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Yummy Pics
A Food Blogger`s Guide to Better Photos

Nancy Lopez-McHugh
Creator of picieFoodie!co"

Copyright Information

Copyright # $%&$ Nancy Lopez-McHugh and picieFoodie!co" All rights reser'ed!

First (dition )u""y Pics - A Food Blogger`s Guide to Better Photos

Copyright Notice* All rights reser'ed! No part of this eBoo+ "ay ,e reproduced- shared- stored in a retrie'al syste" or trans"itted in any for" or ,y any "eans- .hether "echanical electronicphotocopying recording or other.ise- .ithout the prior .ritten consent of copyright holder! /llegal use of this ,oo+ is punisha,le ,y la. and 'iolators .ill ,e persecuted to the fullest e0tent of the la.! 1e2uest for per"ission should ,e addressed to spiciefoodie3g"ail!co" or http*44...!spiciefoodie!co" Li"it of Lia,ility45isclai"er of 6arranty* 7his eBoo+ is designed to pro'ide ,asic photography infor"ation for food ,loggers! ('ery effort has ,een "ade to "a+e this ,oo+ as co"plete and as accurate as possi,le- ,ut not .arranty of fitness is i"plied! Neither the author nor pu,lisher ha'e neither the lia,ility nor responsi,ility to any person or entity .ith respect to results ,ased on the infor"ation contained in this eBoo+! /ndi'idual results "ay 'ary depending on a,ilities- e2uip"entand 'ariations of shooting conditions! Photo Credits* photography and graphics ,y Nancy Lopez-McHugh Additional photo credits* Chapter 8ne photo of ca"eras # M9%%"a00 : 5rea"sti"e!co" Chapter Four aperture illustration # (0peri"ental : 5rea"sti"e!co" Chapter e'en studio stro,e light # (lnur A"i+ishiye' : 5rea"sti"e!co" Chapter e'en flashgun # ;iachaslau Bondarau : 5rea"sti"e!co"

http*44...!spiciefoodie!co"

Once photography enters your bloodstream, its like a disease. -Anony"ous

Table of Contents
Copyright /nfor"ation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!< /ntroduction!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! = A,out 7his eBoo+!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!> Chapter 8ne* ?nderstanding Ca"era 7ypes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! &< Point-and- hoot Ca"eras @PA B or Co"pact Ca"eras!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! &< Prosu"er Ca"eras!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! &C 5igital ingle Lens 1efle0 or 5 L1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! &C Ca"era 7ips!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! &D Chapter 7.o* Ca"era Modes And 6hat 7hey Mean!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!&E M or Manual Mode!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! &E P @Progra" "odeB !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! &E or 7' @ hutter PriorityB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! &E A or A'* @Aperture PriorityB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!&= B or Bul,!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!&= 8ther Modes !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! &= Chapter 7hree* /"age ize- /"age Fuality and File For"at!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!$% /"age ize!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!$% /"age Fuality!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! $% File For"ats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! $& Ho. to set or adGust i"age size- i"age 2uality and file for"ats* !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! $$ Chapter Four* 6hite Balance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! $C Auto or A6B or Auto 6hite Balance !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!$D 5aylight or unny !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! $D hade !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!$D Cloudy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!$D Fluorescent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!$D 7ungsten !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!$9 Flash!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!$9 Manual or Custo"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! $9 Chapter Fi'e* (0posure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! $= Aperture!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! $= 5epth of Field!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! $= hutter peed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! $> Creati'e ?se 8f hutter peed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <& / 8 or ensiti'ity !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<C My 7houghts on (0posure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<9 Chapter i0* (; or (0posure ;alue and Metering!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<= (; or (0posure ;alue!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<= (0posure Brac+eting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<= Metering!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<> Multi-seg"ent Metering!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! C% Center-.eighted Metering !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! C% pot Metering!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!C% Chapter e'en* Light !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! C< Natural Light or unlight45aylight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!C< Hard Light!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! C< oft Light!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CD 5iffusers and 1eflectors!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! C9 Natural Light 7ips!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!C=

Artificial Light or 6hen unlight /s Not A'aila,le!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!C> Continuous tudio Lighting Hits!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! C> Household La"ps!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! D$ Flash and (0ternal Flashguns!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! D< Light 5irection!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!DC Front Light!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DC Bac+ Light!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!DD ide Light!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! D9 Light fro" A,o'e!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!D= Light fro" Belo.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!D> Chapter (ight* Co"position!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 9& 1ule of 7hirds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 9& u,Gect Place"ent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!9C Centered!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 9C 8ff-Centered!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 9C Negati'e pace!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 9D Ca"era hooting Angles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 99 (ye Le'el!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 99 Angled @Angled 5o.n.ard or 7hree FuartersB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 99 High A,o'e or Birds (ye ;ie.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!9E lanted or 7ilt or 5utch 7ilt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 9= Lose the 7ripod!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! E% 5epth of Field in Co"position!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! E% Ho. Close /s 7oo Close!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! E% Horizontal 8r ;ertical!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!E$ Add o"e Height!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!E$ Leading Lines and Mo'e"ent !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! E< Last 7houghts and 7ips on Co"position!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! EC Chapter Nine* Photo Props and Food tyling!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!E9 5e'eloping )our Personal tyle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! E9 Photo Props!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! E9 hooting urfaces and Bac+grounds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!EE 5ish-.are!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! EE 7a,lecloths- Nap+ins- 7o.els and 1i,,ons 7oo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! E= Her,s- Garnishes- 7oppings and Acco"pani"ents as Props!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!E= Food tyling!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!E> alads!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! =% oups- te.s- and Curries!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!=% Pastas and Noodles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!=& Meats and ausages!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! =$ ;egeta,les!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! =C Coo+ies- Muffins- Breads and 5esserts !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! =C 5rin+s!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!=D 8ther 7hings 7o Consider /n Food tyling!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!=9 Messy /s Beautiful !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! =9 Fuic+ tyling 7ric+s!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! =E Chapter 7en* Putting /t All 7ogether- A 6al+through !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!=> /ngredients- Color and 7he tory!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!=> Props- tyling and Moods!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!=> hooting Area- Light 5irection and Ca"era ettings !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!>% ;isualizing Angles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! >& Building ?p 7he 5ish and tyling 6al+through!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!>&

7he Final Loo+- Last Minute AdGust"ents and 5ifferent Photo Angels!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!>$ Final 7houghts and 7ips!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! >$ Chapter (le'en* Basic Photo (diting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! >D Photo (diting oft.are!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! >D Free Photo (diting oft.are!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! >D Mid-1ange and Priced Photo (diting oft.are!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! >D 7op of the Line Photo (diting oft.are!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! >9 8ther uggestions for Photo (diting oft.are!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! >9 A 6al+through of My Basic Photo (dits!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!>9 Ho. 7o ize )our /"ages For 7he 6e, !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!&%$ izing For Food Porn 6e,sites and 7ips !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! &%= Chapter 7.el'e* Practice Ma+es Perfect and Last 7ips !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!&&& 5ealing .ith Photography Burn 8ut!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!&&& 6al+ A.ay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!&&$ Ne. Light /n A Ne. Prop!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!&&$ Ne. etting or Ne. hooting Area!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! &&$ Ne. Light!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!&&$ 7ry A Ne. Angle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!&&< hoot o"ething 8ther 7han Food!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!&&< Learn o"ething Ne.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! &&<

Introduction
/ can still re"e",er the day / ,egan shooting photos for "y ,log- picie Foodie! By this ti"e / had already ,een ,itten ,y the photography ,ug! Playing .ith "y ca"era and learning a,out photography .as already a fa'orite pass ti"e of "ine! 6hat / didnIt realize .as that shooting food .as co"pletely different than city landscapes- portraits- and silly photos of "y puppy! 7hough it .as challenging and in "any .ays felt li+e starting all o'er again- / i""ediately fell in lo'e .ith food photography! / lo'ed the ne. challenges and the .ay that it pushed "e to really start learning ho. to ,eco"e a photographer! / a" so"eone .ho has a deep lo'e of all things photography! / started .ith a ,asic or point-andshoot type ca"era then gradually .or+ed "y .ay up to a 5 L1! / ha'e no for"al training! My a,ility is a result of reading- learning ,oth fro" others and "yself- putting that +no.ledge to useand- "ost i"portant practicing! /n the years that ha'e passed since snapping that first food photo- / ha'e learned so "uch a,out photography and "y ca"era! / ha'e learned that photography is a constant Gourney of learning- that practice really does "atter- and that photography allo.s us to see things in a different light! 8ften ti"es / get as+ed .hat ca"era / use! My ans.er is a Penta0 ca"era! Ho.e'er- a ca"eraIs "odel nu",er and ,rand are not the i"portant thing a,out photography! 7he "ost i"portant thing is ha'ing a passion for it! Ne0t de'eloping the a,ility to see a good photo* in other .ords-'ision! Lastly co"es the act of capturing of your 'ision! 6hat ca"era is used to do that is not as i"portant as "any people thin+! 7a+e for instance the gro.ing popularity of /nstagra" and all the outstanding photos ,eing pu,lished to the .e,site! 7hose /nstagra" photos are ,eing ta+en .ith "o,ile de'ice ca"eras- not .ith top of the line 5 L1s! My current ca"era is a fe. years old- and / lo'e e'ery thing a,out it! Big ad'ertising has con'inced people that their photos .ill only loo+ good .ith the ne.est ca"era "odel! 6hat they donIt tell people is that if so"eone doesnIt understand ho. to use a ca"era- or .hat the functions "ean- it really doesnIt "atter .hat ca"era they o.n! Ca"eras donIt co"e .ith a ,uilt in talent filter- thatIs .here the person ,ehind the ca"era co"es in! /tIs easy for people to fall into the ad'ertising trapand therefore focus too "uch attention on gear instead of focusing on actually learning photography! 5onIt get "e .rong- / li+e ne. gadgets and tools as "uch as anyone! My point is to first direct your energy at really learning the ca"era you already ha'e! Get to +no. your ca"era and understand the ,asic functions that actually effect your photography! 8nce you grasp those ,asics ad'ance to the ne0t ca"era le'el! / .rote )u""y Pics to help guide you in understanding photography ,asics and to i"pro'e your photography as a result! Better photography .ill help dra. a larger audience to your ,logs! 7he truth is that people lo'e pretty photos of food .hich "a+e the" hungry! Hungry not Gust for the food or recipe- ,ut also hungry for "ore of your photography! Just as a good restaurant +eeps people co"ing ,ac+ .ith te"pting food- so .ill your yu""y pics to your ,logs! 8ne great .ay of gro.ing your audience is ,y ,eing accepted onto food sharing .e,sites li+e Foodga.+er and 7astespotting! Ha'ing your photos pu,lished on those sites is li+e hitting the audience- @and trafficBGac+pot! /Ill discuss "ore a,out that in Chapter (le'en Photography is a po.erful tool for e0pressing the .orld around us! /n the case of food ,loggers- it ena,les us to share our food- recipes- and artistic 'isions .ith others! As coo+s .e adGust recipe ingredients and techni2ues to "a+e the" our o.n! As photographers .e e0peri"ent .ith propsshooting angles- and lighting techni2ues to gi'e photos our o.n touch! 7hat indi'idual interpretation is one of the "ost fascinating things a,out ,oth photography and coo+ing! 6hen the concept for )u""y Pics ca"e to "e it .as ,ecause / .anted to share .hat /I'e learned .ith others! My goal is to help you i"pro'e your photography and to hopefully inspire you in de'eloping your o.n 'ision! 7he tips- techni2ues- and technical infor"ation in these pages are .hat

/ use e'eryday! 7his digital guide is not ai"ed at telling you this is e0actly ho. you should shoot- or that it is the only .ay of doing things! 7here are "any .ays and you need to find the one that helps ,est e0press your 'ision! Photography is not a,out e"ulating another personIs loo+ or techni2ue- it is al.ays a,out your indi'idual style! ?se this as a guide and then apply .hat you pic+ up fro" it! 7he ai" is to let your photos tell your recipeIs story! 7ogether .ith your coo+ing- photography is part of your artistic e0pression- e0plore all the possi,ilities and al.ays let your indi'iduality shine throughK Nancy Lopez-Mc ugh

About This eBook

7his eBoo+ is intended as an easy to follo. guide for i"pro'ing your ,logIs food photography! 7he infor"ation laid out in these pages highlights the ,asic yet i"portant foundations of photography! By grasping this ,asic infor"ation you .ill ,e a,le to i"pro'e your results and get the "ost out of your ca"era! 7he tips and tric+s youIll find a"ong these pages are ,asic- si"ple techin2ues to ta+e your food pictures to the ne0t le'el! 7hey .ill help you understand ca"era functions- achie'e proper color ,alance- pic+ up so"e ne. tips on co"position and styling- help pre'ent photo theft- and i"pro'e the o'erall loo+ of your photography! 6hether your goal is to ,e accepted on food sharing .e,sites or Gust i"pro'e your pictures- this eBoo+ is for you!

! great photograph is one that "ully e#presses $hat one "eels, in the deepest sense, about $hat is being photographed. -Ansel Ada"s

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7o "y ,elo'ed hus,and- 1ic+- "y true co"panion! 6hose lo'e- encourage"ent- and support not only +eep "e going- ,ut are also the source of "y inspiration!

A special than+ you to John! 7han+ you for your help and for the friendship you ha'e gi'en us!

Lastly to the readers and follo.ers of picie Foodie- than+ you for your friendship and support! )our insatia,le hunger for photographic +no.ledge is contagious and inspirational! appy shooting and good light%

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&here is only you and your camera. &he limitations in your photography are in yoursel", "or $hat $e see is $hat $e are. - (rnst Haas

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Chapter One: Understanding Camera Types

A co""on state"ent people "a+e is Lthis ca"era ta+es good pictures!L / a" not a fan of this state"ent- ,ecause .hile the ca"era does the technical part the operator plays the ,iggest role in the end result! 6e co"pose the photo- choose the light source- adGust the ca"era settings- and .e tell it .hat to do -not the other .ay around! No "atter the ca"era you o.n the "ost i"portant thing is to +no. and understand ho. it .or+s! )our goal should ,e to understand shooting "odes- e0posureco"position- .hite ,alance- and ho. to get the ,est results out of the ca"era you o.n! 7he ca"eraIs o.ner "anual is a great place to start! All of that learning .ill only lead to you- not the ca"era- ta+ing good pictures! Hno.ing .hat type of ca"era you o.n is i"portant! /n help you understand ho. "uch technical control or li"itations your photography .ill ha'e! 7his is a general guide .ith so"e good and ,ad points of each ca"era type!

Point-and- hoot Cameras !P" # or Compact Cameras

7hese ca"eras are fully auto"atic- perfect for e'eryday use and are a hassle-free option! 7hey are the "ost co"pact size and can easily ,e stored in a poc+et- "a+ing the" the perfect tra'el co"panion! 6e si"ply fra"e the su,Gect- press the shutter and ha'e the shot! PA ca"eras are the easiest to use and the controls are easy to understand! 5epending on the "odel you "ay ha'e the option of shooting in different "odes- adGust focus- .hite ,alance- and / 8- of course all .ithin 'ery narro. li"its! Point-and-shoots are also the cheapest option and no e0tra lenses are re2uired! 7hough li"iting you can still get good results ,efore upgrading to a prosu"er or 5 L1! 7he ,ad side is that .ith point-and-shoots youIll ,e li"ited o'er the technical control! 7he sensors on these ca"eras are s"all so it can result in lo.er 2uality i"ages .hen co"pared to the other t.o options! A PA ca"era is a good option if you are Gust loo+ing for a snapshot ca"era and one to shoot s"all photos for your ,log! /f you are loo+ing to sell your photos this is not the ideal ca"era!

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'hot $ith ()' on tripod, "*+.,, -'O ./

Prosumer Cameras
7his type of ca"era is ,et.een a point-and-shoot and a 5 L1! 7he ter" is a cross ,et.een professional and consu"er! Prosu"ers are "ediu"-sized ca"eras that are relati'ely light and easy to carry around! 7he price range .ill ,e in the "iddle of the $ other options- or so"eti"es co"para,le to 5 L1s! 7hey ha'e ,etter lenses than a point-and-shoot- ,ut not as good as a 5 L1! 7he lens is attached and it cannot ,e changed li+e on a 5 L1! @7hough so"e "odels do ha'e special attach"ents to adGust lens range!B 7he i"age 2uality .ill ,e ,etter than a point-and-shoot and it also "ore technical control o'er your photography! Prosu"er ca"eras .ill introduce you to "ore ad'anced settings and features! 7hey ha'e "ore features and controls than a point-and-shoot ,ut still "ore li"iting than a 5 L1! A good ca"era for enthusiasts or so"eone loo+ing to learn "ore a,out photography ,ut not 2uite ready for the ,ig ,oy 5 L1 .ith all its features and controls!

$igita% ing%e &ens 'ef%e( or $ &'

7his is the ca"era for those loo+ing to ha'e full technical control o'er their photography! 7hey are the ,iggest and hea'iest ca"eras of the three listed here! 7he lenses are interchangea,le and there are "any types a'aila,le for specific photographic needs! A 5 L1 ca"era gi'es you the option of shooting in 1A6 for"at- .hich "eans ,etter photo 2uality and "ore control o'er your i"ages! 7he digital noise is 'irtually non-e0istent and the i"age detail is "uch ,etter than the t.o other options! 7here is a large range of 5 L1 ca"eras- fro" entry le'el to serious professional le'els! 5 L1s are o,'iously the "ore e0pensi'e and ,est suited for serious enthusiasts and professionals! /f you are loo+ing to sell your i"ages this is the "ost ideal ca"era!

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'hot $ith 1'L2 on tripod, "*+.,, -'O 5//,

Camera Tips
By no. "any of you "ay ,e .ondering if it is possi,le to shot good photos .ithout a 5 L1 ca"era! / say yes! )es- ,ecause if you +no. ho. to use your ca"era- co"pose properly and ha'e good light- the results can ,e great! 7he "ost i"portant thing to re"e",er is that the ca"era you choose .ill affect .hat you .ant to use it for! For e0a"ple you .ouldnIt use a point-and-shoot ca"era to shoot a co""ercial assign"ent- you need a good 2uality 5 L1 for that! o ,efore "a+ing your purchase as+ yourself if the ca"era has the 2uality and controls you need! 7a+e pi0el size and sensor 2uality into consideration! 7here are "any "odels to choose fro" and you donIt need to ,uy the "ost e0pensi'e one on the "ar+et! / suggest reading re'ie.s and loo+ing at photo 2uality co"parisons ,efore choosing a ,rand! top ,y a local photography shop and as+ the staff for help- or to try out a ca"era! 7he i"portant thing is to "a+e educated decisions a,out the ca"era you purchase! 0-" you are in the market "or a ne$ camera - recommend this great site, 1igital (hotography 2e3ie$ or dpre3ie$.com. &hey ha3e sections "or all o" the di""erent camera manu"acturers $ith camera re3ie$s and image samples. &here are also "orums to ask ad3ice as $ell as learning sections.4

When people ask what equipment I use I tell them my eyes.-Anonymous

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6hen thinking about "ood photography, dont 7ust consider the "inished product on the plate or the people eating it. Look at the ingredients8perhaps theres a beauti"ul photograph $aiting to be made. -(enny de los 'antos

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Chapter T)o: Camera *odes And +hat They *ean

7he follo.ing "odes are found on all 5 L1s- Prosu"er Ca"eras and so"e Point-and- hoot ca"eras

* or *anua% *ode
7his is a fully "anual "ode .here user can set aperture- shutter speed- / 8- .hite ,alance- and "etering! hooting in this "ode .ill gi'e the "ost control o'er the end result photography! /t .ill also help you understand ho. different settings and functions effect an i"age! / often shoot in "anual "ode!

