je het licht hoeder kunt beïnvloeden? Het zijn eigenlijk kleine invloeden geen grote studio equipments.
Let ook op of je de deur helemaal open zet of op een klein kiertje.
p.s. wat vind je van mijn galette? So easy om te maken en zo geweldig lekker!
Dark, moody photography, you see it more and more often on Pinterest and Instagram. It brings a whole different atmosphere than white, light photography styling. In this blog post I explain how you can achieve this on 5 different ways.
1. Use black cardboard to the light.
I have to old wood blocks taped with black paper in different sizes.. Also I used my black styrofoam and a large box that I have in my studio. You see how you can influence the light? The are actually small influences, no major studio equipments. Also, please note whether you put the door all the way open or a little bit open.
p.s. What do you think of my galette? So easy to make and so awesome delicious!
2. Dark moody fotografie door zwarte achtergrond
Deze foto is genomen tijdens een van mijn Product Fotografie workshops, gestyled door een deelnemer.
Ze gebruikte mijn zwarte canvas backdrop en dit creëert al een hele ander setting dan een lichte backdrop.
Speel met je knoppen van je camera en creëer die moody look. Mijn instellingen hier waren:
Fuijfilm 18-55 mm
ISO 100
F 5
1/125
Het daglicht kwam van rechts.
2. Dark moody photography by black background
This picture was taken during one of my Product photography workshops, styled by a participant. She used my black canvas back drop and this creates quite a different setting than a lighter back drop. Play with your buttons of your camera and create that moody look. My settings here were:
Fuijfilm 18-55 mm
ISO 100
F 5
1/125 The daylight came from the right.
3. Gebruik tegenlicht
Zie je hier hoe ander licht dit is dan zijlicht? Het roept gelijk bepaalde gevoelens en associaties op: binnen, knus, warm, rustiek. Dit draagt bij aan de storytelling.
3. Use back light
You can see here how different light this is than sidelight? It calls equal certain feelings and associations: inside, cozy, warm, rustic. This adds to the storytelling.
Bij onderstaande foto heb ik de foto nog iets donkerder gemaakt in Lightroom. Niet alles maar bepaalde delen.
In the picture below I have made the picture still slightly darker in Lightroom. Not all but certain parts.
4. Editing in Lightroom
In Lightroom kun je zoveel meer met de foto. Let er trouwens op dat je in RAW schiet. Dan kun je er veel meer uithalen in Lightroom.
Wat heb ik bij deze foto gedaan?
– Ik heb de hero=taart meer belicht. Licht trekt de aandacht. Toevallig heb ik ook een aardig witte cake standaard dus je ogen trekken er automatisch naar toe.
– Ik heb onderaan de foto een gedeelte onderaan donker gemaakt. Doordat je bepaalde aspecten donkerder maakt trekken deze minder de aandacht. Ik doe dit met de tool “Gegradueerd filter” en pas het aan met de belichting knop (Het is dat rechthoekje met puntjes eromheen bovenin je tools).
4. Editing in Lightroom
In Lightroom you can do so much more with the photo. By the way make sure you shoot in RAW. Then you can take out much more in Lightroom.
What have I done in this picture?
-I have the hero (= cake) more exposed. Light attracts the attention. Coincidentally, I also has a white cake standard so it draw your eyes automatically.
-I have created a section of dark at the bottom of the picture. This makes less attention at the darker aspects. I do this with the tool “Graduated filter” and customize it with the exposure button (it is that rectangle with dots around it at the top of your tools).
5. Hou het licht tegen
Kijk waar het licht vandaan komt en plaats houten platen tegen het raam. Hier gebruik i mij zelfgemaakte backdrops. Je kunt ook verduisteringsstof gebruiken of gewoon een donker gordijn dicht doen en een kiertje open laten. Kijk waar het kiertje licht op valt en speel er mee.
5. Block the light
Look where the light is coming from and place wooden boards against the window. Here I used my homemade backdrops. You can also use black fabric use or just close a dark curtain. See where the little light falls on it and play with it.
Wil je meer leren over dark fotografie? In mijn workshop Fotografie & Foodstyling en in de 1 op 1 fotografie coaching kun je hier meer over leren.