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Vineet
Hello and welcome back to Photosynthesis Individuals podcast where I talk to some of the best photographers and videographers in India about the art and the business side of photography and videography. Today we have with us Mr. Arts and Actions slash Mr. Tadke Baaz. These are his two Insta accounts and we are going to talk all about food photography today. Hi sir, welcome to the show.
Sphurti Saagar
Hello, thank you.
Vineet
Thanks for joining us. So a little bit of history, you’ve been doing this for 10 years plus. Now a lot of good photographers, I have seen them, they started with Instagram about 6-7 years ago. What was it like 10 years ago? How did you get into this?
Sphurti Saagar
YAH!
Sphurti Saagar
Hatcha!
Sphurti Saagar
Basically, this all started when I used to design things for people. Basically, my background is engineering and I used to do designing. I do building also. I used to design logos and various kinds of literature. So, what used to happen is that sometimes we needed this.
I couldn’t get images readily available. I couldn’t get what I wanted. So, at that time, we started a restaurant in Pune. The design concept was mine. It was 011 Spicy Chaska. It was my entire Delhi food.
So when we were designing the menu, we were getting the images we wanted. So I started doing this photography for that. And from there this food photography bug entered me. And from there we started it. And then that menu card was so good that many hotel owners used to come to us. They made the menu very well and people used to come to see the menu card. So everything went on like this.
Vineet
I think.
Sphurti Saagar
I was interested in it and I had my own hotel so I had a lot of things available there. So different food, different dishes were available. So that’s how it all started.
Vineet
amazing.
Vineet
So people were coming to you to see your menu
Sphurti Saagar
I mean, you can’t beat but my food quality was also very good. So, that… Yes, okay. So…
Vineet
I am not doubting that But did someone tell you to do mine too?
Sphurti Saagar
I did it for many people. So, it happened that even if you can do it professionally, you will become a source of income. But it was my passion. I was not adamant that I wanted this much, I will not do this much under my budget. There were small people. There was a player who used to play Chinese. He said that…
Vineet
professional can be sure.
Sphurti Saagar
They knew me through the staff. I used to do their work too. I used to do it like this. I used to get noodles and soup from the Chinese restaurant. I used to get a few items and then I would get my photograph. I used to do it like this. When we closed this hotel, because of some reasons, after that I…
I started cooking myself. I learned it. I mean, I practiced it. And then… I started photographing it. I am a very good chef. I make good food. So, I started cooking and photographing it. That’s how it started.
Vineet
Like we were discussing in the morning, I saw your Instagram profile and got hungry. I wanted to go and have lunch right now. I was working peacefully till then. I was like, no, I want to have lunch right now.
Sphurti Saagar
Okay. Oh. Yeah. Okay.
Vineet
It’s quite amazing, we will link your handles to it. It’s quite amazing photography. You are saying that you have made all that yourself. Or most of it at least.
Sphurti Saagar
Hehehe
Sphurti Saagar
Most of the food products will be caught out in the food, like biscuits or sweets made by mom and sister. But it is mostly homemade food, not imported. So this is all homemade food. Otherwise we do food photography outside too.
Vineet
So we do external photography but we don’t put it on this channel.
Sphurti Saagar
Mostly I don’t put it in because it is my own work and I don’t introduce it in that.
Vineet
So you are, in fact, you will come to this later. You are one person and I don’t mean this in a bad way, but you are not putting much effort on social media. I am putting effort.
Sphurti Saagar
Amen.
Sphurti Saagar
No, I didn’t do this. A friend of mine said that if you are an artist, you like it, it’s okay, but others also like it. So how will it reach them? Then I started my Facebook account.
Vineet
But you didn’t see it from a commercial angle.
Sphurti Saagar
No, I have never done that. I have never done promotion and all that.
Vineet
It’s interesting because I have seen many people who think that it’s important that I’m a photographer so I won’t promote myself on Instagram non-stop. But honestly, it works well for some people and doesn’t work for some people at all. You’re actually the first one I’m seeing who said that I have work and my life is good. If I put it in, I’ll put it in for myself.