P !Program mode#
7his is a fully auto"ated shooting "ode! 7he ca"era selects the aperture and shutter speed ,ased on the light a'aila,le! 8n "ost 5 L1s you can still select or adGust .hite ,alance- / 8- flash and "etering "odes! o"e 5 L1 ca"eras .ill also allo. the user to change either the shutter speed .hile it auto"atically adGusts the aperture- or the aperture .hile the ca"era auto"atically adGusts the shutter speed! Progra" "ode is the least desira,le "ode for serious photography!

or T, ! hutter Priority#
?ser selects the shutter speed .hile the ca"era adGusts the aperture! 8n "ost 5 L1s .hite ,alance/ 8- flash and "etering "ay ,e adGusted in this "ode! hutter priority is ,est for situations .hen

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you .ant to control e0posure ti"e! /t is also helpful in shooting "o'ing o,Gects- either to freeze the "otion or gi'e a sense of "o'e"ent!

A or A,: !Aperture Priority#

?ser selects aperture setting and ca"era adGusts shutter speed accordingly! /n aperture priority you can control the depth of field and a"ount of light entering the lens! 8n "ost 5 L1s you can still select or adGust .hite ,alance- / 8- flash and lens focus "odes! 7his is "y second fa'orite "ode to shoot in!

B or Bu%b
7his setting allo.s for longer e0posures than the lo.est setting on a ca"era! ?ser can set e0tra long e0posures or a 'ery slo. shutter speeds! 7he shutter release ,utton is pressed do.n and shutter stays open until you release it! As a food ,loggers youIre not li+ely to need Bul, "ode!

Other *odes
7he follo.ing are "odes that can ,e useful for food photography! o"e are found on 5 L1s and prosu"er ca"eras- the others are ones co""on to ,oth point-and-shoot and lo.er end prosu"er ca"eras! , or ensiti,ity Priority Found on Penta0 Ca"eras this ,utton allo.s the user to set the / 8 and ca"era .ill choose ,oth shutter speed and aperture accordingly! TA, or hutter " Aperture Priority Ca"era chooses / 8 according to shooting conditions .hile user inputs ,oth aperture and shutter speed! 6hite ,alance "ay also ,e adGusted! Auto A fully auto"ated "ode! 7he ca"era selects aperture- shutter speed- / 8- .hite ,alance and flash! -o .%ash /ndicated ,y a flash .ith line through! 7his "ode can co"e in handy .hen you .ant to disa,le the flash! 6hich in food photography is so"ething you really .ant to control and a'oid! .%o)er or *acro 7his allo.s focusing on close-up ite"s! /t can co"e in handy for shooting food details! /f you ha'e a point-and-shoot ca"era or lo.er end prosu"er this "ode can ,e used as a li"ited .ay of controlling depth of field! -ight /n a point-and-shoot ca"era or lo.er end prosu"er this "ode can ,e used for longer e0posures or .hen not enough light is a'aila,le! 5ue to the longer e0posure it "ay ,e a good idea to use a tripod or set the ca"era do.n on a flat and steady surface- to pre'ent ,lurry i"ages! Anti- hake A "ode .hich can ,e found on all three ca"era types! /f you ha'e sha+y hands- and therefore ,lurry i"ages- this setting .ill co"e in handy! ;ery helpful .hen shooting in lo. light conditions! 7hough ,e a.are that so"e ca"eras "ay adGust other settings to co"pensate!

18

(hotography is a $ay o" "eeling, o" touching, o" lo3ing. 6hat you ha3e caught on "ilm is captured "ore3er... it remembers little things, long a"ter you ha3e "orgotten e3erything. -Aaron is+ind

19

Chapter Three: Image i/e0 Image 1ua%ity and .i%e .ormat

/n order to achie'e the ,est 2uality food photos possi,le you need to ha'e the right i"age settings! No "atter the ca"era type i"age size- 2uality and for"at can ,e adGusted! Before deciding ho. those settings .ill ,e set you need to ,oth "a+e sure you ha'e ade2uate internal and e0ternal co"puter storage space- as .ell as considering .hat your photos .ill ,e used for! As+ yourself if you only .ant to shoot .e, 2uality photos or do you .ant to ha'e high 2uality photos .hich can ,e printed or e'en sold!

1'L2 camera menu sample

Image i/e
/"age ize is deter"ined ,y the a"ount of pi0els your ca"era has! 8ne "illion pi0els e2uals one "egapi0el! 7he higher the nu",er of "egapi0els the ,igger the i"age size or resolution! Not all ca"eras are created e2ual so that "eans that higher "egapi0els donIt al.ays e2uate to ,etter photo 2uality! /"age 2uality .ill also ,e affected ,y the ca"eraIs sensor and shooting conditions!

Image 1ua%ity
Another factor that affects ,oth i"age size and 2uality is file or photo co"pression! All ca"eras ha'e options for setting i"age 2uality or co"pression! Ca"eras co"press i"ages so that "ore photos can fit onto a storage card! But donIt ,e te"pted to shoot .ith high co"pression settings as this .ill result in lo.er i"age 2uality! )ou .ant to choose lo. co"pression and highest 2uality or rating! 7he options can ,e anything fro" star ratings- high to lo.- or ,est to good! tic+ .ith the highest i"age 2uality settings or ratings as they .ill yield the ,est photos! For e0a"ple "y ca"era uses a star rating and / al.ays set it to three stars .hich is the ,est 2uality option!

20

1'L2 camera menu sample

.i%e .ormats
File for"at or file type also affects i"age 2uality and size! 7he "ost co""on file for"at is JP(G! All ca"eras ha'e the option of shooting JP(G files! 7he ,enefits of shooting in JP(G are that- since it is a standard for"at for files- it can ,e 'ie.ed on all co"puters and i"age-editing soft.ares- the file sizes are s"aller than 1A6 so "ore photos can fit on a "e"ory card! ince this is the standard it "eans JP(Gs are the "ost co""only shared files and the photo for"at youIll co"e across the "ost! An i"portant thing to consider a,out JP(Gs is that e'ery ti"e you sa'e it the i"age 2uality .ill ,e reduced! A .ay to a'oid that is ,y editing a copy of the original and al.ays sa'ing high 2uality copies of the edited 'ersions! Another dra.,ac+ of shooting in JP(G is that there is "ore co"pression than in 7/FF and 1A6 file for"ats! But if you "a+e sure to ha'e the JP(G 2uality and size set to the highest or ,est 2uality option- then your i"ages .ill still loo+ good! As food ,loggers youIre not li+ely to co"e across 7/FF for"at files! 6e .onIt ,e discussing 7/FF here ,ut if you are interested there is plenty of infor"ation online! /nstead .e .ill tal+ a,out 1A6 for"at! 1A6 files are unco"pressed ra. data files! 6hat this "eans is that the ca"era captures .hat it sees- all the ra. data in the scene! 7his file option is "ostly found on higher end ca"eras li+e 5 L1s- ,ut dou,le chec+ your ca"eraIs "enu for the option! hooting in 1A6 .ill allo. for the highest 2uality and therefore largest file sizes! 7he files .ill not ha'e any co"pression- therefore resulting in the ,est photo 2uality! ?nli+e JP(Gs a 1A6 file can ,e adGusted further after e0posure! pecial soft.are is needed to handle 1A6 files and the adGust"ents! 6ith the special soft.are you can adGust or correct .hite ,alance and4or apply further e0posure co"pensation! 7hin+ of 1A6 files as a digital negati'e .hich can ,e adGusted further and differently .ith e'ery copy "ade- and a JP(G could ,e co"pared to shooting a polaroid! ('en though you could adGust that polaroid .ith photo editing soft.are- it .ouldnIt ,e to the a"ount and 2uality a 1A6 file can ,e! 7he dra.,ac+s of shooting in 1A6 are that since the files are larger "ore storage space is neededless shots .ill fit onto a "e"ory card- the post editing process is "ore ti"e-consu"ing- youIll need to ha'e special soft.are to handle the files- and lastly 1A6 photos first need to ,e con'erted into

21

JP(Gs in order to ,e shared online or .ith others! /f you are only loo+ing to shoot photos for your ,log- or "a+e prints then JP(Gs are Gust fine! /f you are loo+ing to ,eco"e a professional or co""ercial photographer- and ha'e the "ost control then 1A6 is the .ay to go!

()' camera menu sample

2o) to set or ad3ust image si/e0 image 4ua%ity and fi%e formats:
First read ca"eraIs "anual for e0act "enu- settings- or function location! - /"age size .ill typically gi'e a choice ,et.een JP(G pi0els- i"age size- or actual pi0el di"ensions! 7he highest setting or nu",ers are the ,est choice for achie'ing highest 2uality! - /"age 2uality should also ,e found under settings or ca"era "enu! Loo+ for i"age or JP(G 2uality option! / suggest you choose the highest or ,est option a'aila,le! - File for"ats- also to ,e found under settings or ca"eraIs "enu! /n 5 L1s and so"e prosu"er ca"eras find the file for"at option! Choose either JP(G or 1A6! Point-and-shoot ca"eras generally donIt gi'e you the option of 1A6- and JP(Gs are the default or only option a'aila,le so no changes are necessary! 5o dou,le chec+ the o.nerIs "anual as ne. features are introduced e'ery year!

22

&aking pictures is sa3oring li"e intensely, e3ery hundredth o" a second. -Marc 2iboud

23

Chapter .our: +hite Ba%ance

/ncorrect .hite ,alance is a"ongst the "ost co""on food photography error! 6eI'e all seen it- or ha'e ,een guilty of it- photos .ith i"proper yello.ish-orange or ,lue tones! Proper .hite ,alance is 'ery easy to correct! 7he settings can ,e change under your ca"eraIs .hite ,alance setting or option! All ca"eras- e'en ta,let and phone ca"eras- ha'e the a,ility to adGust it so "a+e sure you +no. .here it is located on your de'ice! 6hite ,alance is a "ust for "a+ing not only your food photos loo+ "ore natural and appetizing ,ut so"ething that plays an i"portant role in all types of digital photography! Correct ca"era .hite ,alance settings .ill capture the colors in the scene- or food- as your eyes see the"! 6hite ,alance is deter"ined ,y the color te"perature- calculated on the Hel'in scale- co"ing off the light source! Not all light sources yield the sa"e color te"perature! 7he color te"peratures produce different tones ranging fro" orange to ,lue! 7he graphic ,elo. e0plains the color range that different light sources produce!

7he na+ed eye auto"atically adGusts for these te"perature colors and changes- ,ut our ca"eras do not! / .onIt get into all the technicalities of ho. and .hy ca"eras do not! Luc+ily the ca"era "anufacturers ha'e "ade it easy for us to help the ca"era co"pensate for different light sources! Belo. are the "ost co""on .hite ,alance setting options- for additional settings and infor"ation read your ca"eraIs "anual!

24

6hite balance samples $ere shot $ith indirect sunlight, they illustrate the results o" di""erent 6hite 9alance settings.

Auto or A+B or Auto +hite Ba%ance

7he ca"era auto"atically adGusts the .hite ,alance! 7hough often ti"es the results are o+ay- / do not li+e to rely on this setting ,ecause the colors "ay not al.ays ,e as / .ant the"! /f you .ould li+e to use this setting / suggest first snapping a fe. test shots to "a+e sure the ca"era is capturing the correct color tone in the scene!

$ay%ight or unny
y",ol sho.n as a sun- this setting is used .hen shooting in sunlight or natural light- i"ages ha'e a .ar" tone!

hade
?sed .hen shooting in the shaded natural light- it .ill reduces ,luish tones and gi'e a slightly .ar"er color tone than the daylight4sunny setting!

C%oudy
y",ol sho.n as a cloud- is used on cloudy days! Li+e the shade setting it too .ar"s up i"ages "ore than the daylight4sunny setting!

.%uorescent
?sed .hen shooting in fluorescent light- co"pensates for the ,lueish @al"ost greenB light! 7his .ill .ar" up photos slightly! Ne.er fluorescent la"ps are designed to e"ulate sunlight- so "a+e sure you snap a fe. test shots to see ho. your ca"era handles the color tones under this setting and la"p ,eing used! o"e ca"eras ha'e a fe. e0tra choices for fluorescent light settings! 7he

25

te"perature "ay ,e adGusted further! 5ou,le chec+ your ca"eraIs "anual to see .hat type of fluorescent settings are a'aila,le to you!

Tungsten
y",ol is sho.n as a light,ul,- this setting reduces the red tones of photos shot under incandescent light! /ncandescent light is light fro" old fashion household light ,ul,s- and light stands +no.n as Lhot lightsL or la"ps! /f your i"ages ha'e the yello. tone this setting is for you- it .ill cool the i"age color tones to a "ore natural color!

.%ash
Pretty self-e0planatory- used for shooting .ith flash- ca"era adds .ar" tones!

*anua% or Custom
7his is an ad'anced setting .here the user can "anually adGust and set the .hite ,alance ,ased on lighting conditions! 1efer ,ac+ to the Hel'in Color 7e"perature cale to.ards the ,eginning of this chapter!

6hite balance sample photos shot $ith tungsten light Before reading any further find the .hite ,alance "enu or settings options on your ca"era! /f incorrect .hite ,alance has ,een a pro,le" you "ay ,e a,le to 2uic+ly sol'e the pro,le"! nap a fe. sa"ple shots .ith all the different .hite ,alance settings to see ho. your lighting conditions affects color tones!

26

:-t is the photographing o" ordinary things, in e#traordinary light, $hich results in e#traordinary photographs.: -1a3id ;oung

27

Chapter .i,e: 5(posure

7here are three 'ery i"portant technical factors that .ill affect your photography! 7hey are aperture- shutter speed and / 8! 7hey .ill help you achie'e correct e0posure @e0posure "eans ho. "uch light is allo.ed in .hen shooting a photographB- further set the photoIs "ood- and dra. attention .here you .ant! Aperture- shutter speed and / 8 can all ,e adGusted on 5 L1s and "ost Prosu"er ca"eras! 8n co"pact or point-and-shoot ca"eras only / 8 "ay ,e adGusted ,y the user! But please reference your point-and-shootIs "anual to dou,le chec+ a,out aperture and shutter speed settings!

Aperture
Also +no.n as f-stop- is ho. "uch light enters the lens to e0pose an i"age! /t is often referred to as an iris .hich opens and closes to allo. light in! Lenses ha'e their aperture 'alues printed directly on the"! 7he 'alues can range fro" f4&- f4&!C- f4$- f4$!=- f4C- f4D!9- f4=- f4&&- f4&9- f4$$- and so on! 7o change the f-stop on your ca"era locate the aperture dial! /t can only ,e adGusted in "anual or aperture shooting "odes! tarting fro" a .ide aperture @the lo.er nu",ersB the ne0t f-stop up closes the aperture one stop to allo. less light in! For e0a"ple if the lens is set to f4$ then / change it to f4$!=- the a"ount of light entering the lens .as cut in half! )ou "ay ha'e to co"pensate .ith a longer shutter speed to achie'e ,etter e0posure! Mo'ing fro" a narro. aperture @the higher nu",ersB- do.n to a .ide aperture @the lo.er nu",ersBopens one stop to allo. "ore light in! For e0a"ple if the lens is set to f4= and / change it to f4D!9the a"ount of light entering the ca"era has dou,led! )ou "ay ha'e to co"pensate .ith a faster shutter speed to achie'e proper e0posure!

$epth of .ie%d
Aperture is also .hat deter"ines depth of field! 5epth of field- or 58F- is ho. "uch of the su,Gect is in focus! 7he lo.er the f-stop nu",er the .ider the aperture or iris opening -.hich "eans less of the photo scene .ill ,e in focus- and therefore creating a shallo. depth of field! 7he higher f-stop nu",ers are also +no.n as narro. apertures and allo. less light in- they create a deep depth of field resulting in "ore of the su,Gect ,eing in focus! Phe.- did you get thatM 7he follo.ing sa"ples illustrate the difference /I'e Gust e0plained!

28

7he photos a,o'e .ere shot .ith a D%"" lens- on Aperture Priority "ode and at / 8 $%%! / used this "ode so / could control the aperture- f-stop- and lea'e the ca"era to select the shutter speed! 7he i"age on the left side .as shot .ith f4$- a shallo. depth of field! Notice ho. ,ehind the front ,ottle of clo'es the i"age is 2uite soft and ,lurry! 8nly the foreground is sharp and in focus! 7his shallo. depth of field gi'es the i"age an al"ost drea"y loo+! 7he center photo .as shot at f4D!9- a "iddle range f-stops and depth of field! 6e see ho. "ore co"es into focus ,ehind the ,ottle of clo'es- though "uch of the ,ac+ground is still softly focused! More details are re'ealed at this f-stop and depth of field! 7he right side picture .as shot at f4$$- a 'ery narro. aperture ,ut .ith a deep depth of field! Notice ho. the entire su,Gect area and ,ac+ground are all in focus! 7he i"age is crisp and re'eals all of the su,Gect- ,ac+ground and shooting surface details! As you can no. see the f-stop you choose .ill not only affect the depth of field ,ut it also can effect the o'erall "ood! ?se 58F as a creati'e tool to gi'e your photos an e0tra oo"ph!

hutter peed
hutter speed can also ,e referred to as e0posure ti"e! 6here aperture deter"ines ho. "uch lightshutter speed controls ho. long the ca"eraIs sensor is e0posed to light entering through the lens- or ho. long the shutter stays open to the inco"ing light! (0posure is "easured in seconds @i!e! &IIB or fractions of a second @i!e &4$ or half a secondB ! hutter speeds can ,e displayed on your ca"era li+e <% or li+e so &4<%! 7he letter B stands for Bul,- a setting used for 'ery long e0posures! 8nly 5 L1 and Prosu"er ca"eras gi'e the a,ility to change shutter speeds! 7o change e0posure ti"es find the dial on your ca"era or refer to the o.nerIs "anual for e0act location! 7he adGust"ent can only ,e "ade in Manual and4or hutter Priority "odes! 7he follo.ing graphic illustrates a fe. shutter speeds! /Id li+e to point out that they can go "uch higher or faster than sho.n here!

