I'm a decent cook. Plating skills...not so much

ksmyrl

It really doesn't matter much. Nearly everyone I cook for showers compliments. I know some are just being nice. I need plating and presentation help. So...help. 

Here is tonight's pork tenderloin cooked to 145 w some roasted Brussels. Delicious but ehhh on the photos. Am I over thinking the importance of presentation?

TechsasJim

Some say you eat with your eyes, well if I’m going to a high end place yes.   

You, sir, seem to make good tasting food and I’m sure you are not charging folks.   With this I say let the food speak for itself.    

The only thing I would say, since you’re seeking advice, is to thinly slice that pork and make the plate look more full.  

Otherwise we’ll done.   

Photo Egg

Most importantly, it’s only important if it matters to you. 

There are some good online videos on food photography.

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+photograph+plated+food&prmd=isnv&sxsrf=ALiCzsaZL3x55rw7At3e8hitvDSlFt9s_A:1660265572461&source=lnms&tbm=vid&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjZoredi8D5AhUEnGoFHcjIDGAQ_AUoBHoECAIQBA&biw=375&bih=536&dpr=3

Photo above…zoom in and fill more of the frame. Zoom, don’t just move in closer with wide angle lens. Take a couple photos at different angles and different heights. Then go back and pick your best shots. Spend 30 seconds on your best shots to adjust them as needed. A slight crop, color or brightness adjustment can go a long ways to improving a photo.

Botch

ksmyrl said:

It really doesn't matter much. Nearly everyone I cook for showers compliments. I know some are just being nice. I need plating and presentation help. So...help. 

Here is tonight's pork tenderloin cooked to 145 w some roasted Brussels. Delicious but ehhh on the photos. Am I over thinking the importance of presentation?

Back when I was plating for what's-her-name, I upped my presentation with garnishes, like a smattering of chopped parsley or green onion.  On the plate above, those would get lost on the brussel sprouts, but two halved cherry tomatoes, or a single slice of purple onion, would pop visually.
Or, you could go upscale and take a soda straw, blow some bubbles in a half-shot glass of heavy cream, and present Smoked Pork Tenderloin w/Crema Foam (and a sprinkle of cayenne, a la Chef John).  
A tiny glass dish with some kind of dipping sauce also looks nice (again, with a color contrast against the green, like ketchup russian dressing.  

RRP

no offense meant…OK? But I honestly believe attractive plating is really an artsy fartsy thing meaning it comes naturally and not learned or faked! Otherwise as long as you have become a great cook then THAT is what really counts!

ksmyrl

I hear ya @RRP. I think so too. Just trying to up my game. Thanks yall...

poster

Some kinda sauce zig zagged across that would get my attention. But if making for myself i would not be concerned about any of that

littlerascal56

Blues Hog comes in a squeeze bottle. Drizzle some across the pork and plate…and it will transform it into a “work of art”!  And make the pork taste awesome to boot (it’s addicting).

Florida Grillin Girl

Just adding on to what Darian said, check out those pics, and I think just make one beauty plate for your photo... who cares what the other plates look like, as long as you like it and it tastes good! Just keep doing what you are doing!!

GrateEggspectations

I think presentation and the cook itself can go hand in hand. Making a meal more interesting for the mouth often organically results in a more appetizing looking meal. 

Your cook looks great, but the incorporation of other elements into the meal would automatically up your plating game, while also and more importantly elevating the taste and texture of the cook - roasted sweet potatoes for the colour and contrast with the rest of the meal and a balsamic glaze drizzled on the pork, for example. Even adding a crispy element to your Brussels sprouts such as toasted nuts or crispy bacon would not only enhance the flavour, but implies texture and gives the meal more dimensions for a photo. Also, if wanting to cut the pork to show the interior (aka the “cross-cut”), I think I might have been tempted to cut a number of thin slices and splay them out like a fan. I think that would have been more artful and purposeful than simply cutting the chunk of pork into two big halves. If you want to get obsessive about it, I would also suggest using the old restaurant trick of using a kitchen towel or paper towel to wipe and crumbs, debris or excess juices from the plate, such that it looks clean and crisp. 

As with any photo, don’t forget the importance of lighting in capturing your masterpiece. 

My plating game is nothing to write home about, so all of the above should be taken with a very big grain of kosher salt. 

Langner91

The picture needs a fork!  Maybe with a brussel stuck to it.

I am usually too drunk to nail the plated picture.  By the time it hits the plate, I am lucky if I remember to take a shot.

BTW, I love pork tenderloin and brussels!  One of my favorites!  I usually have some sort of rice side with it.  Putting the tenderloin on top of a little bed of rice (wild and brown) would add some contrast.

White plates are hard to photograph, too.  I agree with the comments about a little sauce drizzle to break up the white plate.

Good comments on this thread!

fishlessman

pay attention to my plated photos and you will learn what not to do. im an expert at taking lousy photos

caliking

ksmyrl said:

I hear ya @RRP. I think so too. Just trying to up my game. Thanks yall...

I disagree. You can absolutely learn how to plate your meals better, by learning some basics about food photography. Some attention to lighting, and composition, will make a big difference. 

Some very good points have already been made above. I would add that checking out food/cooking magazines or websites will give you some ideas. Then you just cook, and take a bunch of pics to practice!

lousubcap

I definitely have nothing to offer here.  But good for you to seek to raise your game.  

Mark_B_Good

Sprinkle some parsley around the plate, add a dab of apple sauce on one side, a curved line of hot mustard on the other side, a a twig of rosemary over those brussel sprouts and you will have a designer dish. 

Legume

Wood plates and huge manly knives really set a meal off.

RRP

caliking said:

ksmyrl said:

I hear ya @RRP. I think so too. Just trying to up my game. Thanks yall...

I disagree. You can absolutely learn how to plate your meals better, by learning some basics about food photography. Some attention to lighting, and composition, will make a big difference. 

Some very good points have already been made above. I would add that checking out food/cooking magazines or websites will give you some ideas. Then you just cook, and take a bunch of pics to practice!

I hear you, Doc, but I still believe what I said about the artsy fartsy factor still is a major natural part of the equation.

ksmyrl

Great comments yall, thanks so much.