Sphurti Saagar
Uh huh, uh huh.
Sphurti Saagar
Now.
Sphurti Saagar
I don’t bother about the likes I get, I don’t care if I get a lot of likes or not. I don’t care. I don’t care about that. I do industrial photography also. I work for many big brands.
Vineet
I am coming to you for meditation lessons.
Vineet
Oh.
Vineet
That’s quite amazing. But sticking to food photography, how have you seen things change in the last 10 years? You started this in 2010, 011 Spicy. That’s been 13 years. Did you start with a… Back then, phone cameras were also very dirty. So you must have started with PSLR directly.
Sphurti Saagar
Mm-hmm.
Sphurti Saagar
Ha ha ha
Sphurti Saagar
Yes, but at that time Nokia launched a phone called 808 mirror. It was a 41 megapixel camera and it was so beautiful. I think that phone came in 2011 and the price was 35-40 thousand rupees. Yes, yes, yes. I was the first customer.
Vineet
That was a legendary camera of that time. I remember I’ve talked a lot about it on Reddit.
Sphurti Saagar
I was in Pune when the launch happened. I pre-booked and called them.
Vineet
Even now, when I talk about cameras on the photography forum, PureView will still come up. That thing is never recreated. Even in the 108 megapixel, 160 megapixel, I don’t know what it’s called. It will never recreate. And fake moon. Samsung’s fake moon comes into my phone. I will zoom 100x and Samsung will put the moon photo on my camera from its server. It’s amazing.
Sphurti Saagar
Bye!
Sphurti Saagar
Ney Wala
Sphurti Saagar
Ha ha ha.
Sphurti Saagar
Atchoo!
Sphurti Saagar
Okay.
Vineet
It has been proved that they are doing something fraud. But, I feel that the moon looks amazing. So, how have things changed? What was your journey equipment wise?
Sphurti Saagar
Oh.
Sphurti Saagar
Hmm
Sphurti Saagar
Earlier I had some digital cameras, I used to use Olympus as well. My first camera was Olympus.
Sphurti Saagar
After that I shifted to Nikon. Then I started using DSLRs.
Vineet
So tell me, since you are coming at this from the position of a love for food, that is how you got into this? Not out of a… Like the food came before the photography for you. Right, you opened a restaurant and then you were forced to go into photography and then you were like, this is good, I am enjoying it. And I am getting work, this is great. Right, but you started with a love for food before you started with a love for photography. Right. So…
Sphurti Saagar
Huh? Yes.
Sphurti Saagar
Ha.
Sphurti Saagar
Yeah.
Vineet
If someone is entering, how has that love for food impacted the kind of photography you are doing? I mean, what impact does it have on your photography? Does it make a big difference that you started here? No, food is my first love.
Sphurti Saagar
It makes a big difference. When I started, I didn’t know much about it. So, I started to improve my knowledge. I have a background in painting. I was interested in color combination. So, what is the difference with whom?
Sphurti Saagar
Here, red chillies are kept and in contrast, green and green chillies are also kept. So, this kind of experimentation used to happen. So, slowly, there were many changes in it. Then we learned from our mistakes that what to do where. Now, what used to happen to me is that I have to take a photo of coffee but that bubble…
disappear. So then we used to mix some soap water in the photo. So bubbles would appear from above.
Vineet
But which is again what we were discussing in the morning because you started with a love for food Now these reels that we see, someone is putting a fevicole in a pizza cheese Something is being done, like a bolt is being downed to the pizza so that one slice comes out and the rest doesn’t You were very clear that I don’t do this
Sphurti Saagar
Yeah.
Sphurti Saagar
Yeah, yeah.
Sphurti Saagar
Yes. I don’t do it normally. Because basically, you said that I love food photography. So I don’t mess with it. Show what you have but show it in a good way. And what I mean is, for example, we have kept a samosa.
Sphurti Saagar
So how to put the chutney and how to cut the samosa from which angle I had recently taken a photo and named it as murder of a samosa So… That was cut
Vineet
That is the first thing on your Insta profile. We will share that. We will show it on the screen. That’s it.
