Creating a new web page to make the Google Gods Happy

Creating a new web page to make the Google Gods Happy

Ranking high in Google search results is everything.  That is why I created a new web page for my Food Photography web site.  I did everything right (I think)… I hope I do not upset the Google Gods. 

Google is like a moody spouse

I call Google my other spouse because (like it or not) I am married to it; I need Google. I call her moody because you never really know how your actions will affect your organic ranking with her.

May the Google Gods not get angry with me

 

Indeed, at any given time, other competitors are courting her in order to take my place.  I am constantly fighting these seducers by grooming my content.  That said; Google has expressed a willingness to penalize sites with over optimized content.  Therein lays the confusion; where is the over optimized threshold? 

A year ago, I created a food photography page for my web commercial photography web site.  Visually it looked good, but I knew it would never rank well. The page was a template I found on the web; it demonstrated ALT tags nicely, but it was limited in its ability to denote volumes of written content.  Because Google likes content, this page hindered my ability to communicate and rank well; a change was required.

So I just created this new web site. I did not do anything intentionally to over optimize.  That said, I am put good stuff in my page’s design to rank well (relevant URL name, meta title, description, H1 tags, Backlinks, key words, etc).  I try to SEO with taste; but I am terrified that I will piss off Google if I do something wrong! 

And indeed I have some content relevant to two product photography sites, so yes I will shamefully admit that I did recycle some content but it is truly at a miniscule level.

I lose sleep at night because I worry that Google may pooh pooh my attempt to signal the search engines.  For example, this article already has two backlinks to the same web site to facilitate the reference.  Will I get in shit from the big guy for back linking it more than once??? Does it look spammy to Google?? Dang if I know! 

 

Comments are appreciated!

Toronto Chocolate Photography – Toronto Food Photographer

Toronto Chocolate Photography – Toronto Food Photographer, a photo by Toronto Product Photographer & Food Photography on Flickr.

I spent a whole day shooting delicious chocolates made by a culinary artisan at the Trump Towers. These chocolates make Laura Secord look like a Kit Kat (no disrespectin’ yummy Kit Kats). These guys made chocolate shoes which I converted into a 360 rotating animation in addition to this montage.

For more information on Toronto Food Photo Services contact Jules Design
647 997 2793
jules@julesdesign.ca
http://www.julesdesign.ca/Toronto-LCBO-and-Food-Photography/Toronto-Food-and-Drink-Photography.html

Toronto Wine Bottle Photography

Toronto Wine Bottle Photography, a photo by Toronto Product Photographer & Food Photography on Flickr.

Maybe I should put in more reflection when I shoot the wine bottles, or should I?
I figured out how to photograph wine bottles ISO 100 F14 with no reflection and VERY LITTLE PHOTOSHOP. For clear bottles, the effect (I think) is beautiful and unique; for the dark wine bottle it might need dimension. What do you think?
Wine Photographer Toronto
http://www.julesdesign.ca/Toronto-LCBO-and-Food-Photography/Toronto-Food-and-Drink-Photography.html

Brampton Food Photography Toronto

Brampton Food Photography Toronto, a photo by Toronto Product Photographer & Food Photography on Flickr.

Food Photography at my Toronto Studio. Image masked, we added a natural shadow, the cheese was custom made to fit these cups. A light meter was used to get perfect exposure. One strobe light from above using soft light
http://www.julesdesign.ca/Toronto-LCBO-and-Food-Photography/Toronto-Food-and-Drink-Photography.html

Toronto food photography

Toronto food photography

Food photography is an interesting sector of the photography industry. Food product shots can be produced for:

• Food advertising photography

• Food packaging photography

•  Food trade publication photography

At my Toronto food photography studio, we produce drink photography and food photography for numerous business applications.  In doing so, sometimes we must stage food complete with props to photograph them in a real world and natural setting.

Other times the images are shot on a neutral white backdrop and traced out or masked. Masked Food Product Shots are useful when the client wants a minimalistic product shot of their food. Masked images of food product shots are useful for trade publications, menus, advertising, and many marketing applications.



We add gel not ice when we do drink photography so the item will look colder longer

At my Toronto photo studio, when we prepare the food items for photography, the life of the staged item is relatively short.  For this reason, we must apply techniques to preserve the appearance of the food item for the product shot. For example, when I photograph beer, I must prepare the glass to appear cold for an extended amount of time. To do this, I will treat the class with various sprays to make the item look cold. I will also add additives to the beer to make the foam last longer than it would otherwise survive in a real-world setting. 

After you position the cheese just right, use a heat gun to melt it

When I do Toronto drink photography, I employ the service of a real bartender. Nobody knows how to make a drink better then a bartender. Essentially the drink preparation is the same as at a bar.  A bartender will garnish the drink appropriately to demonstrate the cocktail in a pleasing manner.  Granted, the bartender will use alternative materials to give the product a longer life for photography (such as gel ice chips versus real ice).

For food photography, a food stylist is often useful. These professionals specialize in preparing the presentation of food for food photography. Despite what many people think, being a food stylist is not rocket science. Indeed, there are many tricks in stylizing food, however they are easily learned.

For example, for meat photography, brush the food item with oil in order to give it a greasy tasty appearance. Also, present it almost raw.   Sear the edges to make it look cooked. If you overcook the protein, the meat will shrivel and look less hardy then it would if it was fully cooked. Use tools like a hot plate, a blowtorch, or a paint heat gun to sear the product. To char the meat, add shoe polish with a grill as a stamp to give it a barbequed look.

 

On a side note, who cares what the back side of the dish looks like.  The front is the only part the camera will see.  

Many food photography tricks are online; therefore, you do not have to lose sleep in order to figure out how to produce a great image.  I do recommend that if you will be shooting food, practice with an equivalent stand-in before you do the real thing. I hate learning on Client time, especially if the Client is nearby.  That approach is sloppy, and unprofessional.   Before I do any Client products shoots, I always practice at my Toronto food photography studio.

For more information on Food Photography
Contact Jules Design
T: 647.997.2793 or
E jules@julesdesign.ca