29

As the graph a,o'e indicates- slo.er shutter speeds e2ual longer e0posures therefore allo.ing "ore light in- and good for lo. light conditions! Faster shutter speeds- or fast e0posures "eans less light enters the lens- and so ,est suited .hen there is "ore a'aila,le light for shooting!

&hese photos $ere shot on an o3ercast day $ith moderate a3ailable light. 6e can see ho$ the "aster shutter speeds create darker images, and in the case o" 5*5</ an under-e#posed one. &he best e#posures are 5*+/ and 5*</. 9e sure to use a tripod $hen shooting belo$ shutter speeds o" 5*</.

30

(0posure ti"e also deter"ines ho. "o'e"ent is captured .hich .ill effects ho. sharp the i"age is! 7he slo. shutter speeds co"e in handy .hen there is little shooting light a'aila,le! But ,e a.are that longer e0posures .ill capture sha+y hand "o'e"ent- so setting the ca"era on a steady surface or tripod is ad'isa,le! /f you are shooting photos .ith "o'e"ent- for e0a"ple "ashing potatoesand .ant it to ,e ,lurred- a longer e0posure is ,est! 5o ta+e into account that longer e0posures can result in "ore noise and therefore effect i"age 2uality!

&hese three photos illustrate motion and shutter speeds. -mage on the le"t side $as shot $ith a shutter speed o" 5*5/, notice ho$ blurred the motion is. =enter image $as shot at 5*</, less motion is captured but it is still noticeable. &he image on right side $as shot at 5*>?/, the motion $as "rozen so no blurriness. 0=amera $as set on a tripod "or all + photos.4 7he faster e0posures- or higher nu",ers- are for shooting under ,righter conditions! 7hey .ill freeze action and any su,Gect "o'e"ent! LetIs use the sa"e sa"ple a,o'e- .ith the faster e0posure instead of the "o'e"ent ,eing ,lurred- the shot .ill freeze it and also result in a sharper photo! hutter speed is so"ething you really .ant to pay attention to! /f not one could end up .ith unintentional ,lurry photos! Generally / .ouldnIt reco""end shooting photos ,elo. 9% or &49% of a second- ,elo. that you ris+ ,lurry i"ages! ('eryone is different and so"e "ay e'en end up .ith ,lurry pictures at &4&%% or &%%! o it is 'ery i"portant to practice .ith your ca"eraIs shutter speed settings and deter"ine .hich is the lo.est speed your hands can handle! o"e ca"eras co"e e2uipped .ith anti-sha+e or i"age sta,ilizing functions- "a+e sure to chec+ your ca"era! 8f course the ,est .ay of a'oiding unintentional ,lurry i"ages is to use a tripod or set the ca"era on a steady surface! 8f the i"ages a,o'e technically the one shot at &4$D% is the ,est one! But artistically spea+ing the one shot at &4&% adds another le'el of interests! /f / had to choose one of the" / .ould pic+ the &4&%,ecause / li+e the "otion ,lur! 7hat photo +eeps "y attention and interest longer than the other t.o! o in this instance a slo. shutter speed .as prefera,le to a faster shutter speed! /t al.ays co"es do.n to personal choice- .hich do you li+e ,estM

Creati,e Use Of hutter peed

No. that you understand the negati'es of slo. shutter speeds- you need to also +no. that it can ,e a creati'e tool! Generally spea+ing .e .ant to a'oid longer e0posures- ,ut there are ti"es .hen capturing "otion can add interest to a photograph! LetIs loo+ at a fe. sa"ples in .hich shutter speeds can ,e useful for creati'e purposes!

31

9oth o" these photos $ere shot on a tripod, shutter speed $as set to 5*5/ . /n the t.o photos a,o'e- using a 'ery slo. shutter speed of &4&% -.eI'e added the ele"ent of "otion! Notice ho. the lines and .a'es in the .ater .ere captured- so"ething the na+ed eye doesnIt nor"ally see! 7hese e0tra details +eep the 'ie.erIs attention longer!

&his photo $as shot on a tripod. &he 'hutter speed $as set to 5*</.

32

/n the pre'ious photo- .ith &49% shutter speed- only a little ,it of the "otion .as captured! 6e can see a slight ,lurriness in the cherries as they are ,eing dropped into the glass! But unli+e the pre'ious e0posure there is no further "otion captured! )et- that slight "otion capture gi'es the i"age another le'el of interest to the 'ie.erIs eyes!

9oth o" these photos $ere shot $ith a shutter speed o" 5*>?/ /n these last pictures @a,o'eB- shot at &4$D%- instead of capturing slo. "o'e"ent .e ha'e frozen the "otion! 6hile there "ay not ,e lines or ,lurriness caused ,y a slo. shutter speed- it is the freezing action that dra.s the 'ie.er in! /n the left-side shot .e "ight ,e .ondering .hat +ind of splash the cherries created! /n the right-side photo .e can see the splash ,eginning to for"! 5id you notice the s"all droplets of .ater splashing o'er the glassM Little details li+e these dra. the 'ie.erIs attention! 7echnically spea+ing the photos shot at &4$D% are the ,est ones! But artistically spea+ing all of the pictures ha'e different le'els of interests! /t al.ays co"es do.n to personal choice- and to .hat "essage it is that you .ant your i"age to con'ey!
Tip: ! typical point-and-shoot camera $ill not ha3e a shutter speed "unction. ! $ay to get around this is by s$itching the camera to night scene or candle light or "ire$orks modes, $hen you $ant motion blur. Make sure you compensate "or it $ith the 6hite 9alance setting and you@ll also need to mount the camera on a tripod. 6hen you $ant to "reeze action try the sports mode.

33

I O or ensiti,ity
7he last factor that affects e0posure is / 8- also +no.n as sensiti'ity! /t stands for /nternational 8rganization for tandardization! / 8 is ho. sensiti'e your ca"eraIs sensor is to light entering through the lens! 7hey can range fro" &%%- $%%- C%%- =%%- &9%%- <$%%- and so on dou,ling .ith each step up!

Lo.er / 8s are ,est for shooting ,righter or .ell-lit scenes! 7he i"age 2uality is ,etter and they are sharper! Higher / 8 is ,est for shooting under dar+er or lo.-light conditions- it .ill allo. "ore light in! But ,e a.are that higher / 8s .ill also increase the chance for lo.er 2uality photos .ith "ore digital noise!

-n these samples you can see ho$ increasing to a higher -'O doubles the amount o" light allo$ed

34

in. &he photos $ere shot by a bright and di""used $indo$. -n this case the e#posure had the best results $ith one o" the lo$er -'O settings. 8n 5 L1s and Prosu"ers ca"eras / 8 can ,e set ,y either a dial or through a "enu! 8n Pointand- hoots typically the setting is only found under a "enu! Please "a+e sure you are fa"iliar .ith the / 8 location on your ca"era! My preference for shooting is .ith a lo.er / 8 to a'oid ca"era4digital noise! But ,efore / loc+ "yself into a lo.er / 8 / al.ays ta+e into account ho. "uch a'aila,le light there is to .or+ .ith! 7he follo.ing sa"ples sho. you .hat happens at / 8d of &%% and &9%%! Because the space on these pages is li"ited you .ill only get a s"all sa"pling of the close-up details! 7he ,est .ay to +no. ho. your ca"era handles higher / 8s is ,y shooting so"e sa"ple shots! As technology +eeps i"pro'ing so does i"age 2uality! )our ca"era "ight handle / 8 &9%% "uch ,etter than "ine!

'hot at -'O 5//. &he top close up is straight out o" camera, and the lo$er one is a"ter minor processing. &he image Auality at this -'O is 3ery good because there is no digital noise or grain.

35

&his $as shot at -'O 5<//. &he top close up is straight out o" camera, and lo$er one is a"ter minor processing. &he image Auality at this -'O is not 3ery good. 6e can start seeing pi#ilation and digital noise. !t this small image size, on the le"t neither the pi#ilation nor noise is too 3isible. 9ut $hen $e zoom in the bad Auality is Auite noticeable.

*y Thoughts on 5(posure
7hese three factors- aperture- shutter speed and / 8- are 'ery i"portant to any and all types of photography! 8'er-e0posing an i"age- allo.ing too "uch light in- can ,e detri"ental to a photo! As is under-e0posing an i"age! 6ith that said- LcorrectL e0posure is also ,ased on personal choice and4or artistic e0pression! For instance- so"e li+e to shoot ,righter photographs .hich others .ith a preference for dar+er e0posures "ight consider o'er-e0posed! 8f course the sa"e could ,e said a,out the opposite! /t really does co"e do.n to personal choice and .hat type of "ood you are setting in the picture! 7he +ey to good e0posure is .hate'er your personal preferences are! hotpractice- study- delete- and repeat it all o'er and o'er again until you find .hat not only .or+s ,est ,ut .hat you are happiest .ith!

36

9eauty can be seen in all things, seeing and composing the beauty is $hat separates the snapshot "rom the photograph. B Matt ardy

37

Chapter i(: 56 or 5(posure 6a%ue and *etering

7he follo.ing settings are .ays of further controlling e0posure! 7hey are slightly "ore ad'anced ,ut can easily ,e adGusted on 5 L1s and so"e Prosu"er ca"eras! Please dou,le chec+ your ca"era for e0act function locations!

56 or 5(posure 6a%ue
Most ca"eras ha'e an additional .ay of adGusting e0posure .ith the (; function! 7he (; function is the s"all N4- ,utton on your 5 L1 and prosu"er ca"eras- though in "any ca"eras it can also ,e found under the functions "enu! (; stands for (0posure ;alue- and it can ,e used in Aperture and hutter Priority as .ell as progra" "ode! @/t cannot ,e used on Manual "ode!B )ou .ill notice that as you clic+ up or do.n the nu",ers ha'e a plus or "inus ne0t to the"! 7he plus nu",ers ,rightens and the negati'e nu",ers dar+en i"ages! /n the sa"ples ,elo. the center photo .as shot in "anual "ode! 7o illustrate ho. (; co"pensation effects the e0posure / shot the other four i"ages .ith hutter Priority! @1e"e",er in hutter Priority "ode- or ;- .e chose the shutter speed and the ca"era adGusts the aperture accordingly!B As you can see clic+ing the (; ,utton to N& e0poses the i"age one full stop- and the N$ to t.o full stops- ,oth ti"es ,rightening the i"age! /n ,oth the -& and -$ photos the ca"era dar+ened the i"age!

'ample o" shooting $ith CD "unction

5(posure Bracketing
Another si"ilar function to (; or e0posure 'alue is ,rac+eting! Brac+eting is a function on your ca"era that allo.s the capture of a series of i"ages- of the sa"e scene- .ith different e0posures! )ou select .hether the ca"era shoots $- < or D different e0posures- as .ell as selecting ho. "any stops to ,oth under and o'er e0pose ,y! /t is particularly helpful .hen shooting a scene that has a large range of ,right- shaded and dar+ areas! LetIs use an e0a"ple- .e set the ca"era to shoot < e0posures at &(;! /t shoots one nor"al or "iddle range e0posure- one dar+er and another ,righter! Based on the result you can then select .hich e0posure captured the scene "ost accurately! 7he follo.ing sa"ples @.ater"elon shotsB are of e0posure ,rac+eting! Please read your ca"eraIs "anual to find location and options of e0posure ,rac+eting! Many 5 L1s also ha'e an auto"atic e0posure ,rac+eting function that you could play .ith! All you do is clic+ on the option and the ca"era does the rest- chec+ the "anual!

38

-mages are straight out o" camera. &he le"t side photo is at /, the center at -5CD, and the right side is E5CD

*etering
/n addition to the pre'ious settings there is yet another .ay to further control e0posure- itIs called "etering! 5epending on the ca"era "etering "odes- or settings- "ay ,e called (0posure MeteringMetering Mode- or Gust plain Metering! 1egardless of .hat itIs called it is ho. the ca"era decides .hat aperture and shutter speed is needed to properly e0pose an i"age! Ho. "uch light is illu"inating the su,Gect and / 8 setting .ill deter"ine "etering! Ha'e you e'er shot a photo .here the ,ac+ground- food and props are dar+ ,ut the light source is 'ery ,rightM 8r you are shooting on a ,right ,ac+ground ,ut the food is dar+- and the i"age results .ith an under-e0posed or dar+ su,GectM )ou try to adGusting aperture- shutter speed and / 8 ,ut still e0perience pro,le"s .ith photos that are too ,right in one spot or too dar+ in another! AdGusting the ca"eraIs Metering "odes is ho. .e fi0 the pro,le"! All 5 L1 ca"eras ha'e the follo.ing Metering Modes! Please dou,le chec+ your ca"eraIs "anual for Metering Modes location! Most ca"eras are pre-set to Multi-seg"ent Metering ,y default!

'ample o" camera metering modes.

39

*u%ti-segment *etering
Also called Matri0 "etering or ('aluati'e "etering! @/t is the green rectangle in the pre'ious ca"era "etering "odes photo!B 7he ca"era di'ides the fra"e into seg"ents- it analyzes each of the" and then deter"ines the appropriate e0posure ,ased on the data collected! Additionally the e0tra attention is paid to the section .here you ha'e focused the fra"e! Multi-seg"ent is useful for general snapshot photography .hen you donIt .ant to fuss .ith settings- and it is also an easy ,eginners setting!

Center-)eighted *etering
@/t is the center rectangle- in the pre'ious photo- that loo+s li+e t.o parentheses .ith a dot in the "iddle!B 7he light in the center of fra"e and near,y surroundings are analyzed- ,ut the center area is gi'en priority! /t should ,e used .hen e"phasis on the center of the fra"e is desired! /tIs a good setting .hen the su,Gect is in the "iddle of the fra"e and the ,ac+ground is ,right! / personally ha'e found that center-.eighted "etering isnIt al.ays "uch different than "ulti-seg"ent!

pot *etering
@/t is the right rectangle- in pre'ious photo- .ith the dot in the "iddle!B 8nly the center of the screen or focus spot is "easured! 7his is a great setting for high contrast and ,ac+light i"ages that are under-e0posing at sections furthest a.ay fro" light source- or o'er-e0posed in areas closest to the light! pot Metering offers the "ost control and ,est results "a+ing it the ideal setting for serious photographers! 7hough slightly "ore ad'anced it can ,e put to great use .ith so"e practice! All you need to do is snap a fe. test shots and youIll get a ,etter grasp of ho. to ,est use it! A .ay to use it .ould ,e if the su,Gect .as dar+ and the light source .as the ,right sun hitting fro" ,ehind! / .ould .ant to a'oid under-e0posed areas or creating a silhouette! 6hile holding the shutter ,utton half .ay do.n- / .ould point the ca"era at a "iddle shade of su,Gect- once / ha'e selected the area / .ould press and hold do.n the A(-L ,utton @to loc+ the e0posureB- reco"pose and snap "y photo! ?sing the sa"e pre'ious sa"ple- if / .anted to o'er-e0pose- or ,righten up the i"age- /Id point to a dar+ area of su,Gect- hold the shutter ,utton half .ay do.n- point the ca"era at a dar+ shade of su,Gect- once / ha'e selected the area / .ould press and hold do.n the A(-L ,utton @to loc+ the e0posureB- reco"pose and snap "y photo! /f / .anted to under-e0pose the sa"e sa"ple- /Id point the spot "eter to the ,rightest area- hold shutter ,utton half .ay do.n- point the ca"era at a ,right area- press and hold do.n the A(-L ,utton @to loc+ the e0posureB- reco"pose and snap "y photo! 7he easiest .ay to grasp ho. pot "etering .or+s is .ith a little practice! 7ry setting up si"ilar sa"ples to the ones / "entioned a,o'e and on the follo.ing page! / ha'e personally found that acting the infor"ation out really helps "e to understand ho. functions .or+!

&he "ollo$ing are samples o" ho$ to use the di""erent metering modes and a speci"ic 'pot metering sample.

40

7hese three garlic photos .ere shot .ith ,ac+light! 7he left side photo .as shot using Multiseg"ent "etering ,ut the garlic is too dar+! 7he center is Center-.eighted and e'en though it is ,righter the ,ac+ of the garlic is o'ere0posed! 7he right photo .as shot .ith pot "etering! 7his one is the "ost ,alanced ,ecause there are no. o'er or under e0posed areas! / could i"pro'e the e0posure further ,y using a reflector to ,ounce "ore light to the front of the garlic!

7hese three photos .ere shot using sidelight! 7he left side photo .as shot using Multi-seg"ent "etering- not ,ad ,ut the pecans can ,e ,righter! 7he center is Center-.eighted- and there is not "uch change fro" the pre'ious! 7he right photo .as shot using pot "etering! Again the one .ith the ,est results is this one!

7hese three rice ,o.l i"ages .ere shot using natural ,ac+light! 7hey illustrate .hat happens .hen you "eter using the pot "eter .hile pointing it at different areas of the su,Gect! /n the left photo / "etered using the center of ,o.l .here it is a "iddle shade! 7he center photo / pointed at the dar+ surface- and the i"age ,eca"e o'er-e0posed in the light areas! /n the right side photo / "etered the lightest area or top of the rice! 7he result .as an under-e0posed photo! /n this instance the ,est results ca"e fro" "etering a "iddle range area! 7o help add "ore light to the front of the ,o.l a reflector or .hite,oard can ,e used!

41

Light makes photography. Cmbrace light. !dmire it. Lo3e it. 9ut abo3e all, kno$ light. Fno$ it "or all you are $orth, and you $ill kno$ the key to photography. George Castman

42

Chapter e,en: &ight

Perhaps the "ost i"portant factor of photography is light! Light not only deter"ines .hat shutter speed and / 8 to use- ,ut it also plays a ,ig role in setting the "ood! etting the "ood is 'ery i"portant ,ecause it is .hat con'eys the "essage you .ant others to see in your photographs! /f captured and used correctly light can transfor" your photographs fro" ordinary to e0traordinary! All you need is to understand so"e ,asics of light and ho. it affects the su,Gect! /n this section .e .ill learn a,out light sources- light direction- and ho. it all affects o'erall the "ood!