Sphurti Saagar
It is not on Instagram now. Yes, it is not on Instagram. In that, the red sauce, the sweet sauce, it was like lying in the pool, it was lying in the pool, it was lying in the pool, it was like lying in the pool,
Vineet
I said to you.
Sphurti Saagar
Like suppose we think about the murder of a samosa, what should we see in it? So we put this here, that there, placement is very important. The props you use, whatever it is, different ways, you are using something, you have to sprinkle something.
Sphurti Saagar
Palakalik Perikesan.
Vineet
So I am not even a foodie but as a layman, if I see one of your photos, I know that the photo works as a whole. It is, I guess, so what is, to you what is the higher purpose of food photography? I would think it is very clearly that the one who is watching should stop eating right
Sphurti Saagar
No more.
Yes.
Sphurti Saagar
Yes, absolutely. My friends would say what to eat today and then they would go and eat my food. This is also possible.
Vineet
So any other purpose, this is the sole purpose. The photo should not be like this, that you want to eat it now. Is that how you look at every photo that you…
Sphurti Saagar
Yes, yes, yes.
Vineet
And now in this too, the industry is there is a high end hospitality industry. There is a very commoditized industry that you know, cover five restaurants a day. Like Amazon has done for product photography, Zomato has done for food photography. This is your contract. Rs. 1000, go and cover five restaurants today. Cut, cut, cut.
Sphurti Saagar
Mm-hmm.
Sphurti Saagar
Got it.
Sphurti Saagar
Kanti Link.
Sphurti Saagar
Yes, I don’t enjoy that much. I mean, there is a person who works to earn money, and you have to put pressure on him, and you don’t get the results. Sometimes what happens, I prefer, normally in photography, I prefer natural light. So for that, if I don’t get the location, then you…
Vineet
It seems ki…
Sphurti Saagar
There is a small area in which they do artificial lighting and they need output immediately. So there is a little bit of that. I am not much interested in that. I do what I can.
Vineet
There is nothing wrong with it, it has become the commoditized commercial side of it which is nothing wrong, the movie is good work but it just seems that the time and effort of creativity is more
Sphurti Saagar
E-commerce
Sphurti Saagar
I am not interested in that. If they are paying well, then it is okay. Otherwise, there is no fun in it.
Vineet
Peace out.
Vineet
Because I know people who, if you look at their Instagram, their creative side is separate from their commercial side. They know that this is where I get my work, they are very clear. My work is coming from here and my creative side is on the hobby side. You have managed to combine the two.
Sphurti Saagar
Nah.
Sphurti Saagar
Hmm.
Sphurti Saagar
Bye.
Sphurti Saagar
Yes, yes.
Vineet
So on this, but again, how has your side of the industry changed over the years? Like what kind of clients do you see? How have they evolved? Do expectations increase? Do they also say to make real?
Sphurti Saagar
Sometimes I get samples of my own product. So they send me the samples. They took a photo of my food and posted it on Instagram. They said that I should get it. The food is good on a budget.
Sphurti Saagar
So, even if I get paid, I still look good. So, that’s how it is. Many people are like that.
Vineet
So, if you have any such client, I will not do this. I can’t do this.
Sphurti Saagar
Basically, it is about the budget. If you want quality and if you are not giving time, and the budget is also very much a constraint, then what do you think, you can take such a photo. Then I said, you also take it, you have a good phone, so you can take it. It doesn’t happen like that, so I refuse it.
Vineet
In fact, I read somewhere two weeks ago that one of them, Swiggy Zomato, is experimenting with AI photos for his restaurants. So what’s the point?
Sphurti Saagar
Yeah.
Sphurti Saagar
I don’t know about other AI’s Yes, yes, yes It happens in many places What you see in the menu It is not their own There are many restaurants Images are downloaded I have so many people who download images from stock photos
Vineet
No, there’s no food left. You’re posting a computer generated photo. You’re eating food from somewhere else.
