Sigma ART 105mm f2.8 Macro
Food photography lens
A short love letter to my favourite food photography lens – the Sigma ART 105mm Macro lens. Pairing perfectly with the high resolution beast that is the Sony A7RIV
I went a year or so photographing food where I was happy with the results. Top down, front on, action shots all sharp and well received by the clients. What I always felt were missing were those dreamy table setting, 45 degree shots which dominate the social media feeds of upmarket cafes and restaurants.
The solution to the problem was a longer lens. While most food photography, especially overhead shots, can be achieved with a focal length somewhere between 35-85mm on a full frame sensor. These shots with their dreamy focus fall off and compressed background require a lens with a little more length. Enter the magnificent Sigma ART 105mm Macro.
The macro capability ensures intricate details of the food can fill the frame with crispy in-focus goodness while the wide aperture of f2.8 gives you the ability the seperate the subject as well as you could ever want with this type of photography.
You’ll need a bit of space to work if you intend to feature part of the surrounds in the frame as the 105mm focal length is quite narrow but the results speak for themselves. Heavily reduced perspective distortion is the key to these shots appearing natural and pleasing to the eye. A narrow depth of field from the wide aperture works in conjunction with this to really highlight the subject.
My experience with the focal length indicates it is an absolute must have for food photography and a great deal more versatile than you might imagine.
All shots in this article were taken by me – Samuel Mahoney
for Outline Creative Adelaide
Extended galleries of my work can be found HERE