-atura% &ight or un%ight7$ay%ight

Natural light is sunlight or daylight! 7he light can ,e entering through a .indo. or it can ,e sunlight .hen shooting outdoors! 7hough / shoot ,oth .ith natural and artificial light- / prefer shooting .ith natural light! / feel that in natural light it is easier to "a+e food loo+ appetizing! Additionally there is less .or+ in'ol'ed ,ecause there is no need to setup a light stand- the s+y ta+es care of it for you! 8f course the ,iggest ad'antage to shooting .ith natural light is that itIs free so thereIs no additional e0pense on your part! 7here are three "aGor factors that dictate ho. natural light falls on your su,Gect and therefore .hat "ood is con'eyed! 7he three factors are the .eather- ti"e of day and the direction the light falls on the su,Gect! @Light direction .ill ,e co'ered in a section to follo.!B

2ard &ight
A co""on "isconception is that one needs a ,right clear sunny day to shoot! )ou donIt! /n fact those days can create dar+ and harsh shado.s if not properly diffused! 7his type of light is +no.n as hard %ight! /f you are a ,eginner it is ,est to a'oid direct hard light conditions- try to a'oid shooting at high noon .hen the sun is at itIs "ost direct! A .ay of toning do.n the harsh shado.s fro" hard light is to ta+e co'er under a shaded area- or to use a diffuser! @More infor"ation on diffusers .ill follo.!B 7hough /I" not entirely against hard light it is harder to control and "anipulate! Pus the harsh shado.s can ,e unflattering to your photographs! Also if you are not shooting .ith pot "etering it can ,e difficult to properly e0pose an i"age! An ad'antage of hard light is the contrast ,et.een highlights and shado.s is greater! 7hat contrast can create "ore e"phasis on te0ture and shape! But again- if you are a ,eginner- try to a'oid hard direct light until you ha'e a ,etter understanding on ho. ,est to use it! Hard light tips: -" you are shooting outside and the light is directly "alling on your sub7ect, mo3e to the shade under a tree. !nother $ay to so"ten the direct light is by placing a di""user bet$een the light and sub7ect. -" you are shooting indoors near a $indo$ and the light is creating harsh shado$s, place a di""user bet$een the $indo$ and sub7ect, or hang a clear $hite curtain, sheet or $hite paper in the $indo$. &he di""user, curtain*sheet*paper creates so"ter light, and there"ore the harsh shado$s are lessened. &o achie3e better or proper e#posures on bright sunny days you may need to stop do$n the aperture, s$itch to higher numbers, or increase to a "aster shutter speed, or you could also try s$itching to a lo$er -'O. (lay around $ith the settings until you achie3e the desired light and e#posure.

43

&he le"t side photo illustrates hard light. -n the center photo $e placed a di""user bet$een the $indo$ and peppers. -n the right side photo you can see ho$ much better the photo looks by di""using the light. No. that you ha'e all the negati'es of hard light- donIt co"pletely discount it! /f captured correctly hard light can ,e used as a creati'e tool! Hard light can accentuate details in the su,Gect and tell a different story than soft-diffused photos! 7he photos ,elo. .ere all shot .ith natural hard light! Notice the dar+ shado.s and ,right highlights and ho. they help set the "ood!

44

oft &ight
My fa'orite days to shoot are on o'ercast days! 7he dense cloud co'erage creates one giant light diffuser .hich softens the light- this type of light is called soft %ight! ince there are no direct sun rays or hard light falling on the su,Gect the shado.s and te0tures are softer! 7he diffused light creates s"ooth e'enly lit i"ages .ith soft shado.s! )ou can accentuate the airy feeling ,y ,ouncing "ore light ,ac+ to the su,Gect .ith a reflector or .hite,oard! 8ften ti"es neither a reflector nor diffuser is necessary it is a "atter of personal preference! )ou only +no. .hat .or+s ,est .hen you practice and o,ser'e! !er"ast days-tips: (ay close attention to e#posure because you may ha3e less light to $ork $ith. O" course you can open to a $ider aperture, the lo$er numbers, or use a slo$er shutter speeds, or lastly increase the -'O to allo$ more light in "or better e#posure. !dditional light can be added by using a re"lector or $hiteboard to bounce the light back onto the sub7ect. C%oudy days also generate soft light! But / ha'e to ad"it that they are perhaps "y least fa'orite days for shooting! ('en if there is enough sunlight pee+ing through the clouds- cloudy days can ,e challenging! 7he passing clouds co'er and unco'er the sun constantly .hich creates inconsistent light! o if youIre shooting in "anual "ode it is a constant struggle to +eep adGusting after each e0posure! )ou could of course s.itch to aperture priority "ode- so the ca"era can choose the shutter speed! 7he pro,le" .ith the setting is that the shutter speed "ay ,e too lo. and create sha+y i"ages! )ou could also s.itch to shutter priory and let the ca"era choose the aperture! Another solution .ould ,e to s.itch to a higher / 8 or "ount the ca"era on a tripod!

'hot on a rainy day, "*?, 5*H/, -'O H//, camera $as mounted on a tripod. 8n dark rainy days the light is already soft! 7he pro,le" is the lac+ of light! )ou can co"pensate ,y opening to a .ider aperture- the lo.er nu",ers- slo.ing do.n the shutter speed for longer e0posures- or s.itch to a faster4higher / 8! Also a reflector "ay ,e used to ,ounce "ore light onto the su,Gect or "ount the ca"era on a tripod! Any of these adGust"ents .ill allo. "ore light in and should help properly e0pose the i"age!

45

&hese si# photos are all samples o" so"t light.

$iffusers and 'ef%ectors

/n the pre'ious paragraphs you sa. the .ords diffuser and reflector "entioned! Both diffusers and reflectors can help to further "anipulate the light! 7hey can ,e used to either tone do.n or soften the light as .ell as ,rightening the su,Gect! )es- tone do.n and soften the i"ages- ,ut not rid it entirely of shado.s! hado.s are i"portant too! 6ithout the" the i"age can loo+ flat and unattracti'e! Photos need so"e shado.s to create 'olu"e and depth! 7he +ey is finding the right a"ount of shado.s to ,alance the pictures!

46

$iffusers are used to soften light! /n the section a,o'e / "entioned the clouds on a cloudy day ,eing natural diffusers! 6hen shooting ,y .indo. light a thin .hite curtain- .hite cloth- thin .hite paper- or translucent section of reflector disc- can ,eco"e a diffuser! 7he diffuser4curtain4cloth or paper is placed in ,et.een the su,Gect and the light source! 5iffusing light spreads the light source and creates a softer glo. .ith less contrast and shado.s! )ou can refer ,ac+ to the section on hard light to see a sa"ple of ho. using a diffuser i"pro'es i"ages! 'ef%ectors are used to ,ounce or reflect light ,ac+ onto the su,Gect! /n essence a reflector acts as a secondary light source! A reflector is placed aside- a,o'e or e'en ,elo.- the su,Gect and adGusted until the light falls onto the su,Gect e0actly as you .ish! 7he additional light can ,e used to fill in harsh shado.s- create a "ore e'enly light area- or to add additional highlights! a"ples of reflectors are a .hite foa" ,oard- a "irror or a reflector +it! / personally prefer the reflector +it ,ecause it is a collapsa,le dis+ that folds up into an easy to store pouch! Plus the inter-changea,le panels co"e in .hite- sil'er and gold surfaces all of .hich can used as reflectors! 7here is also a ,lac+ side .hich is used to a,sor, e0tra light! Additionally the center collapsi,le dis+ is translucent and dou,les as a diffuser! )ou can also use all of the colors as shooting ,ac+grounds! 7hat is e0actly .hat / did .ith the gold panel in the i"age ,elo.!

/n ,oth cases of diffusers and reflectors it is a "atter of personal choice! /t is up to you to decide ho. and .hich to use according to shooting conditions or "ood you .ant to set! 7he +ey is to practice and e0peri"ent to see .hat .or+s ,est for you!

47

7hese four orange photos sho. the effects of using reflectors to ,ounce light ,ac+ onto the orange! / used "y "ultisided reflector +it to illustrate the differences! /n the top left photo no reflector .as used! Notice the harsh shado.s to the right of the orange! /n the top right photo a .hite reflector .as placed to the right side! Notice the shado.s are less and the orange is no. a ,it ,righter on the right side! /n the ,otto" left side photo a sil'er reflector .as placed to the right side of the orange! Not only are the shado.s softer ,ut also the i"age is no. ,righter! Notice the ,righter highlights on the right side! /n the last photo- ,otto" right- a gold reflector .as used! Just li+e the sil'er the shado.s are less- and "ore light is ,eing reflected ,ac+ onto the orange! 7he only difference is that the orange has a slight golden tone- .hich can ,e a good or ,ad thing depending on .hat loo+ you are trying to achie'e!

-atura% &ight Tips

7he ,est tip / can gi'e you a,out natural light is to pay attention to ho. it falls in your shooting area! / .ould ad'ise you to snap so"e test shots throughout the day! 7his .ay you can clearly see .hat ti"es create the light you "ost li+e! /f you are shooting outside or on a ,alcony loo+ for areas that get sufficient ,ut indirect light! Ma+ing sure no harsh sun rays fall on the su,Gect- ,ut if they do youIll need to diffuse the light! /f you are shooting indoors find a large .indo. or glass door to shoot ,y! 1e"e",er if the light is harsh diffuse it .ith a .hite diffuser- curtain- cloth or clear .hite paper! )ou "ay .ant to try a north-facing .indo. or glass door.ay! Most photographers / +no. s.ear ,y north-facing light! / ad"it that "y ,alcony .hich is north-facing is "y fa'orite area to shoot! But truth ,e told /I'e gotten good results on all directions- Gust as long as the light .as diffused! )ouIll only disco'er the ,est shooting area in your ho"e ,y ta+ing notice- and snapping so"e test shots!

48

7he first sunlight hour and the last hour of sunlight in a day are considered the "ost ideal shooting ti"es! 7hese hours are called the LGolden Hours!L 7hey are "ost ideal ,ecause less contrast and fe.er harsh shado.s are produced! But depending on your location fro" the e2uator these Golden Hours "ay affect you differently! 6hich again is .hy / suggest paying close attention to ho. light falls onto your designated shooting area! )ouIll also .ant to refer ,ac+ to the section on 6hite Balance- particularly the color te"perature scale graphic! /f you re"e",er the color te"perature 'aries for natural light according to ti"e of day!

/f you li'e in a place .ith little sunshine- or are in the "iddle of .inter- then artificial light is your ,est choice!

Artificia% &ight or +hen un%ight Is -ot A,ai%ab%e

7hough "ost of us enGoy shooting .ith natural light- / strongly feel that .e also "ust learn ho. to shoot .ith artificial light! ?nfortunately "ost of us cannot al.ays rely on the .eather or our schedules cooperating! Artificial light really co"es in handy during the short .inter days ,ecause "ost of us donIt ha'e the opportunity to coo+ and photograph ,efore the sun sets! 8n those days it is really helpful ha'ing artificial light to fall ,ac+ on and get the Go, done! Many people are inti"idated ,y artificial light- ,ut there is no need to ,e! 6ith a little practice using our lighting gear great results can ,e achie'ed! /I'e gotten Gust as good results .ith artificial light as / ha'e .ith natural! Certainly donIt feel li+e you ha'e to spend thousands or e'en hundreds of dollars for lighting gear! /Ill tell you a little secret- "y photography la"p cost under O&%%- youId ne'er +no. it! /t too+ ti"e- patience and "uch practice- ,ut no. / "a+e that artificial la"p +it .or+ for "e! 7he follo.ing are the lighting options .hen sunlight is not a'aila,le!

Continuous tudio &ighting 8its

My personal choice for artificial light is .ith either a fluorescent or tungsten light la"p +it! 7he +it / use is an ine0pensi'e setup that is easy to disasse",le and set aside .hen not in use! 7he la"p produces continuous light .ith one clic+ of a s.itch Gust li+e a household la"p! My +it ca"e .ith a .hite u",rella that is used for diffusing and softening the light! /t helps spread the light to a "ore

49

e'en area! Ne'er shoot .ith the ,are light,ul,! /t al.ays results in harsh and unflattering light! /t can cause o'er-e0posure or ,lo.outs in so"e areas .hich is not so"ething .e .ant! /I'e found that it is harder to "a+e hard artificial light loo+ as nice as hard natural light! Feel free to e0peri"ent and see .hat results you get!

My arti"icial light lamp 7here are also other continuous light +its that ha'e the option of shooting .ith soft ,o0es! 7hey .or+ the sa"e as u",rellas! 7he choice of u",rella 's! soft ,o0 is up to personal preference! 1egardless of your choice diffusing the light is 'ery i"portant! 6ithout an u",rella or soft ,o0 the light .ill create harsh shado.s! 6e are ai"ing for soft diffused light that "a+e our photos appetizing and lea'e the 'ie.er hungry! 8ne 'ery i"portant detail to "ention a,out tungsten lights is the heat they radiate! 7ungsten lights are also +no.n as Phot lightsQ- ,ecause they produce a high a"ount of heat! /f you o.n one of these "a+e sure to set the food a good distance a.ay fro" it! Additionally the heat ,eing radiated "ay cause food to .ilt and dry out! Heep a close eye on the food .hen shooting .ith hot lights! Correct .hite ,alance is a 'ery i"portant factor .hen shooting .ith artificial light! ince / shoot .ith a fluorescent light the .hite ,alance on "y ca"era is set to the fluorescent light setting- though so"eti"es / also adGust it "anually! ?nderstand and +no. .hether your artificial light is fluorescent- tungsten or flash4stro,e! 1e"e",er if you shoot in 1A6 for"at the .hite ,alance can also ,e adGusted after.ards in the 1A6 soft.are! /f you shoot JP(Gs get it right in the ca"era! )ou .ouldnIt .ant to end up .ith the .rong color cast and one "ore thing to fi0 in editing!

50

&hese t$o photos abo3e $ere shot $ith a "luorescent light kit. &he light $as di""used through a $hite umbrella and a $hite re"lector $as positioned on the le"t side. &he re"lector $as used to bounce more light back to the sub7ects. i"ple fluorescent and tungsten light la"ps can ,e purchased on A"azon- Adora"a!co"- or your local photography supply stores! 7here are other types of studio lights a'aila,le @.eIll tal+ a,out the" in a ,itB that are "ore e0pensi'e and ha'e "ore controls- li+e stro,e or flash! / thin+ a si"ple +it is a great place to ,egin- learn and see i""ediate results! )ou can al.ays update to a "ore ad'ance and e0pensi'e +it later! /I'e used ,oth tungsten and fluorescent continuous light +its for a fe. years no. and can say that /I" 'ery happy .ith the results! Another popular option .ith food ,loggers are the Lo.el (G8 lights! 7hese lights are ta,letop la"ps that are easy to "o'e on flat surfaces! 7he lights ha'e a .hite shade around the" .hich .or+s to diffuse the light Gust li+e an u",rella or soft ,o0! /I'e ne'er used the" ,ut o'erall /I'e heard great re'ie.s fro" "any ,loggers! 7hough so"e say they donIt li+e the" ,ecause they need to ,e placed 'ery close to the food! Also since they need to ,e set do.n on a flat surface they li"it the userIs "o'e"ent!

51

!ll si# photos $ere shot $ith arti"icial light lamp kit. #sing $i%%users and re%le"tors with lamp kits: 7he sa"e principles of diffusing natural light apply to diffusing artificial light! 7hough ,e careful and ne'er place a diffuser- .hich .asnIt included .ith the la"p +it- in front of artificial lights! /nstead use the u",rella or soft ,o0 included in the +its! Just li+e in natural light photography- reflectors can ,e used to reflect light ,ac+ onto the su,Gect!

2ouseho%d &amps
/n a pinch household la"ps and light fi0tures can pro'ide light! 7he ,ad side is that the light output can ,e lo.! A .ay around it is to use "ultiple la"ps to pro'ide enough light! )ou could also try using fluorescent ,ul,s .hich ha'e a higher light output! 7he lo. light .ill re2uire you to steady the ca"era .ith a tripod to pre'ent ,lurry i"ages! hooting at a higher / 8 is also an option! Be a.are that shooting .ith higher / 8s result in lo.er 2uality i"ages! Ma+e sure to test your ca"eraIs i"age 2uality at higher / 8s! Another i"portant thing is that you .ill need to set the .hite ,alance correctly! /f using household la"ps set your ca"eraIs .hite ,alance to either fluorescent or tungsten- it all depends on the light,ul, the la"p uses!

52

7he photos a,o'e .ere shot using a regular house la"p .ith a CD. ,ul,- at / 8 &9%%- / choose an aperture of f4<!D and ca"era set &4&$D for shutter speed! )ou can see that there is a decent a"ount of light shot as is ,ut still a ,it too dar+! 7he top right i"age is out of the ca"era .ithout any editing! 6ith a s"all adGust"ent / can ,righten it up a ,it "ore! But .hat you .onIt see on a s"all size photo li+e this is the digital4i"age noise that appears .hen shooting .ith a s"all a"ount of light at / 8 &9%%! Also / had to ,righten up the photo using photo editing soft.are- .hich in turn creates "ore digital noise- itIs not so"ething you .ant! As you can see this is not the ,est choice! But if you can get enough s"all la"ps to shoot and ,oost the a"ount of light a'aila,le- plus lo.er the / 8- you could i"pro'e the i"age 2uality so"e.hat! Also shoot a fe. test shots as your ca"era "ight handle higher / 8s ,etter than "ine!

.%ash and 5(terna% .%ashguns

Ha'e you disa,led your ca"eraIs flashM NoM 5o so right no.! 7he on-ca"era flash .ill not help in shooting appetizing photos! /t creates harsh lighting .hich flattens the food! Learning to use our ca"eras .ithout the on-ca"era flash .ill help i"pro'e our photography! ee the difference in sa"ples ,elo.!

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7he left chili peppers photo .as shot .ith the on-ca"era flash! 7he right photo of chili peppers .as shot .ithout ca"era flash and using a tungsten la"p! o"e ca"eras ha'e the option of attaching a flashgun! 7hough / +no. "any photographers achie'e good results- / personally didnIt li+e using "y flashgun! ?nfortunately / Gust couldnIt "a+e it .or+ for "e so / stopped learning to use it! orry no tips on flashguns fro" "e! But if you are curious a,out the"- / say gi'e the" a try!

On the le"t side $e ha3e a "lashgun $hich can be attached to a camera. On the right side is a strobe photography lighting lamp. /n the pre'ious section on continuous light and la"p +its / "entioned stro,es and "ore ad'anced photography la"ps! 7he right i"age a,o'e sho.s a sa"ple of .hat a stro,e photography lighting la"p loo+s li+e! As you can see it is 2uite si"ilar to a continuous light la"p! 7he difference is that a stro,e e"its a flash of light- hence the .ord stro,e! 7hese stro,e la"ps also ha'e .hatIs called a "odeling light- .hich is a lo. and continuous light! 7he "odeling light is insufficient to properly e0pose an i"age- thatIs .here the stro,e or flash of light does its Go,! 7he photographer sets the dials and settings as desired- either a ca,le or radio signal trans"itter is attached to the ca"era- and once the shutter is released the flash of light si"ultaneously fires to e0pose the i"age! tro,e la"ps are "ore ad'anced and also "ore e0pensi'e than a si"ple continuous lighting +it! /I'e ne'er shot food photos .ith stro,e so / fear that / do not ha'e tips as ho. to use the"! /f you are interested in purchasing stro,e lighting "a+e sure to do your research .ell! But a,o'e all practice and practice to get your lighting right!