Vineet
photos yes.
Vineet
So, on the shoot day, what are some things you end up doing to make the food itself photography comes on technique, food itself, what do you do with the food to make it look as fresh and as appealing as possible.
Sphurti Saagar
Basically, I think, what I am saying is that you have to take a picture of the lentils. So, if you bring freshly made lentils, then the freshness of the food is visible. If it is still in style, then there are many variations in the color. So, the first thing is that the food is fresh. So, in that, you mean to say that in looks,
you can see how fresh it is. And then there is styling. Food styling. So, this is a different genre. Food styling. Only food stylists are different. They will come and do styling and I will go and expose that thing. I will do my photo and then I will do my photo.
Sphurti Saagar
But in my case, I don’t do foot styling. So I don’t need anyone outside.
Vineet
So, what is this food styling? We will give some examples of what exactly a stylist does.
Sphurti Saagar
landscape.
Sphurti Saagar
If you are keeping food, like lentils and rice, then how do you keep the food you are using, like the containers, or the rice you are keeping in the empty space? That is where you start, basically from the shape of the plate.
Then if there is only lentils or tadka, then how will the chili angle look good? Or things like that. Then with that, there is only lentils and one bowl of lentils and one bowl of rice. So that also doesn’t look good. So along with that, I put a little green coriander or some onion, lemon, chili, that. So what color is in it? Sometimes I keep onion of vinegar, sometimes something else.
The food that comes with the food will be more alive. For example, if you look at a normal Dal Kaffir, you will find the Dal, rice, all these ingredients. You will get a nice green color. It’s a good picture. I do it myself.
Vineet
So, you do this yourself.
So how much time do you have before the food starts looking old and tired?
Sphurti Saagar
Huh?
Sphurti Saagar
Actually, I make food and then I have this session and then I go to eat and by then the food gets cold. So this is the norm with me. But it is okay because you have made tandoori roti and till you finish your photography and go to eat, it will be cold and it will not be enjoyable. Such things happen.
Vineet
Hahaha!
Sphurti Saagar
It takes half an hour to one hour to prepare the food. But if I have in my mind that today I have to do photography of this thing, I can use props and all that, I can do all that preparation. And then finally the food comes, then we just put it into the plate and then it is shot. Yes, yes, yes. Serving trays, bowls, then what is the background?
Vineet
Crops in terms of serving trays, bowls, etc.
Sphurti Saagar
what will be the backdrop, which platform will you use, what is the rustic background, it is different. So, people ask me, what are these wooden blocks that you have collected? They are different. I think I know all these things. What are you carrying around? So, that is the feeling.
Vineet
And if you want to do it for the client, let’s say someone says that I have a new restaurant I am launching it and it is North Indian style I want to get it photographed Before you actually go on the shoot day, what kind of questions do you ask? What do you try to figure out? What happens?
Sphurti Saagar
Yeah.
Sphurti Saagar
Yeah.
Sphurti Saagar
Normally, we have to photograph something that is vegetarian or non-vegetarian. Because I am a vegetarian guy, so I can do photo shoots.
Normally, we don’t have to photograph Chole Bhature So what we did with Chole Bhature was We made it like a photobooth So we removed the S from the Chole film font and added a C And we put Bhature under it And there was a punchline in it too, from the heart to the heart So…
Sphurti Saagar
And there was our own photograph of Chole Gormure. So people would come there and take photos of Chole Gormure. So you ask him what are the things in the menu, what kind of photograph you want to take. Accordingly, sometimes I carry my own movie, some accessories etc. So after taking all that,
You can go there and see the location, the indoor and outdoor and then you can set up props and background and so on. I generally prefer natural light. Otherwise, where it is not possible, you have to use artificial light. So in that, I mean…
Vineet
And lighting wise, what do you typically carry?
