One of the best ways to improve your food photography compositions is to shoot tethered. Tethering for food photography means that you are closely observing your images as you shoot on a larger monitor. The LCD screen on the back of your camera is helpful, but it’s pretty small. It’s easy to miss details that you may want to fix during your photo shoot. This post shares how to shoot tethered for food photography where we’ll talk about the benefits, the equipment needed and some quick troubleshooting tips. Let’s dive in!
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Tethering Photography
What Does Tethering Mean In Photography
Tethering photography basically means that your camera is connected to your computer, so you can see your images on a much larger screen as you shoot. This approach is incredibly helpful, because it allows you to catch details that you may need to correct before completing the photo shoot. Shooting tethered helps you get more creative on set, solves composition and lighting issues and helps you develop a more efficient workflow.
Benefits of Shooting Tethered
I used to look at the LCD screen on the back of my camera when I was first starting out. It was helpful to catch a glimpse of the images, but once I got to the editing stage, I would discover things I would have liked to catch during the photo shoot. Even with newer cameras on the market, the LCD screens just aren’t large enough. Once I started shooting tethered, I immediately saw the benefits of it. While it may take a little extra time to get set up for tethered photography, it saves a lot of time in the end.
Larger Screen
The very first benefit you’ll notice with tethered photography is getting to see your images on a much larger screen, such as your desktop computer. You’ll be able to make sure your subject is in focus, experiment with your exposure and lighting, adjust misplaced props and clean up unwanted crumbs, fingerprints and other distracting details before you get to editing. What a world of difference a larger screen makes!
More Efficient Shoots
When you shoot tethered, your photo shoots are more efficient because you’ll take fewer shots. This is because you’ll be able to fix your food images as you shoot, which gets you to the “money shot” much quicker.
More Efficient Editing
I used to take hundreds of images before I started shooting tethered just to be sure I got the shot. This made editing take forever, because I had so many images to review. So, since tethering helps you take fewer shots, you will have fewer images to edit during post production. And, depending on your tethering programs, you’re also able to do some quick edits during your shoot. Needless to say, your editing time is significantly reduced with tethered photography.
Live View
Depending on your tethering software and camera, you’ll get the option of Live View. This is a helpful feature that makes viewing images in real time easy and convenient. For example, you can watch your hands place props within the frame as you figure out your composition before even taking a photo.
Easy Client Feedback
Knowing how to shoot tethered will come in handy for certain types of clients. Some clients will want to be more “hands on” and will want to review the images as you shoot to provide feedback and approvals. So, being able to offer this for your professional photo shoots will make you look like more of an expert.
No SD Card Worries
When you shoot tethered, your computer collects and stores the images as you shoot on your computer. This means you don’t have to worry about your SD cards filling up or possibly failing during your shoot.
Adjust Your Camera From Your Computer
Tethering for food photography allows you to adjust your camera settings and shoot right from your computer. This is a really convenient feature when your camera is positioned in a way where it’s hard to see your settings, make adjustments or take a picture from your camera directly.
Wireless Tethering
Less cables are always a good thing. Wireless tethering basically means you’re able to send your images to your computer wirelessly without extra cables getting in the way. You’ll just want to make sure you have a really good internet connection so your workflow doesn’t get interrupted.
READ MORE ABOUT: WHAT’S IN MY CAMERA BAG
Equipment For Shooting Tethered
Setting up to shoot tethered is pretty straightforward. It takes a couple of extra minutes, which could potentially save you hours during your shoot and post-production. You just need to get the right equipment. In order to shoot tethered, you’ll need the following equipment:
- CAMERA
- COMPUTER
- TETHER CABLE
- EDITING SOFTWARE (Lightroom or Capture One)
- UTILITY CART WITH WHEELS (Optional)
- CLAMPS (Optional)
Tether Cable
Assuming you have a camera and a computer, let’s dive into the tether cable. A tether cable is what connects your camera to your computer. But, not all tether cables are created equal. You need to be sure that you get a tether cable that has the correct camera port on one end and the correct computer port on the other. You’ll also want to be sure you get a cable that is a decent length so you have some flexibility with your setup and the placement of your camera.
Tether Tools
One way to figure out which tether cable you need is to ask Tether Tools.
- Go to tethertools.com
- Click Search By Camera.
- Enter your Camera Brand, Camera Model and Computer Port.
- Then, you’ll be directed to the exact cable you’ll need.
B&H Photo & Video
Another way to figure out which tether cable you need is to ask B&H in their live chat. This is such a great feature to use whenever you have technical questions about products relating to photography and video.
- Go to bhphotovideo.com
- Click Chat in the lower right corner.
- Click Product & Web Navigation.
- Select Technical Question.
- Enter your name, email and your specific question.
Editing Software
The editing software I use for tethering varies between Lightroom and Capture One. They are great editing platforms that work really well for tethering photography.
Utility Cart with Wheels
A utility cart with wheels is optional, but I wanted to mention it, because it has been really convenient for me when I’m shooting tethered. I use a utility cart to hold my laptop. It sits at a decent height so I can stand and work at the computer comfortably. It also has a couple of shelves beneath it to keep additional tools nearby. The wheels allow me to move it around super easily too.
Clamps
Clamps are optional, but I use them to help with cable management. I simply will clamp my tether cable along my light stands to avoid the cable from getting in the way of the photo shoot. Just be sure to get clamps that will fit the diameter of your light stands.
Troubleshooting Tethering Photography
Sometimes your camera and computer simply won’t connect, despite having the right cable and everything seeming to be “as it should be.” It can be really frustrating because food is so time sensitive and connection issues will hold up your photo shoot workflow.
Here are some quick and easy troubleshooting tips to try just in case you run into any issues with your tether cable not properly connecting your camera and computer.
- RESTART YOUR COMPUTER
- TURN YOUR CAMERA OFF AND BACK ON AGAIN
- CONNECT YOUR CABLE TO A DIFFERENT PORT ON YOUR COMPUTER
- TRY WITHOUT A MEMORY CARD IN YOUR CAMERA
- TRY WITH A FRESHLY FORMATTED MEMORY CARD IN YOUR CAMERA
- TEST A DIFFERENT TETHER CABLE
I hope this post was helpful for you! If you are considering getting started with shooting tethered for your food photography, you definitely won’t regret it. Reach out with questions any time and be sure to follow me on Instagram!
Happy Creating!
READ MORE ABOUT: MY SIMPLE OVERHEAD SETUP FOR FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY
This post may contain affiliate links which means if you click or make a purchase, I might make a small commission (at no extra cost to you). I only promote products and equipment that I actually use for my photography business. Your support helps me continue to produce educational content about photography. Thank you!
All images ©Regan Baroni 2022.
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