&ight $irection
6hether you choose to shoot .ith natural or artificial light the direction of the light source is a 'ery i"portant ele"ent to consider! Light direction can accentuate e'erything fro" te0ture- details- depth and "ood! 7he follo.ing sa"ples illustrate light directions .ith ,oth natural and artificial light!

.ront &ight
7he light hits su,Gect fro" the front- ca"era faces into su,Gect and so the light source is to your

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,ac+! 5isad'antages are less te0ture- flattens details in i"age- little depth or shado.s to sho. di"ension! As you can see ,elo.- natural light it is "ore flattering than artificial light! But this light direction is not the ,est choice for food photography! 5o try to a'oid it!

Le"t side photo $as shot $ith $indo$ light. 2ight side photo shot using arti"icial light lamp. No re"lectors nor $hiteboards $ere used. &he natural light photo is better because it does not ha3e the harsh shado$s and highlights that the arti"icial light created.

Back &ight
7he light is ,ehind su,Gect and pointing to.ards front of the ca"era! /t creates dra"atic i"ages that can ha'e strong outlines or e'en silhouettes! /f captured correctly- the light can help enhance te0tures! 7he disad'antage is that it can ,e "ore difficult to properly e0pose ,ecause the ca"eraIs "eter has t.o le'els of light pointed at it- the dar+er su,Gect area and the ,righter light source area! A reflector "ay ,e needed to help ,ring additional light to the dar+er front area of su,Gect! / highly suggest using pot Metering "ode .hen shooting .ith ,ac+ light!

&his photo $as shot using $indo$ light "rom behind the sub7ect. No re"lectors $ere used, but as indicated in the graphic re"lectors or $hite boards may be added to either side o" sub7ect. &his light gi3es the image a light and some$hat airy look. 6e can see shado$s in the "ore"ront but not to$ards the back $here light is coming "rom. -" the sunlight is particularly bright and there"ore

55

o3ere#posing the area closest to the light mo3e your sub7ect "urther a$ay "rom the light. !lso don@t "orget to set your camera@s metering to 'pot Meter "or more accurate readings.

&his photo $as shot using arti"icial light "rom behind the sub7ect. No re"lectors $ere used. ere $e can really see the te#ture o" the $ater droplets. 9ut un"ortunately not enough light $as hitting the "ront o" the eggplants. Let@s see $hat happens $hen $e the light a little more help.

&his photo $as also shot using arti"icial light "rom behind the sub7ect. &o add a bit more light and "ill in the shado$s - ha3e placed re"lectors on both sides, as indicated in the graphic. ;ou may not ha3e to use t$o re"lectors and one may su""ice. 'ince the sub7ect in these photos, the eggplants, are Auite dark they needed the help o" t$o re"lectors on both sides. No$ $e ha3e created more dimension and interest $ith the additional highlights.

ide &ight
7he light source is to either the left or right side of the su,Gect! ide light e"phasizes te0turecontrast- adds depth- and details! 7his is "y fa'orite type of directional lighting! /t is also easier to

56

e0pose and diffuse or reflect! 5epending on the "ood / .ant to set and ho. "uch light is a'aila,le/ .ill so"eti"es place a reflector or .hite ,oard to the opposite side of the food and light source! ide light is also a 'ery good light direction for ,eginners! /t is easier to control and you can i""ediately see good or ,etter results!

&his photo $as shot using $indo$ light coming in "rom the le"t side. - did not use a $hiteboard nor re"lector, but as indicated in the graphic either one may be used to add more light to the sub7ect. Notice ho$ so"t the light is hitting the eggplant. &here are no harsh shado$s and no o3erpo$ering highlights.

&his photo $as shot using arti"icial light hitting the eggplants "rom the right side. - did not use a re"lector nor $hiteboard. &he image is darker because the output o" my arti"icial lamp is not as po$er"ul as the sun. &oo much o" the photo is dark and there are harsh shado$s. -n the ne#t sample $e $ill see $hat happens $hen $e bounce more light back onto the eggplants.

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ere the light $as placed o"" to the right side o" the table. - ha3e placed a re"lector o"" to the le"t side, to add a bit more light to the eggplants. =ompare this photo to the pre3ious and see ho$ a re"lector has changed the photo. No$ $e see more o" the sub7ect and the image is lit much better. !dditionally there are nice highlights on the opposite side. -t is your choice $hether you $ant to use a re"lector or $hite board. C#periment $ith both to see $hich you most pre"er or helps light the photos better.

&ight from Abo,e

Light source is directly a,o'e su,Gect- li+e a spotlight! /t e"phasizes te0ture- ,ut creates harsh shado.s- and flat i"ages! 7his light is 'ery difficult to use and not the "ost ideal for food photography!

Le"t side photo $as shot $ith $indo$ light. &he $indo$ $as behind and abo3e the eggplants. 2ight side photo shot using arti"icial light lamp. &he lamp $as directly abo3e and the light $as shinning do$n. No re"lectors or $hiteboards $ere used in either photos. !t "irst glance the right side photo may not seem that bad. 9ut a closer look re3eals une3en light and harsh shado$s. ;ou may be able to make better use o" natural light "rom abo3e than "rom arti"icial light "rom abo3e. -" you must use this type o" light, al$ays go the natural light route. 9ut try to a3oid it $hen possible.

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&ight from Be%o)

7he light co"es fro" ,elo. the su,Gect! /t e"phasizes te0ture ,ut can ,e hard to control! 7his type of light is co""on in product photography! pecial e2uip"ent and setups are re2uired to set up the light source ,elo. the su,Gect! As a food ,logger youIre not li+ely to ha'e the e2uip"ent re2uired to properly use and set up light fro" ,elo.! / do not ha'e the e2uip"ent to properly illustrate a sa"ple for you- this is a rough one that / shot .ith "y la"p +it! / .ould ha'e to say that food ,loggers should steer a.ay fro" this type of light direction! 7hat is unless you are loo+ing to ,eco"e a product photographer or ha'e the proper e2uip"ent re2uired!

! light stand $as placed belo$ the shooting sur"ace. &he sur"ace $as a clear glass table $ith a $hite tissue paper to di""use the light. No additional light sources, re"lectors or $hite boards $ere used. &his is not the best sample o" light "rom belo$ but you get idea. My fa'orite light directions- and also those you are "ostly li+ely to use- are ,ac+ light and side light! 1egardless / .ould still suggest that you shoot so"e sa"ple photos of different light directions! /n doing so you "ay disco'er .hich not only .or+s ,est for you- ,ut the one you prefer!

(hoto shot $ith di""used $indo$ side lighting.

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;ou3e got to push yoursel" harder. ;ou3e got to start looking "or pictures nobody else could take. ;ou3e got to take the tools you ha3e and probe deeper.: -6illiam !lbert !llard

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Chapter 5ight: Composition

No. that you ha'e learned the technical side of photography it is ti"e to "o'e onto actually putting together a photograph! After technical settings- and good lighting- co"position plays the ne0t "ost i"portant role in photography! Co"position is defined as Lthe artistic arrange"ent of the parts of a picture!L /n other .ords it is ho. you fra"e or put together all the ele"ents to dra. attention to the su,Gect! 5e'eloping your eye or creati'ity for co"position can ,e one of your "ost po.erful tools in photography! 7he understanding of co"position .ill open up your eyes and a,ility to see .hat distinguishes a ,ad photograph fro" a good one! Co"position is a little ,it hard to teach ,ecause it is greatly influenced ,y an indi'idualIs artistic interpretation! Additionally it can ,e hard to teach ,ecause it is one of those things you either see or you donIt! But there are so"e ,asic guidelines that can help de'elop our eyes for good co"position! 6ith practice our a,ility to see good co"position .ill continue to gro.! Hopefully these tips .ill help you see other co"positions you hadnIt thought of! 7hese tips are ho. / see co"position! 1ead through the" and apply the" to your photos .ith your o.n artistic 'ision! 7hat uni2ue 'ision is .hat .ill "a+e your photographs stand out!

'u%e of Thirds
/I" sure "any of you ha'e so"eti"e or another heard of the L1ule of 7hirds!L 7his is perhaps one of the "ost ,asic rules of co"position and photography! 7he rule of thirds is a ,asic guide used for ,etter co"position or su,Gect place"ent! Basically it .or+s ,y dra.ing i"aginary lines .hich di'ide an i"age into thirds-,oth horizontal and 'ertical! 7he result is nine e2ual seg"ents!

7his rule states that placing a su,Gect either along the lines or at any of the four intersectionscreates a "ore appealing photograph! )ou .ould place points of interest- or .here you .ant the 'ie.erIs eyes to focus- along the lines or at any of the four intersections! Applying this rule .ill help create ,alance in a photograph- .hich in turn can ,e used to create a "ore interesting photo! 6ith a little practice the rule of thirds .ill ,eco"e second nature to you! LetIs ta+e a loo+ at so"e sa"ples!

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7hese t.o photos- the garlic and stra.,erries- are good sa"ples of applying the rule of thirds! /n the garlic photo / choose to dra. the focus to the "inced garlic at one of the intersections! /n the stra.,erries photo / .anted the attention to ,e focused on the cup- and choose to fra"e it along the first 'ertical line!

7he t.o photos a,o'e illustrate ho. the rule is applied to photos shot 'ertically! 7he right side photo- of pic+led 'egeta,les- the focus point .as set along the ,otto" horizontal line! /n the al"ond "il+ photo the ,ottle .as intentionally placed along the top right intersection! /n all pre'ious four sa"ples our eyes +ne. e0actly .here they needed to focus! / li+e to al.ays +eep the rule of thirds in the ,ac+ of "y "ind! )ou "ay not .ant to apply this rule to all of your photos! But it is a good one to fall ,ac+ on .hen shooting difficult su,Gects! For e0a"ple- there are ti"es .hen /I'e placed too "any props on "y shooting scene! / step ,ac+ and eli"inate .hat doesnIt need to ,e there! 7hen / as+ "yself ho. / can adGust the scene and su,Gect to ,est apply the rule of thirds! Ho. you apply and .here you place the su,Gect is a "atter of personal choice and artistic e0pression! o practice to see and understand ho. you can apply the rule of thirds to i"pro'e your photographs! No. that you understand .hat the rule of thirds is push it to the ,ac+ of your "ind! )es- it is

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i"portant to see- understand- and +no. ho. to use it! But this rule can ,e ,ro+en to e0pand your artistic e0pression! 6hile it is great to fall ,ac+ on there .ill ,e ti"es that ,rea+ing it .ill help open up your eye to ne. co"positions! LetIs ta+e a loo+ at a fe. sa"ples .here /I'e ,ro+en the rule of thirds!

/n the fish photo the co"position is a ,it off ,ut yet the i"age still .or+s! Neither the fish nor pan fall perfectly onto any of the lines or intersections! /nstead of placing the" so"e.here along the rule of thirds / focused on creating a circular "otion a.ay fro" the intersections! 7he center photo also doesnIt fall along any of the lines or intersections! But again this photo too is fine co"position.ise! 7he far right photo has se'eral su,Gects and points of interest! / choose to place ite"s in three out of the four intersections! /t is a ,it confusing on the eyes as .e donIt +no. e0actly .hich of the ite"s is "eant to ,e the "ain su,Gect! 7he truth is that they are all the su,Gect and e'en though it "ay ,e confusing at first the o'erall i"age is a pleasant one!

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ub3ect P%acement
6here you place the "ain su,Gect in a fra"e also plays an i"portant role in co"position! 5o not constrain yourself to the rule of thirds! Also it is i"portant not to get caught in a co"position rut! /f you ,egin feeling ,ored or frustrated .ith your photography change up your co"position! Mo'e around- up- to the side- a,o'e- or ,elo.- zoo" in closer or step ,ac+ further a.ay fro" the su,Gect! /t doesnIt "atter Gust "o'e either yourself and the ca"era or "o'e the su,Gect around the fra"e! 7he +ey is to ,roaden your eye for co"position and see the fra"e fro" angles you arenIt used to! 7he follo.ing are sa"ples of co"position and su,Gect place"ents .hich can ,e used!

Centered
Most things you read a,out photography .ill discourage you fro" placing the su,Gect in the center! 6hile in "any cases it can "a+e for a ,oring photo- other ti"es it dra.s the 'ie.erIs attention e0actly .here you .ant their eyes to fall!

'amples o" centered composition.

Off-Centered
lightly "o'ing the ca"era or su,Gect to the side can also create a dra"atic photograph! As you can see ,y slightly "o'ing the su,Gect off-center it helps creates an interesting ele"ent .hich helps put e"phasis on the su,Gect! As a guide- you could try placing the su,Gect along one of the lines or intersections of the rule of thirds!

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'amples o" o""-centered composition.

-egati,e pace
Another great .ay to ,ring all the attention to the su,Gect is .ith negati'e space! @Negati'e space is so"eti"es also +no.n as .hite space!B Negati'e space in a photograph is created ,y placing the su,Gect co"pletely off to one side of the fra"e! 7he su,Gect can ,e placed on the far left or far right side of the fra"e- as .ell as near top or near ,otto" sides of the fra"e! 7he +ey to successful use of negati'e space is to +eep the ,ac+ground as si"ple as possi,le! )ou .ant the attention to ,e focused on the su,Gect and not distracted ,y the ,ac+ground!

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Camera hooting Ang%es

No. that youI'e decided .here in the fra"e to place the "ain su,Gect- you need to consider angles! Photography is "ore than Gust shooting a su,Gect straight on and at the sa"e le'el! A photograph can con'ey a co"pletely different "essage ,y si"ply "o'ing the ca"era around the su,Gect! LetIs ta+e a loo+ at so"e sa"ples!

5ye &e,e%
hooting at eye le'el is a ,asic starting angle that you really canIt go .rong .ith! At eye le'el .e can see the .hole picture- so to spea+! 7he details and su,Gect are clear! Additionally height can ,e added to the o'erall feeling! 7his angle is great .hen shooting drin+s- foods in tall containers- Gars or cups! hooting at eye le'el also re'eals so"e of the ,ac+ground! / .ould suggest +eeping the ,ac+ground uncluttered! /f there is too "uch going on in the ,ac+ground it can ,eco"e distracting! )ou could also dra. attention to the foreground ,y using a .ide aperture .ith a shallo. depth of field to ,lur out the ,ac+ground! (0peri"ent .ith eye le'el shooting ,y co"ing in closer or stepping ,ac+ a.ay fro" the su,Gect!

Cye Le3el samples

Ang%ed !Ang%ed $o)n)ard or Three 1uarters#

/f you raise yourself and the ca"era slightly a,o'e eye le'el- then point the ca"era slightly do.n.ard- you can create an angled 'ie. shot! 6ith angled 'ie.s you can see a ,it "ore su,Gect detail and less of the ,ac+ground than .ith eye le'el shots! /I" fond of angled shots ,ecause they con'ey the feeling of reaching in for a ,ite! /"agine .hat the food on your plate loo+s li+e as you

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lo.er do.n into your chair right ,efore ta+ing a ,ite! 7he negati'e a,out shooting in this angle is that it "ay ,eco"e ,oring to the 'ie.er! /t is a 'ie. .e are accusto"ed to so you "ay .ant to not shoot angled photos all the ti"e!

'amples o" !ngled or &hree Iuarter shooting angles.

2igh Abo,e or Birds 5ye 6ie)

)ou position yourself high a,o'e the su,Gect! /n this angle you can sho. "ore detail ,oth of the su,Gect and any other props you "ay ha'e on the shooting surface! hooting fro" high a,o'e co"es in handy .hen you ha'e "any ingredients youId li+e included in the shot- or .hen shooting a .hole ta,le scene! 7he negati'e of shooting fro" high a,o'e is that there is no sense of depth in the photo! )ou cannot tell ho. high that pasta is piled on a plate- you cannot tell ho. deep the ,o.l of soup is! 6hile it is a good angle to practice and use it is not one for e'ery photo- use is .isely! 7he ,est .ay to capture a ,irdIs eye 'ie. is to either cli", up a ladder- stool- or chair! Position yourself and snap the photo! /f your shooting surface can ,e raised or lo.ered! place it on the ground or as lo. to the ground as possi,le! No. all you ha'e to do is ai" your ca"era do.n and capture the scene! Lastly- if you ha'e a .ide angle lens then of course it is a si"ple "atter of standing up on your toes! (0peri"enting .ith Phigh a,o'eQ capture is fun- ,ut again re"e",er not to o'er do it and therefore li"it yourself to this shooting angle!

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'amples o" igh !bo3e or 9ird@s Cye Die$ shooting angles.

%anted or Ti%t or $utch Ti%t

/n addition to the pre'iously "entioned angles- or perspecti'es- you could tilt the ca"era! 7ry slightly tilting the ca"era to capture a different perspecti'e! 7ilting the ca"era can create ,rand ne. perspecti'es you had ne'er thought a,out!

'amples o" 'lanted or 1utch &ilt angles.

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ere $e can see ho$ changing both perspecti3e and sub7ect placement can con3ey an entirely di""erent mood. / feel that there is really no right or .rong perspecti'e to shoot food fro"! Again it all co"es do.n to personal preference and .hat "essage you .ant to con'ey! / ne'er Gust shoot fro" Gust one perspecti'e or angle! / "a+e it a ha,it to "o'e "yself and the ca"era to capture different angles! 7he ,est ad'ice / can gi'e you as far as angles- or perspecti'es- is to shoot in all of the"! )ou ne'er +no. .hat detail you "ay "iss ,y constraining yourself to only one angle!

&his snapshot sho$s you all the di""erent angles - shot to get the + pre3ious photos. -n each "rame made sure to compose a bit di""erent, so as not to miss any details.

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&ose the Tripod

pea+ing of constraint- a tripod can do Gust that- constrain your photography gro.th! 6hile / do suggest purchasing a tripod as part of your photography gear- / also suggest that you not ,eco"e dependent on it! A tripod is a great tool for pre'enting ca"era sha+e- or .hen shooting under lo. light- ,ut it .ill also pre'ent you fro" seeing other angles! 6hene'er possi,le ta+e your ca"era off the tripod and "o'e around the su,Gect! 1e"e",er / "entioned "o'ing around- up- to the sidea,o'e- or ,elo.- zoo" in closer or step ,ac+ further a.ay fro" the su,Gect!