Sphurti Saagar
There are many varieties of this. There are many varieties in wine nowadays. So, the normal…
Sphurti Saagar
with the tripod and all that take all the results and then arrange the lighting as per your requirement in which you have to see the shadows that from where and how to place it that is highlighted in the photograph whatever is the foot so after seeing all that
It comes from practice and then other people’s tutorials are available You can see everything on YouTube It is also available on YouTube
Vineet
So if someone wants to get into food photography Let’s suppose, yes this is a combination I love food and I love photography and someone wants to get into it and they think that yes I want to explore boundaries creatively and I want to earn I want to make a career in this So what should I do? So one is the education part Any references that you have in mind from YouTube that you have seen
Sphurti Saagar
Mm-hmm.
Sphurti Saagar
Yeah. Mm.
Sphurti Saagar
Correct.
Vineet
Everything is there on YouTube, but not specific.
Sphurti Saagar
Yes, there are many photographers. I have many followers on Instagram. But there are many people in their photos, not from India, whose photos are hardly 20-25 likes. But their quality is amazing. But they are…
It doesn’t matter if I have the same problem. Our work is the same.
Vineet
Instagram has proved that quality and popularity are different things Some of the popular Instagram channels are very good, they are amazing But exactly as you are saying, there are some very obscure channels where there is so much content They don’t know how to go viral, why they are doing it
Sphurti Saagar
So yeah, there’s more to it.
Sphurti Saagar
Yes.
Sphurti Saagar
I don’t know anything, I don’t do anything.
Vineet
I don’t know how to read numbers. We are struggling with our social media accounts to find out how to read numbers. This is life. So, any specific references if you can give, they will be great. We will add them on show notes.
Sphurti Saagar
I will definitely tell you about him. I have a follower, he is Sardar ji from Lucknow. I would like to mention his name because he is a very nice person. When he writes his Instagram posts, his stories are very long and he cooks amazing food. He is a biker.
Sphurti Saagar
His Instagram is chefinlockdown I am his sister He cooks very well His photography is also amazing and his knowledge is also You should definitely talk to him
Vineet
special lockdown.
Vineet
I think if I follow them, my weight will increase. I think so.
Vineet
and then it sounds like he is a good storyteller also Amazing, amazing, yeah, we’ll add a link in the notes So this is education Secondly, one is the very commercial market again these apps and small restaurants How should they go about getting work? Because again social media has become too crowded
Sphurti Saagar
Yes, yes, yes. Yes.
Sphurti Saagar
soon.
So you get that reference and you have to prove that you have it. Like if a client comes to me and sees that I have it, he says where is yours. Generally, everyone asks me these days, tell me your website, what is this, your web, where is this. So we do it after seeing that. So if you have an account on Instagram, then start it. You develop that thing in it.
Who’s this?
Vineet
So this is what many photographers have said Whether you are using Instagram to promote yourself That portfolio is yours, that’s important
Sphurti Saagar
Ha!
Sphurti Saagar
Yes, yes. So you should have a portfolio. There are different varieties. There is pizza, burger, daal, dhaba food, pakoda, street food. You can explore all these varieties of food.
And then finally, you have to search for it or you can put your food photographs on it. Like Google searches, you can do it on that too. I have not done it myself, but I want to know. So, I mean, you can do it on that. There are many social media platforms where commercials are just dialed or there is a registration.
If you want to do it commercially, then you have to do these things.
Vineet
Now, last I’ll ask you from a client perspective. I’m setting up a restaurant. So one is of course the food itself. Right. That too is quite like… Okay, I get what you’re saying that butter chicken and naan, there are many ways to make it stand out. Right. Second is the interiors. How are they? Even from a restaurant side, the market is very very… crowded.
Sphurti Saagar
Okay.
Sphurti Saagar
Get it?
Sphurti Saagar
Yeah.
Sphurti Saagar
Yes.
Vineet
There are a lot of restaurants, people are being bombarded by ads from all over the place. What should I as a restaurant do to help the photographer make my restaurant stand out?
What preparation should I do? What should I discuss with the photographer? So that the final output is amazing.
Sphurti Saagar
So your main focus is on presentation. Because here your presentation will stand out as much as you like. So like we… Yes, yes, yes. Yes.
Vineet
But I left the presentation to the photographer or the stylist. Let’s say, this is my restaurant and the rest is in your hands. What else can I do to make sure that you also have the best shoot of your life and give me fantastic results?
Vineet
Will five clients coming to Tadke Baaz end up with identical results or does the client also his preparation make it difficult?
Sphurti Saagar
Yeah.
Sphurti Saagar
No, no, if I do it identically then it becomes a pattern. If I take a picture of lentils, I know that it is good from this angle. Or this preparation was good. So I will not give that for every photo. If I use it once then it is done for me. There is no point in using that style again for any client. You will have to experiment and you will have to give it away.
Vineet
Hmm.
Sphurti Saagar
Otherwise, it is just a copy and paste job. I have seen what I have done before. This is what happens in the photography industry. Referral shots are called.
Sphurti Saagar
Like modeling, or wedding shooting, they search for the same image on Google. They search for the same image on Google. This trend continues, but reference shots are of good use. They should definitely be seen. But I won’t give the same. If I have 5 clients, I will give them 5 different shots.
Jyoti.
Vineet
And how much is the atmosphere of the restaurant in your photos? Leaving food, background…
Sphurti Saagar
We have to see that. Because if we want to show the ambience of the place, then you should have a proper mean of showing the ambience of the place. So that the food and the ambience of the place is visible, and the furniture and other things are visible. So that richness is visible in that. That yes, this is very nice. Correct.
Vineet
and it should contribute to the photo rather than being like ok, I have shown the sofa and the dal but it should contribute, it should go well together
Sphurti Saagar
Yes, yes. So, that angle was more important. How you are showing it from that angle. Now, you do street photography too. I had gone somewhere in Karnataka. There was a guy there, making small and big medus. So, I shot him. That girl was very happy. She was showing it. Then I was shooting with my phone. So…
Sphurti Saagar
I saw the pan, the man and the food. And that became a great street food photo. So, the rest of the environment is also visible. That is also there. And the second thing is that if you want to focus only on food, arrange the food and shoot it.
Vineet
And how much your idea is before shooting and how much you decide that this will look amazing. It should be like this.
Sphurti Saagar
Actually, they know that we have to start shooting this product today. But when you go there, you will know that there are other things here. So, you will get something like pickle or a plate. So, all that happens at an instant.
Vineet
And since it’s a colour game, you could even decide to bring a flower vase here. It’s better.
Sphurti Saagar
Yes, absolutely. And the more colorful the food looks, the better it looks. So, a lot of knowledge is needed. Otherwise, if you place something anywhere, the color combination won’t look good. You can’t just put everything together. Decorating a salad plate is also an art. So, there is a cutting in it.
Vineet
So it is very important to study the color palette.
Sphurti Saagar
It’s not like you have to cut the chili, then how can you cut the chili? This is also a way. So, the chili that you will keep on the dish, the vegetable that you are garnishing, all these small things are left. Meaning, where are you using the leaves, are you using curry leaves or mint leaves, all the options that are available. So, according to the dish, we do all these things.
Vineet
Amazing, amazing. Thank you so much. I don’t have any other questions. Any other advice you would have for young people trying to get in there? I have got enough. It’s been quite amazing.
Sphurti Saagar
The more you experiment, the better it is. And one thing is that if you are a foodie, you get a lot of things to eat in restaurants. And you get it without paying with love. Yes, absolutely. So, yes, there are some perks of that.
Vineet
And free samples, when you come home, free samples of sweets…
Amazing.
Vineet
Yes, thank you so much. Thank you. Mr. Arts and Actions. Maybe I will refer you to Handel and Mr. Tarkhebaz. Thank you for joining us. This was a great discussion on all about food photography. Thank you guys for being with us and stay tuned for the next one. You are of course able to see us on YouTube or here on Spotify or any podcast platform. Thank you. Bye bye.
Sphurti Saagar
Thank you. Thank you, sir.
Sphurti Saagar
Thank you so much.
Sphurti Saagar
Thank you. Bye.
Vineet
Perfect.