$epth of .ie%d in Composition

/n chapter fi'e .e learned a,out depth of field! 6e learned ho. a shallo. depth of field- the lo.er nu",ers- can help us isolate a section of the photograph ,y ,lurring other parts of the photograph! 6e also learned ho. a narro. aperture- the larger nu",ers- creates a deeper depth of field- and ho. it can help us put the .hole i"age into perspecti'e! 5epth of field plays a ,ig role in co"position! 6hen you co"pose your i"ages al.ays consider ho. a different Aperture- .hich is .hat deter"ines depth of field- .ill affect the photograph! Consider .hat "essage it is that you .ant the i"age to con'ey- do you .ant to shine "ore focus on one detail or section- or perhaps you .ant to gi'e a sense of depthM 7here is no right or .rong depth of field setting! Again it all co"es do.n to .hat you .ant to e"phasize in the photograph! Just donIt get stuc+ .ith only shooting in one f-stop and therefore one depth of field! (0peri"ent and learn .hat different "oods can ,e achie'ed .ith different apertures! )ou can refer ,ac+ to the Aperture and 5epth of Field sections in Chapter Fi'e!

&he photo on the le"t $as shot $ith a narro$ depth o" "ield to bring the $hole sub7ect into "ocus. &he right side photo $as shot $ith a shallo$ depth o" "ield, it $as a $ay o" "ocusing only on the small "oreground piece.

2o) C%ose Is Too C%ose

A photography cri"e often co""itted at the early stages of our food photography careers is distance! For so"e reason as ne.,ie food photographers .e tend to .ant to zoo" right into the su,Gect! Roo"ing in too close to the su,Gect can lea'e a 'ie.er confused! 7heir eye "ay not +no. .hat to focus on or .hat e0actly they are loo+ing at! tep ,ac+ and capture a ,it "ore of the su,Gect! 7hen co"pare it to a shot .here you zoo"ed in too close!

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One o" my "irst "ood photos, zoomed in too close.

Ne$er and better photo, no$ $e can see it is a plate o" curry $e are looking at.

7here are ti"es .hen zoo"ing in for a detailed 'ie. can ,e great for a photograph! Roo"ing in is o+ay as long as the closer 'ie. is ser'ing a purpose! For e0a"ple if you .anted to sho. a detailed 'ie. of te0ture or ingredients in a "i0! Another great .ay to use closer 'ie.s is to dra. the 'ie.erIs attention to one particular section or o,Gect of our su,Gect "atter! But / .ould suggest you not "a+e it a ha,it of zoo"ing in too close! /t is i"portant not to lea'e the 'ie.er guessing .hat it is they are loo+ing at!

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-n these samples - zoomed in to capture more sub7ect details. ad - zoomed in "urther it might not be clear $hat the photo is about.

2ori/onta% Or 6ertica%
8ften ti"es people as+ "e if it is ,est to shoot in horizontal @also +no.n as landscape for"atB- or 'ertical for"ats- @also +no.n as portrait for"atB! 7he choice again is "ostly a "atter of personal preference! / .ould highly suggest that you shoot ,oth for"ats in each of your photography sessions! o"e su,Gects "ay ,enefit fro" one for"at .hile others fro" the opposite! For e0a"pleas a general rule of thu",- / li+e to shoot drin+s in 'ertical or portrait for"at! /tIs not that one for"at is ,etter! 7he reason is that the tight perspecti'e of a 'ertical for"at creates the illusion of height! But to reiterate- shoot in ,oth and donIt constrain yourself to Gust one!

Add ome 2eight

Another ele"ent to consider in ter"s of co"position is height! /n the pre'ious section / spo+e a,out ha'ing a preference for shooting drin+s in 'ertical for"at- due to the fact that it adds height- there are other .ays of adding height to a photograph! 8ne .ay is to s2uat do.n ,elo. the su,Gect and ai" the ca"era up! 7his is great for creating an illusion of great height! Pilling up ingredients is

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another .ay of adding height! @6e .ill discuss "ore a,out that in the styling section!B Additionally using props- or foods- .ith different heights in one photo can also create height! )ou could also try propping up the "ain su,Gect at a higher height- than the other ele"ents- to not only add height ,ut to focus "ore attention on it! Lastly "a+e sure to refer ,ac+ to the pre'ious sections on su,Gect place"ents and angles to help you add "ore height to photographs!

&eading &ines and *o,ement

/n Chapter Fi'e .e spo+e a,out shutter speeds and "o'e"ent- no. .eIll tal+ a,out creating 'isual "o'e"ent .ith points of interest and lines! /t is i"portant to position the ele"ents of your photograph in .ays that su,consciously guide the 'ie.erIs eyes along the photograph! 7hese lines create the "o'e"ent ,ut can also help create a sense of depth! 7he lines arenIt necessarily straight or all the sa"e shape! 7hey can ,e zigzagged- circular- cur'ed- or triangular- it doesnIt really "atter! 6hat "atters is that they help guide the 'ie.erIs eyes along the photograph! ?se the lines in the scene to guide you in the shooting perspecti'e and 'ie.! Loo+ for repetition in shapes- te0tures- patterns and leading lines! 5epending on the lines or pattern- adGust the ca"eraIs angle to sho.case these lines as ,est and interesting as possi,le! Many of you "ay already ,e creating this co"positional "o'e"ent .ithout e'en realizing it! /t is easier than it sounds and itIs another tool that can help us i"pro'e our co"position!

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-n these . photos - ha3e pinpointed the lines, mo3ements and patterns. C3en $ithout my guides, the guiding lines are clear.

&ast Thoughts and Tips on Composition

Lastly youIll .ant to also consider light- te0tures and color .hen co"posing an i"age! Consider ho. different light directions .ill affect the photo and therefore influence you in the .ay to capture it! /f need ,e refer ,ac+ to the sections on light types and light directions! 7he guidelines and tips on co"position /I'e gi'en you are si"ple ,asics! 8nly .ith ti"e .ill you successfully ,rea+ the rules of co"position! 1eally ta+e the ti"e to apply the" and learn ho. they can ,e put to good use! 8nly .ith practice .ill you understand .hich co"positions .or+ ,est to con'ey the "essage you .ant to gi'e the 'ie.er! Before you ,egin co"posing your i"ages al.ays as+ yourself .hat "essage your photograph should ,e con'eying- ho. .ill you fra"e the su,Gect to focus the 'ie.erIs attention correctly! A good photograph allo.s the 'ie.er to see the "essage- or .hat itIs all a,out- straight a.ay! 8,'iously our photos are a,out food ,ut there should ,e no guessing as to .hat the "essage or focus of the photograph is! 1e"e",er the +ey to great co"position lies in you and in ta+ing the ti"e to practice!

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;ou ha3e your $ay. - ha3e my $ay. !s "or the right $ay, the correct $ay, and the only $ay, it does not e#ist. -Jriedrich Nietzsche

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Chapter -ine: Photo Props and .ood ty%ing

8nce you ha'e learned the technical side of photography- you can "o'e on to "a+ing your food photos loo+ yu""ier and prettier! /n this chapter .e .ill focus on photo props- as .ell as so"e food styling tips and tric+s! But donIt forget that light types and directions also play a role in styling!

$e,e%oping Your Persona% ty%e

Before you ,egin choosing photo props and styling food- you need to decide on your style! )ou .ant to consider color sche"es- prop te0tures and patterns- as .ell as the light you ha'e to .or+ .ith! / thin+ the ,est .ay of choosing your style is ,y letting your personality shine through your photography! Are you a "ini"alist- or do you prefer rustic- ,right- "oody- or retro loo+sM / can honestly tell you that "y photos reflect "y personal style! 7he color sche"es and light in "y photographs are a ,it "ysterious- so"eti"es .ac+y- e0peri"ental- and often ti"es sultry- ro"antic"oody .ith splashes of dar+ and ,right colors! / donIt profess to ,e perfect in any .ay- and there is al.ays roo" for i"pro'e"ent! But those ele"ents are "e- and / try to let the" co"e through in "y photography! 5o your photos reflect your personalityM 5onIt shoot in certain colors sche"es or styles ,ecause others do so! 7hat .ill not help you ,eco"e a successful photographer! 5onIt copy so"eone elseIs style ,ecause that "ay not ,e you! /nstead learn fro" others ,ut al.ays find a .ay of con'eying your o.n 'ision and style! 6e all try to "a+e recipes o.n! o .hy not our photography too! 7he ,est co"pli"ents / ha'e recei'ed a,out "y photography are .hen people tell "e they +no. right a.ay .hich photos are "ine! /I'e .or+ed 'ery hard at de'eloping "y style! My goal has al.ays- and .ill al.ays- ,e "a+ing it easy for people to spot "y photos in a cro.d! / thin+ it is in a photographerIs ,est interest to "a+e their photographs stand out fro" the cro.d! 6ouldnIt you agreeM After all- fads and trends co"e and go- ,ut there is no e0piration date on our 'ision and style! Al.ays put your personal taste and style ,efore anything else! 7he follo.ing tips are suggestions and not instructions! Build on the" to "a+e your photographs and style your o.n!

Photo Props
7hose of you fa"iliar .ith "y photography +no. that / use "ini"al props! / feel that it is the food that should ,e the center of attention and not the props! / ha'e tried to re"ind "yself that "y energy first needs to ,e directed at learning "y ca"era and lighting! As ti"e has passed ,y / ha'e allo.ed "yself to ,uy a fe. props no. and then to e0peri"ent .ith! )ou donIt necessarily ha'e to go out and spend a large a"ount of "oney on ne. props! First loo+ around your house to see .hat can ,e used! / li+e to use ta,lecloths- place "ats4ta,le "ats- +itchen to.els- old or unused scar'es- flo.ers- plants- ri,,ons- and color paper! Be creati'e- you "ay e'en find props to use fro" outside your +itchen! May,e itIs e0tra fa,ric laying around your se.ing areait can ,e a ta,le you ha'enIt shot on ,efore- e'en a .ic+er chair can "a+e an interesting shooting surface or ,ac+ground! Add candles- or use those little nic+-nac+s fro" around your house! 6ith a little i"agination anything can ,eco"e a uni2ue ne. photo prop for you! /f you ha'e a little e0tra "oney to spend- ,uy a ne. ,o.l- or plate- or colorful pot4pan to shot! A great and ine0pensi'e prop to use is construction- or craft- paper! /t can ,e purchased 'irtually any.here- and itIs a 2uic+ .ay of adding a different color and patterns to your photos! )ou could also try painting .ooden ,oards! 7hey can ,e purchased at hard.are stores! 6hile youIre at the hard.are store loo+ into large tiles to use as shooting surfaces! Many ,loggers 'isit garage and estate sales to find ne. props! 5iscount stores are also great places to loo+ for ,argain props! /f

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your ,udget is large then of course there is al.ays the anti2ue shop option!

hooting urfaces and Backgrounds

7he first thing to consider .hen setting up for a photo session is the shooting surface and4or ,ac+ground! /n the pre'ious section / "entioned ta,lecloths- to.els- paper- tiles- ta,les and .ooden ,oards! All of the" are perfect shooting surfaces and ,ac+grounds! 7he ,eauty a,out all of the" is that they create a hassle-free .ay of changing things up and +eeping photos interesting! 7o choose the ,est shooting surface and4or ,ac+ground- consider the food you .ill ,e shooting! First thin+ a,out the color- .hat color is the food- ho. does the surface4,ac+ground co"pli"ent the food- if there is a pattern .ill it distract or "a+e for an interesting photo- and lastly ho. .ill the shooting surface4,ac+ground affect the "ood you are trying to set! Lighter colors can ,e used to set ,righter sunny "oods-.hereas dar+er colors can con'ey a "oodier 'i,e! 1eally pay attention to ho. those colors affect and help or ta+e a.ay fro" the o'erall "essage ,eing set in your photograph!

Kust a "e$ o" my painted backgrounds and linens.

$ish-)are
After youI'e chosen the shooting surface4,ac+ground- it is ti"e to select the dish-.are! Just li+e the shooting surface4,ac+ground- you need to consider ho. the colors or patterns in the dish-.are .ill affect or enhance the food and photograph! / happen to o.n "ostly .hite dishes- a color "ost co""only reco""ended for food photographers! /n so"e .ays .hite dishes are easier to use than colorful dishes! 7he .hite dish .ill reflect light around the food- so this can help in lighting food ,etter! / do li+e colorful dishes and use so"e no. and then to create a different appearance or change the o'erall "ood! 6hen using colorful dish .are- / suggest you use ones that co"pli"ent the color of the food and shooting surface- this .ill help ,alance the photo ,etter! /f shooting .ith dish-.are that is patterned or colorful- al.ays +eep in "ind that it should co"ple"ent the food- not distract fro" it!

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Tab%ec%oths0 -apkins0 To)e%s and 'ibbons Too

As / pre'iously "entioned- ta,lecloths- nap+ins- and to.els-can ,e used as shooting surfaces and ,ac+grounds! But also they can ,e folded up and used to raise the ser'ing dish higher! /n the case of a nap+in- or to.el- it could ,e positioned in a photo Gust li+e it .ould ,e in real life! ?se these three ite"s to add a little "ore realis" to your photographs! Another prop / a" fond of using are ri,,ons! 1i,,ons can hold food together and also add a splash of color to the photo! / particularly li+e using ri,,ons to tie coo+ies or "uffins together! o"eti"es / use the" to tie spices or sil'er.are- or e'en nap+ins! )ou could also try shaping the" around foods to add interesting leading lines in the photo fra"e!

More o" my photo props.

2erbs0 9arnishes0 Toppings and Accompaniments as Props

o"e of "y "ost fa'orite food props and styling tools are fresh her,s! /tIs a"azing ho. adding a s"all sprig of an her, to food can li'en up the photograph! /t is so"ething to do .ith the little pop of green that Gust dra.s a 'ie.er in for a closer 'ie.! 8f course it can also "a+e a dish and photograph loo+ prettier! Ha'e you e'er noticed that fresh her,s are al.ays used to decorate plates at nicer restaurantsM 7hereIs a reason for it- the dish loo+s prettier! our crea" and4or .hipped crea"s "a+e great styling tools! Again it is adding an additional color to the photograph that dra.s the 'ie.er in closer! Fresh sliced up fruits- also "a+e great toppings and photo props! 7ry adding so"e to ca+es- ,reads- ,rea+fast dishes- drin+s- ice crea"s and other desserts! /f your dish4recipe contains so"e sort of sauce- use it to help you style the photograph! Adding a little drizzle of sauce o'er your su,Gect .ill add another ele"ent of interest! 7he +ey is to start off .ith s"all a"ounts and .or+ "ore sauce into the photo if needed! )ou donIt .ant to o'erdo it fro" the get-go- as it is hard to undo and you "ay ha'e to start o'er .ith a fresh su,Gect! Any acco"pani"ents that your dish includes also "a+e great photo props and styling tools! /n real

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life you .ould ser'e soup .ith so"e ,read- or a sand.ich or "ay,e crac+ers! /nclude the" in your photos- place alongside the soup Gust as you .ould in real life! Additionally you could also include any of the recipe ingredients as part of your props and styling tools! 7he "ore your photos "i"ic real life the "ore attracti'e and appetizing they .ill ,e to the audience!

'amples o" using herbs, po$der sugar, sour cream, "ruits, accompaniments, sauce and ingredients as props.

.ood ty%ing
Food styling is an integral part of ,eing a food photographer! /t doesnIt "atter if you are a pro or so"eone Gust loo+ing to i"pro'e your ,logIs photography- styling is so"ething you need to +no.! / pro"ise it is 'ery easy and you donIt need to o.n "any props or e2uip"ent to i"pro'e your photos! Learning a fe. styling ,asics can transfor" your photos fro" ,oring to interesting photographs that "a+e the 'ie.er .ant to reach in and gra, a ,ite! 7here are literally hundreds of .ays you can style food! Much has to do .ith personal tastes and indi'idual perspecti'es! o"e "ay focus hea'ily on props .hile others less so! 7here is no right or .rong .ay only your .ay! ('erything you see on "y ,log- picie Foodie- is real food that / eat "o"ents after capturing the shot! / donIt use inedi,le oils to "a+e foods shiny- no "ashed potatoes passing as ice crea"- and "y salads and pastas are not Lfluffed upL .ith styrofoa" or rice! 7herefore all the tips / .ill share in'ol'e real techni2ues and edi,le tools! Heeping the ele"ents in your photography si"ple not only "a+es it easier on you to capture an i"age- ,ut it is also easier for the 'ie.er to +no. e0actly .hat they should ,e loo+ing at in a photograph! 6hy create unnecessary distractions! 5o yourself a fa'or and +eep it si"ple!

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a%ads
6hen styling salads your ai" is to capture the 'olu"e and crispness of the salad greens! Bac+ lighting can ,e a great tool for capturing te0tures on salad greens! But your first priority is choosing ,right- healthy loo+ing salad ingredients! )ou really .ant to a'oid any li"p or ,ruised salad greensthey donIt loo+ appetizing at all! 7ry to .or+ fast ,y ha'ing the scene and ca"era ready to go as soon as the salad is ready to ,e 2uic+ly photographed! /f only shooting salad greens- you could rinse the" .ith cold .ater right ,efore shooting! Another tric+ / li+e to use is a .ater spritzing ,ottle to help salad greens stay fresh and crisp! /f you notice the greens ,eginning to go li"p gi'e the" a spritz! 8ne pro,le" / often co"e across .hen shooting salads is ,uilding sufficient 'olu"e! 7he pro,le" can ,e e0acer,ated ,y not ha'ing sufficient ingredients! 7o get around that / suggest using s"all plates or ,o.ls to gi'e the illusion of a ,ig healthy salad "ound! Another pro,le" .hen styling salads is "a+ing the ingredients loo+ pretty enough! )ou really .ant to focus on "a+ing the salad plate4,o.l loo+ as pretty as possi,le! /nstead of tossing all the ingredients together- arrange the" in layers or patterns! /n all of the four sa"ple photos ,elo. you can see / ha'e ,oth layered and created patterns .ith the salad ingredients! /t can ,e ti"e consu"ing ,ut / ,elie'e that doing this "a+es salads loo+ prettier! Additionally you "ay .ant to incorporate so"e of the salad ingredientsacco"pani"ents or utensils in the photographs! Lastly al.ays consider color in the salad ingredients- and ho. the ,ac+ground or shooting surface and other props co"pli"ent those colors!

oups0 te)s0 and Curries

Ho. "any of you are cringing right no. at the thought of ha'ing to style soups- ste.s and curriesM / +no. / do e'ery ti"e / prepare to shoot any of the"! 7hese three foods can ,e flat and not to "ention difficult su,Gects! 7hey are all hard to shoot ,ecause so "uch attention has to ,e focused on styling! But there are a fe. easy styling tools that can 2uic+ly transfor" these difficult foods into prettier and "ore appetizing shots! 6hen it co"es to curry / al.ays choose ,et.een three options! 8ption nu",er one- photograph the curry ,y itself and not .ith the rice or noodles it is ,eing ser'ed .ith! /f you choose this option "a+e sure to enhance the o'erall loo+ ,y topping it .ith fresh her,s- or chopped chili or anything else your recipe "ight call for! 8ption nu",er t.o- is to place the curry directly on top of the riceor place the rice in the center of the curry @see follo.ing sa"ple i"agesB! 5oing this creates 'olu"e- contrast and really "a+es the curry loo+ prettier! 7he third option is to place the curry and rice side ,y side ,ut "a+ing sure to add so"e sort of her, garnish! 7he garnish ,rea+s up the dish ,y adding a hint of color contrasts!

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For soups and ste.s / li+e to either add freshly chopped her,s- and4or a dollop of sour crea"! Additionally if your recipe calls for other toppings- li+e croutons or 'egeta,le garnishes- pile the" up in the center or arrange the" around the soup or ste.! Placing so"e ,read or crac+ers in the fra"e is also a good idea! As is a spoon- either ne0t to the ,o.l or right inside of it! )ou "ight .ant to shoot photos .ith ,oth spoon place"ents and decide .hich loo+ you prefer!

0Jor a complete $alkthrough and ste$ styling sample please 3isit the photography tutorials section on my $ebsite.4

Pastas and -ood%es

7hese too are difficult su,Gects to style! Just li+e salads- a "aGor pro,le" .ith pastas and noodles is adding 'olu"e! )ou can do so ,y t.irling the pasta as you layer it onto the ser'ing dish! /f the pasta

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is a s"all a"ount try plating it on s"all plates or ,o.ls! Al.ays use fresh her,s and if the recipe calls for it- grated cheese to help you enhance the loo+! 6hile you al.ays .ant to "o'e around and capture different 'ie.s- a great co"position for pastas and noodles is capturing the height of a pile of noodles!

*eats and ausages

/n addition to choosing shooting props- .hen photographing "eats- fish and sausages youIll ha'e to consider t.o other things! 7he first is if you .ant to include side dishes in the photo- or go .ith the second option of photographing the "eat- fish- or sausage on its o.n! 7he choice is yours- ,ut if you are undecided then / suggest shooting ,oth options! 6hen it co"es to .hole fish you "ight also .ant to consider snapping a fe. shots in the ra. state! 6hole fish can ,e a ,eautiful su,Gect to shoot- "uch "ore than other ra. "eats! 7he follo.ing sa"ples gi'e you a fe. ideas of ho. you can shoot fish! 8f course it .ould also loo+ ,eautiful on a plate- or platter- instead of a frying pan! Notice ho. / included recipe ingredients and garnishes to "a+e the photo loo+ prettier!

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/f you are grilling any of these "eats you "ight .ant to capture grill "ar+s! For sausages / also li+e to cut slashes across the" so once theyI'e coo+ed it gi'es the sausages a nicer loo+! LetIs ta+e a loo+ at a couple of photo sa"ples for styling sausages! 7he first photo /I'e shot the sausage alone ,ut .ith a little e0tra color fro" the celery leaf! 7he celery lea'es are a 'ery si"ple and su,tle styling tool and .ithout the" the photo .ould not ,e as interesting! /n the ne0t photo instead of separating all of the dinner ite"s- / chose to pile the sausages on top of the "ashed potatoes! Notice the sausage arrange"ent and the e0tra details of "ustard and celery leaf! 7hey .ere added to gi'e the photo "ore interest and a s"all contrast-color .ise!

8ften ti"es .hen shooting "eats- fish and sausages- they can 2uic+ly loo+ dry and unappetizing! / ha'e a little tric+ to +eep the" loo+ing shiny and appetizing! / dip a pastry ,rush into the coo+ing panIs Guices or oils! 7hen / ,rush the "eat- fish or sausage .ith the"! 7his gi'es "e a little "ore shooting ti"e to get the shot / need! Additionally you can also use a little ,it of .ater- ,ut the .ater .onIt last as long as the oil! (ither .ay ,oth .ill still allo. you to eat the food after capture!

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Another styling tip you "ight .ant to try for "eats is slicing! /nstead of photography the .hole "eat photograph slices or pieces ta+en off it!

6egetab%es
7he +ey to "a+ing 'egeta,les loo+ their ,est- and "ost appetizing- is to undercoo+ the"! 7his little tric+ too+ "e a .hile to figure out- ,ut once / sa. the dra"atic difference there .as no going ,ac+ for "e! No. instead of .aiting for the 'egeta,les to coo+ to our desired tenderness / +eep a close eye on the color! ?sually it "eans coo+ing for around D "inutes- or less- ,efore the 'egeta,les are ta+en off the sto'e to ,e photographed! 7o ensure that no ti"e is lost and capturing coo+ed 'egeta,les at their prettiest- plan ahead! et up your shooting area- choose ca"era settings- select props and garnishes ahead of ti"e! 7hat .ay all you ha'e to do is 2uic+ly plate the 'egeta,les- add any garnishes if desired- and 2uic+ly snap so"e photographs! /f the 'egeta,les loo+ dry- use the Guices or oils fro" the ingredients to gi'e the" a little "ore life! / li+e to +eep a pastry ,rush handy for that purpose! 7a+e a loo+ at the difference coo+ing ti"es can "a+e on 'egeta,les in the follo.ing pea photos! Not only ha'e the peas ,eco"e a different color ,ut they ha'e also shri'eled up! 6hich of the t.o .ould you .ant to eatM / .ould choose the left side peas ,ecause they are 'i,rant- shiny and con'ey a feeling of freshness! 7he right side peas donIt loo+ as fresh or as appetizing!

Cookies0 *uffins0 Breads and $esserts

('en though / donIt often ,a+e- ,a+ed goodies are a"ongst "y "ost fa'orite su,Gects! 7he possi,ilities are truly endless and for so"e reason it is easier to style s.eets- desserts and ,reads! Coo+ies can ,e placed inside Gars- or ,o0es- or arranged on a plate! /n the props section / "entioned ri,,ons ,eing a great styling tool! )ou can stac+ "uffins- coo+ies- ,read slices and tie the" up .ith co"pli"entary colored ri,,ons! /f the dessert is ser'ed .ith a sauce- use it to help .ith the styling! 5usting po.dered sugar o'er ca+es is another great styling tool- as is using fruit to decorate the su,Gect! Butter or spreads are great styling tools for ,reads! pread so"e on a slice ,efore you

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photograph it! /f youId li+e .ar" up the ,read slice a tad so that the ,utter ,egins "elting! 6hen you photograph ,reads- pies- or tarts you "ay .ant to consider slicing off a slice and focusing on that! 8r photograph the .hole ,a+ed good .ith "issing slices so you gi'e the i"pression that so"eone has already helped the"sel'es to it! Additionally you could photograph these ,a+ed goods .hile they are still inside the ,a+ing pans or sheets! ?se a +itchen to.el or o'en "itts to add a little "ore realis" to the photos! /f you are going to ,e enGoying a cup of tea or coffee .ith the s.eets and desserts to ,e photographed- include the" in the photographs! 0Jor a complete $alkthrough and biscuit*cookie styling sample please 3isit the photography tutorials section my $ebsite.4

$rinks
5rin+s are one of the "ost tric+y su,Gects to shoot! Much attention has to ,e focused on lighting conditions- direction and ho. they .ill help con'ey the drin+s te"perature! / ha'e found that ,ac+ lighting "ight ,e the "ost co"pli"entary to drin+s! /n ter"s of a hot drin+- the ,ac+light can help in capturing stea"! Capturing stea" off a hot drin+ is hard .or+ and you "ust ,e ready for the short ti"e that the stea" .ill rise fro" the cup! /n cold drin+s the ,ac+ light .ill enhance de. off a Ls.eatyL glass! )ou "ay also .ant to .or+ .ith hard light .hen shooting drin+s! 7he harsh shado.s too can enhance drin+s te0tures and te"peratures! After youI'e decided .hat light direction to apply to your drin+ photos you can .or+ on "a+ing the" loo+ pretty! 7he first styling for drin+s needs to ,e done in the containers! 5ecide if you .ant to shoot in translucent glasses- .hich of course allo.s for ,etter 'ie. of the drin+! /f you shoot .ith cera"ic or "etal glasses then your focus needs to ,e on raising the ca"era up to capture a 'ie. of .hat is inside of the glass! ince drin+s for the "ost part are a ,it ,oring they can ,enefit fro" using decorati'e glasses! tra.s and garnishes .ill also enhance the drin+Is appearance! For inspiration thin+ a,out ho.

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drin+s are ser'ed in restaurants and ,ars! 8ften ti"es the drin+s are ser'ed .ith stra.s- ice cu,esfruits- 'egeta,les or .ith sugar coated ri"s! ("ulate those techni2ues! /f you are ser'ing .ineinclude the ,ottle and4or ,ottle opener! /f the drin+ goes .ell .ith a snac+- include it in the fra"e to gi'e the audience a rela0ed and in'iting 'ie.!

Other Things To Consider In .ood ty%ing

6eI'e discussed colors- light- te0tures and arrange"ents in food styling! Additionally youIll .ant to consider seasons! Find inspiration in the current season! /ncorporate seasonal colors- propsdecorations- and ingredients into your photographs! Also allo. the shifting seasonal lighting conditions to guide you in the capture and styling of food and drin+s!

*essy Is Beautifu%
7his .hole chapter .as a,out "a+ing your food and photographs pretty! But pretty photos can also ,e captured in "essy settings! 5onIt forget to capture real life "o"ents! /n these sa"ples .e can see ho. "essy can also ,e ,eautiful! 7hese "essy photo scenes can ,e a great tool for con'eying an in'iting "essage to the 'ie.er! /n real life food preparation and eating is "essy- it is so"ething .e all e0perience and can relate to! 7hese photos gi'e your 'ie.er a sense of ,eing right there alongside that food in your photo! /t .ouldnIt hurt to include so"e of these L"essyL real life scenes no. and then!

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1uick ty%ing Tricks

7he follo.ing tips are ones you "ay ha'e already heard of! / ha'e personally tried the" all and they are a part of "y styling routine! o"e / "entioned in the pre'ious sections! 6e all +no. that le"on Guice pre'ents fruits and 'egeta,les fro" ,ro.ning! / al.ays +eep a le"on handy so / can Guice it and .ith a pastry ,rush- ,rush so"e Guice onto sliced up fruits ,efore ,eginning a photo session! A'oid using ground ,lac+ pepper in your food styling as it rese",les dirt in photographs! /nstead o"it it or use crac+ed pepper corns! Heep a .ater "isting ,ottle handy to pre'ent salads- her,s and leafy 'egeta,les fro" going li"p! i"ply gi'e the" a little spray of .ater! ?ndercoo+ 'egeta,les to +eep the" loo+ing their ,est in photographs! )ou could finish coo+ing the" after youI'e captured the shots needed! Heep "eats- fish and-coo+ed 'egeta,les shiny ,y ,rushing .ith pan Guices or oils! 6hen shooting car,onated drin+s li+e sodas and ,eer pre'ent the" fro" going flat or losing the LheadL ,y adding a pinch of salt! 5onIt forget the her,s- garnishes and acco"pani"ents- they .ill help you dra. "ore attention to the "ain su,Gect!

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:=reati3ity is contagious pass it on: L!lbert Cinstein

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Chapter Ten: Putting It A%% Together0 A +a%kthrough

/n this chapter .e go into "y studio for a .al+through of .hat one of "y typical shooting sessions loo+s li+e! ince / a" a food ,logger nearly all of "y food photography sessions are for capturing a recipe to ,e shared on "y ,log! 7he first step of course is choosing .hat to coo+ and therefore .hat our su,Gect .ill ,e! /n this case the su,Gect and recipe is for chun+y spiced apple sauce!
1isclosureM &his $alk through is ho$ a recipe goes "rom ingredients to "inal cooked dish "or sharing on my blog. On days $hen - $ant to practice my photography the session is di""erent. &hose days - do not ha3e time constraints and so - take my time playing $ith props, lighting conditions and composition. &his $alk through is meant as a sample o" $orking Auickly to capture the dish and getting it to the table. !ll photos are straight out o" the camera, no additional ad7ustments $ere made.

Ingredients0 Co%or and The tory

After deciding on the recipe- the ne0t step is to re'ie. and select ingredients! Ne0t / direct "y attention to.ards color and ho. the ingredients .ill help set the "ood or story / .ant to tell! As / .rite this chapter apple season has arri'ed and it is a cool autu"n day! / .ant to con'ey the arri'al of apple season and the colors- s"ells and te0tures of autu"n! 7a+ing inspiration fro" autu"nIs color palette / choose .ar" earthy tones that also co"pli"ent the apples- the colors are reds- greens and ,ro.ns! My suggestion to you is to either use the "ain recipe ingredient or finished recipe colors as a guide for choosing the color palette in your photos!

Props0 ty%ing and *oods

7he third step leads to prop and "ore styling ele"ents! tic+ing .ith autu"n colors- / decide to shoot on a distressed ,ro.n ta,le! Ne0t / pic+ out a fe. of "y photo props that co"pli"ent the apples- ta,le and autu"n color palette! 7he recipe ingredients .ill largely reflect the autu"n ele"ents and "ood / .ant to con'ey! But to further gi'e a sense of the season / .ill include so"e dried autu"n lea'es and so"e green plants as part of "y props and styling ele"ents! Ne0t / focus "y attention on the dish-.are! Apple sauce on its o.n is a ,oring and unattracti'e su,Gect! As a .ay of enhancing the apple sauceIs loo+ / choose a translucent ,o.l and Gar! Additionally / select so"e s"all pieces of cloths and ri,,on / "ay .ant to use! 7he list of props is loo+ing pretty long- ,ut these are Gust options / gi'e "yself! / donIt al.ays end up using all of the props ,ut it is helpful

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ha'ing different options on hand!

hooting Area0 &ight $irection and Camera ettings

7he fourth step is setting up the shooting area- selecting light direction and setting up the ca"era! For this session / .ill ,e using "y artificial light la"p! 7o +eep the light setup si"ple- / place the light stand off to the right side for side lighting! / al.ays +eep ,oth "y reflector +it and a .hite ,oard handy in case / .ant to ,ounce "ore light ,ac+ to the shooting area! 8nce the light stand is set / ,egin styling the shooting area! / do this to sa'e "yself so"e ti"e once the food is ready to eat! My tip to you .ould ,e to ha'e as "uch of the shooting scene- ,ac+ground and props ready for shooting! Ne0t / dou,le chec+ "y ca"era and set the .hite ,alance- / 8- aperture and shutter speed! No. is the ti"e to decide if /Ill ,e shooting in Manual r Aperture Priority "ode! o"eti"es /Ill shoot test shots to see .hat the light loo+s li+e and if the settings need to ,e adGusted! /t is good to ha'e as "uch of these technicalities pre-set so that .ay .e donIt ha'e to +eep our hungry fa"ilies .aiting to eat their "eal! /f ti"e per"its you could also ta+e care of this step .hile the food is coo+ing!

Te"hni"al $etails: &hese photos $ere shot $ith side lighting coming "rom an arti"icial light stand.

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&he light $as on the right side a $hiteboard $as on the le"t side. 6hite balance $as set to tungsten, -'O to >//, metering to spot metering, and shooting mode $as set to aperture priority. - $anted to ha3e as much o" the apple sauce, inside the bo$l, be in "ocus so - choose a middle range aperture o" "*?. !ll photos $ere shot in 2!6 "ormat. 6hen / ha'e e0tra ti"e / shoot the ra. ingredients and so"eti"es the recipe steps! 7his is entirely up to you and really a "atter of ha'ing sufficient ti"e!

6isua%i/ing Ang%es
7he ne0t step is coo+ing the food! As / .ait for the food to coo+- / ,egin thin+ing a,out ca"era settings! / thin+ a,out .hat aperture .ould .or+ ,est- the angles / .ant to capture and if / .ill ,e e0peri"enting .ith the light direction! 8nce the food is finished it is ti"e to plate it and capture "y photographs! /n this case- since / ha'e already chosen dish-.are it is Gust a "atter of pouring the apple sauce into the ,o.l and Gar then .al+ing o'er to the shooting area!

Bui%ding Up The $ish and ty%ing +a%kthrough

No. ,egins the fun- ,uilding up the loo+ and styling of your photographs! 7he sa"ple photos ,elo. are a .al+ though ,ut / donIt nor"ally shoot all these steps! /n photo &- si"ply adding the cinna"on stic+ fro" the coo+ing pot "a+es the photo ,etter! /n photo $ you can see that adding a little piece of ,urlap fa,ric and folded up paper has i"pro'ed the loo+! Nu",er <- / tied a red ri,,on around the Gar and placed it in the ,ac+ground! 6ith photo nu",er C / continued ,y including so"e of the coo+ing ingredients- the cinna"on stic+s and carda"o" pods! Photo nu",er D no. includes "ore of those autu"n "oods / .anted to con'ey! No. is a good ti"e to stop and consider if perhaps there are too "any props- or if anything else should ,e changed! /I" satisfied and continue to ,uild on the styling! /n the last photo- nu",er 9- / .anted to see .hat adding .hole apples .ould do to the o'erall loo+! Again you "ight consider ho. "any props are in the fra"e and if it is to your li+ing! / thin+ the red and green apples add a nice ele"ent to the photograph! 7he apples not only add color and contrast ,ut also it gi'es a ,ig clue as to .hat e0actly is in the ,o.l and Gar! 7hese 9 steps are Gust ideas- it is up to you to decide ho. "any props is too "any or not enough!

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The .ina% &ook0 &ast *inute Ad3ustments and $ifferent Photo Ange%s
No. that / a" finally satisfied .ith the o'erall loo+ and styling / focus "y attention on capturing the actual or final shots! 5uring this ti"e / ,egin capturing different photo angles and al.ays stopping to re'ie. the results! Ne0t / "ay .ant to try out different apertures and perhaps lighting direction! Again / 2uic+ly re'ie. the results and see if there are ele"ents that should ,e re"o'ed or i"pro'ed!

After a fe. shots .ith the final styling / decide that so"ething is off! / 2uic+ly s.itch out so"e of the dried lea'es and see if that yields ,etter results! till / felt so"ething else could ,e i"pro'ed! 1e'ie.ing the photos / decide that it is the apple sauce in the ,o.l that /I" not happy .ith! /t .as Gust too plain for "y li+ing so / sprin+led so"e chopped pecans o'er the ,o.l! Much ,etterK 7his is the last styling t.ea+ing and once again / can focus on capturing the final shots .ith a fe. different angles!

.ina% Thoughts and Tips

6ritten out- the steps in'ol'ed in "y photography "ay see" rather ti"e consu"ing- ,ut theyIre really not! 8n "ost days / .ill spend a,out D "inutes selecting props- dish-.are- setting up the light

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and shooting scene ,efore stopping to coo+ the food! /f / ha'e a little e0tra ti"e /Ill spend another D or "ore "inutes capturing so"e ingredient shots or recipe instructions! For the final photos of the coo+ed- plated and styled food / can spend any.here fro" $ to D "inutes shooting! /t all depends on ho. "uch ti"e / ha'e ,efore / ha'e to feed "y hungry hus,and- or ,efore the food ,egins loo+ing unappetizing! Most foods only allo. for a short shooting session- so ,eing prepared is highly ad'isa,le! 5onIt ,e afraid to shoot "any photos- in fact you should shoot "any photos! Ho. "uch is "anyM 7hat depends on you! 8n good days .hen the styling and photo capture goes as / en'isioned- / can end up shooting anything fro" D to &% photos! 8n ,ad days- or .hen it ta+es "e a little longer to get the final loo+ / can end up .ith any.here fro" &% to <% photos! Most of .hich are of the ,uilding up to the final loo+! Many of the" "ay actually ne'er ,e pu,lished ,ut / +eep the" as reference! /f you need the practice shooting "any photos is a 'ery good thing! Later you can re'ie. ho. foods loo+ in certain angles- lighting conditions- and .hat effects color and props ha'e on the end result! ?se those e0tra shots to "a+e sure youI'e really captured the su,Gect as ,est as possi,le! 7rust "e you donIt .ant to end up .ith only unsatisfying photos! 7he ne0t step "y photos ta+e- and ,efore you see the" pu,lished on picie Foodie- is editing! 7he i"age ,elo. .ill ,e used in the editing chapter- chapter ele'en!

(lease notice that - normally don@t shoot my styling build up. &he < step photos are merely to illustrate a styling $alkthrough. - try to style the "inal cooked "ood be"ore actually capturing the photos. !"ter a "e$ shots - re3ie$ and make any necessary styling ad7ustments. &hen "ocus on capturing my "inal photos "or publishing.

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;ou don@t take a photograph, you make it. -!nsel !dams

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Chapter 5%e,en: Basic Photo 5diting

7here are so"e people that loo+ do.n on- and e'en discredit- the i"portance of photo editing! / not only disagree ,ut / also thin+ itIs a silly attitude to ha'e! Photo editing is as "uch a part of digital photography as de'eloping fil" in a dar+ roo" is to fil" photography! /n digital photography photos do not co"e out of the ca"era loo+ing perfect! 5igital photos tend to ,e so"e.hat flat in color- unsharp and lac+ in contrast! @)ou can clearly see this in the ra. photos fro" chapter ten!B 5igital photos "ust ,e "anipulated in photo editing soft.are to really "a+e the" co"e to life! All of the photos you see in "agazines- ,oo+s- and professional .e,sites are "anipulated to so"e e0tent! /f anyone tells you other.ise- or if they say they donIt edit their photosthey are lying! / al.ays edit "y photos and / ha'e no sha"e in ad"itting it! 7hough / stress the i"portance of using photo editing soft.are- / also .ant to ,e clear that it shouldnIt ,e so"ething you rely on! / for one .ould rather get as "uch of the finished photo loo+ ta+en care of in the capture stage! 7hat "eans less .or+ and ti"e spent on editing the final photos! / .ill not tell you ho. "uch or ho. little editing you should do to your pictures! 7hat is up to you,ut do consider ho. "uch post .or+ you .ant to ,e doing!

Photo 5diting oft)are

7here are countless photo editing soft.ares progra"s to choose fro"! 7he soft.are options a'aila,le range fro" si"ple ,asic editing to full professional-le'el soft.are! Before in'esting in soft.are youIll .ant to consider ho. "uch "anipulation- or editing- you .ill ,e doing to your photos! Because / sell "y i"ages to stoc+ agencies and do so"e graphic design- / ha'e in'ested in po.erful soft.are! /f your interest is in ,asic editing then there is no reason to in'est in e0pensi'e soft.are li+e Ado,e Photoshop! LetIs ta+e a loo+ at so"e soft.are options!

.ree Photo 5diting oft)are

Please research and dou,le chec+ free photo editing soft.are ,efore installing to your co"puter! / .ould also suggest reading re'ie.s of the soft.are ,efore installation! Picasa ,y Google @ http*44picasa!google!co"4 B Picasa has ,asic editing features to crop- resizeenhance color- adGust contrast- add te0t and create collages- as .ell as other features! .oto.%e(er ! http*44fotofle0er!co"4 B is a free .e, ,ased photo editor! )ou can crop- add te0t- adGust color- saturation and ,rightness- as .ell as other creati'e filters! 9imp @ http*44...!gi"p!org4 B is not only free ,ut also a"ong the "ost ad'anced photo editingand "anipulation- soft.are! /t has "any of the sa"e a,ilities as Photoshop and other ad'ance soft.ares! Pi(%r @ http*44pi0lr!co"4editor4 B is another .e, ,ased photo editor! )ou can crop- add te0t- adGust color- saturation and ,rightness- as .ell as other creati'e filters!

*id-'ange and Priced Photo 5diting oft)are

7hese soft.ares progra"s range fro" Gust under O&%% to O$%%! Chec+ the "anufacturerIs .e,sites for free <%-day trials! Core% Paint hop @ http*44...!corel!co"4 B / ha'e personally used Corel products and really enGoyed the"! ?nfortunately they stopped "a+ing Mac 'ersion soft.are so / no longer use the"! Currently they ha'e a Paint hop Pro soft.are .hich is a po.erful photo editor! /t can ,e used to

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organize- edit and "anipulate or enhance photos! /t also has a 1A6 la, for you to edit 1A6 files! Additionally you can use it for graphic designs- li+e adding creati'e te0t to your photos! /tIs a great soft.are and definitely .orth loo+ing into! Adobe Photoshop &ightroom @ http*44...!ado,e!co"4 B is a soft.are used ,y enthusiast and professional photographers! )ou can organize- edit and "anipulate photos! / ha'e ne'er used this progra" ,ut "any gi'e it great re'ie.s! Adobe Photoshop 5%ements @ http*44...!ado,e!co"4 B is ,asically Photoshop "inus so"e of the "ore ad'anced features! 1ead through the specs and features to see if this soft.are .ould ,e sufficient for your needs! Aperture by App%e @ http*44...!apple!co"4aperture4 B is another soft.are .hich gets great re'ie.s! )ou can organize- edit- adGust and enhance .ithin li"its!

Top of the &ine Photo 5diting oft)are

Adobe Photoshop @ http*44...!ado,e!co"4 B is perhaps the "ost ad'anced and .ell +no.n of the photo editing soft.are! /t is used ,y professional photographers and graphic designers! 7his is the soft.are / currently use! Capture One Pro by Phase One @ http*44...!phaseone!co" B is another professional le'el soft.are- though not as e0pensi'e as Photoshop!

Other uggestions for Photo 5diting oft)are

Many ca"eras and co"puters include ,asic photo editors! Ma+e sure to loo+ through ones included in your gear! /f you are a Mac user iPhoto and e'en Pre'ie. ha'e ,asic photo editing a,ilities!

A +a%kthrough of *y Basic Photo 5dits

As / "entioned a,o'e- the soft.are / use to edit "y photos is Photoshop! 8ften ti"es / a" as+ed if there are special plugins or filters / use to achie'e the loo+ in "y photographs! 7he ans.er is no! Let "e "a+e it clear that / ha'e nothing against any of the"! / Gust prefer to ha'e the "ost control o'er "y 1A6 photos and do all of the editing "anually! /t doesnIt "ean you shouldnIt use filters or plugins for your .or+! / achie'e the loo+ in "y photos ,y- firstly- "a+ing sure that / correctly capture as "uch as possi,le during the photo session! / constantly t.ea+ and adGust the light and place"ent of photo ele"ents! econdly- / achie'e the loo+ .ith si"ple- and ,asic- editing that is done "anually! / .ould li+e to no. sho. you .hat ,asic edits / do to "y pictures! /n the sa"ple photo / "ade sure that the e0posure- co"position- and colors .ere captured as ,est as possi,le and so / .ouldnIt ha'e to do "uch editing .or+! )ou .ill see .hat literally one "inute of photo editing can do to transfor" a photograph! (lease be ad3ised that i" you input the same numbers into the (hotoshop actions, results $ill not be the same. My shooting conditions, sub7ect, and colors are not identical to yours. Nse this as a guide and make ad7ustment that best suit your photos and shooting conditions.

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(hoto is straight out o" the camera, no ad7ustments ha3e been made. 7he photo .as shoot in 1A6 for"at- so that "eans that first it "ust ,e edited in the Ca"era 1a. soft.are! / adGusted the (0posure and Fill Light to ,righten up the photo Gust a ,it!

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Ne0t the photo opens in Photoshop! 8ften ti"es / li+e to see .hat a 2uic+ auto setting does to a photo- here / did Gust that! 8n the "enu ,ar go to /"age- clic+ on Auto Contrast and see .hat happens! /n this case / a" satisfied .ith the auto correction and "o'e on to the ne0t step! /f you .ould li+e to reduce the Auto Contrast effect go to (dit- find Fade Auto Contrast and adGust to your li+ing!

7he photo is still loo+ing flat and there isnIt "uch contrast- it needs a Le'els adGust"ent! Le'els AdGust"ent is used to finely tune the dar+- "ediu" and ,right areas of an i"age! 7his is a great tool and really co"es in handy for adding contrast! 8n the "enu ,ar find /"age- AdGust"ents and Le'els! A ne. .indo. titled Le'els .ill pop-up! 7here youIll see a histogra" and under it three indi'idual ,o0es .ith corresponding sliders! 7he left ,o0 is used to dar+en the dar+er areas of your i"age- the "iddle ,o0 is for "id-range tones and the slider can ,e "o'ed left or right to adGust! 7he last- right side- ,o0 is to adGust light or lighten up areas! /I'e "o'ed the sliders a,o'e the ,o0es until / .as satisfied .ith the loo+!

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Ne0t / feel that the photo .ould ,enefit fro" additional ,rightness! Bac+ on the "enu ,ar / clic+ on /"age- AdGust"ents- then Brightness4Contrast! Mo'ing the sliders either left or right to adGust as youId li+e! Mo'ing the Brightness slider left dar+ens the i"age and right ,rightens it up! 8n the Contrast slider the left side re"o'es contrast and "o'ing right adds contrast! /I'e adGusted to ,righten and add a little ,it of contrast!

Finally / a" satisfied .ith the o'erall loo+ and no "ore adGust"ents are needed! But / do feel the co"position could ha'e ,een ,etter- so the photo .ill need cropping! 06hile - don@t make it a habit on relying on the crop tool "or better composition, it is use"ul. 9e"ore you crop all o" your photos, do remember that each crop means a smaller photo and "ile size.4 / ha'e a ha,it of using the rectangle "ar2uee tool to crop "y i"ages ,ut the sa"e can ,e done using the crop tool fro" the tools ,ar! My crop .ill ,e a .idth C and height 9- or a standard photo for"at! Mo'ing o'er the photo / select the cropping area- if need ,e "o'e the "ar2uee to adGust until you ha'e the desired crop!

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7he photo loo+s ,etter cropped than it did ,efore! )ou can also see that it no. fits ,etter into the rule of thirds!

Ne0t / sa'e "y final edited photo! /f you ha'e started fro" a 1A6 photo the photo .ill "ost li+ely ha'e ,een con'erted into a &9 ,it channel ,y the 1A6 soft.are! )ouIll need to go to /"age- Mode and select = Bits4Channel! ince "ost of our photos are for .e, use they need to ,e con'erted to the proper color space! 7he color space insures that your photos not loose color and contrast .hen ,eing uploaded online! 8n the "enu ,ar go to (dit- Con'ert 7o Profile and under 5estination pace find s1GB /(C9&>99-$!&- a .e,-safe profile! Clic+ 8H! No. you can sa'e the final edited photo! Clic+ on File- a'e As and choose the location on your co"puter .here youId li+e to sa'e the large photo!

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7he last step is creating s"all .e, sized photos for "y .e,site! 7he size / use is E%% pi0els high! 5o re"e",er that for .e, size the 5P/ should ,e E$ and .hen "a+ing prints the 5P/ should ,e set to any.here fro" $%% to <D% or as directed ,y photo la,! 7he 'ery last step is in sharpening an i"age! /n the "enu ,ar clic+ on Filter and harpen! / li+e to use ?nsharp Mas+ ,ut feel free to use any of the sharpening options! Finding the correct or ,est sharpening .ill largely depend on i"age size and ho. "uch your photo needs! AdGust the sliders until the photo loo+s crisps and sharp!

No. this final s"all and .e, sized photo needs to ,e sa'ed! Again / clic+ on File- a'e As and choose the location on "y co"puter .here /Id li+e to sa'e the .e, sized photo! 8ther than uploading the photo to picie Foodie- thatIs itK 7a+e a loo+ at the ,efore and after results!

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As you can see in the sa"ples a,o'e- si"ple edits can really i"pro'e a photo! No. the photo doesnIt ha'e that straight out-of-the-ca"era haze! 7he colors are li'ely as is the contrast ,et.een the"! 7he "inor adGust"ents also added "ore shades .hich ga'e the photo "ore sense of depth! Lastly the cropping resulted in ,etter co"position and ,rought the ,o.l closer to the 'ie.er to create a ,etter in'itation to dig in! Nor"ally / .ould also adGust color ,alance- if the photo needs it! /n this case lea'ing the slightly yello. tones adds to the autu"n "ood / .anted to set! /f / .as uploading the photo to "y .e,site / .ould lea'e it Gust as is! 7he only thing "issing is "y copyright- ,ut other than that itIs ready for the .e,! As / "entioned earlier- this too+ "e a,out a "inute- a 'ery .ell spent "inute! Pretty a"azing isnIt itM 7hough this .al+through .as for Photoshop you can easily recreate it .ith any other soft.are! Loo+ for settings called Le'els- Contrast- (0posure- Brightness- aturation- to help re"o'e the haze fro" unedited i"ages! 7o adGust the color tone loo+ for settings called 7e"perature- 7int- Color Balance- and if you are interested loo+ for auto"atic photo filters .hich change the colors in a photo! All soft.are no "atter the price ha'e these ,asic editing tools! Learn the" ,ecause they are Gust as i"portant as ho. you style- co"pose and capture your i"ages!

2o) To i/e Your Images .or The +eb

o"ething / often see .hen ,ro.sing food ,logs are o'ersized i"ages! Let "e clarify- these i"ages ,eing uploaded are too ,ig or e'en straight out of the ca"era @ 88CB! 8n "any of these ,logs if you clic+ on an i"age it .ill open up to the actual size it .as uploaded! Blogger or 6ordpress .ill auto"atically resize your i"ages so that they fit into the content or post area! 7hough once added to your post the i"age "ay ha'e ,een resized- it .as still a large photo that .as uploaded! 7here are a

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couple pro,le"s .ith uploading such large i"age sizes to your .e,site! &! 7he larger the i"age size @or file sizeB the longer it .ill ta+e for your photos to load on your ,log4.e,site! /t could also slo. do.n the o'erall loading ti"e of a site! 6e all +no. ho. i"patient .e can ,e- so that is so"ething you .ant to pre'ent! $! By uploading such large files you are eating a.ay at the storage li"its to your Picasa- free Flic+ror any other .e, ,ased file storage accounts-@.hich "any of you ha'e accounts toB! / ,elie'e the li"it for a free Picasa account is & GB- .hich isnIt 'ery "uch! 7hey do offer a paid ser'ice for additional storage! As far as other ser'icesI storage li"its you can chec+ your accounts for e0act nu",ers! <! /f your .e,site is self hosted- large i"age sizes could affect loading ti"e as .ell as your ,and.idth li"its! @Band.idth refers to the a"ount of data that 'isitors can do.nload fro" a .e,site!B Based on ho. "any 'isitors your ,log4.e,site recei'es and the a"ount of ti"es each file4photo has to load .ill deter"ine ho. "uch ,and.idth your .e,site uses and needs! /n "any cases if you go o'er the allo.ed ,and.idth you .ill ,e charged a hefty fee! o "a+e sure you are staying .ithin the allo.ed li"its that your .e, host pro'ides or upgrade to a ,etter pac+age! C! Another concern for so"e "ay ,e i"age theft! 7here is nothing you can do to pre'ent it! ('en if you disa,le right clic+ing people can easily get around it! Adding a copyright notice to your i"ages .onIt entirely pre'ent it either! o if you are going to upload your i"ages to the .e, you Gust ha'e to accept that they "ay- can and .ill ,e ta+en .ithout your per"ission! D! A result of such theft could "ean that your i"ages "ay ,e printed ,y the person stealing the"! 7hose large files ha'e good enough 2uality to "a+e 'ery large prints! 8f course .e .ould li+e to decide .ho can or canIt print our i"ages! Ma+e sure you refer to nu",er D in the instructions ,elo. for further details! A si"ple solution to the a,o'e fi'e pro,le"s is sizing your i"ages accordingly! All you need is a photo editing soft.are! )ouIll need to +no. .here on your photo editing soft.are the i"age resizing tool pr function can ,e found! LetIs resize an i"age together!

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&! First copy your i"ages fro" the 5 Card @or .hat-e'er "e"ory card you useB or ca"era onto your co"puter! $! Ne0t open the photo editing soft.are! Locate the photo you .ant to edit and open it in the soft.are! /n "y case it is Photoshop!

<! (dit the photo as you nor"ally do! Before proceeding "a+e sure to sa'e the edited photo in the original i"age size! All you ha'e to do is a'e As to create a second copy- that .ay the original straight out of ca"era i"age is al.ays sa'ed intact! No. for the .e,-size photo- find the resizing tool- in Photoshop it is under /"age - /"age ize!

C! A ne. .indo. .ill pop up .here you can change the i"age size! As you can see this particular

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i"age .as shot .ith a di"ension of $D>$0 <=E$ pi0els @.idth 0 heightB! But that is too large to upload to "y ,log! /nstead / .ant an i"age .ith the height of 9%% pi0els! @7he .idth .ill ,e auto"atically updated ,y Photoshop- or 'ice-'ersa!B Choose the i"age size you .ant ,ut ,e a.are of your ,logIs content area li"it!

D! Another thing to "a+e sure is that the resolution is set to E$ pi0els4inch! 7hat is the resolution for screen or co"puter 'ie.ing! /I'e noticed that so"e of you ha'e photo resolutions set to $C% or <%%! 6hen you .ant to print a good 2uality or large photo that nu",er needs to ,e set to either <%% or as specified ,y the printer! 6hat that nu",er "eans is 5P/ or 5ots Per /nch- the a"ount of dots per inch that are used to "a+e your printed photo!

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9! Ne0t clic+ 8H! No. your i"age is resized to the s"aller di"ensions .e typed in! Ma+e sure you add sharpening to the i"age ,efore proceeding to the ne0t step!

E! 6e are all done and no. need to sa'e our i"age so .e can upload it to our .e,site! Find the A;( A option under your "enu! )ou .ant to use sa'e as ,ecause this creates a s"all copy of your edited photo .hile still preser'ing your ra.-unedited photo!

=! Locate the folder .here you .ould li+e to sa'e your ne. edited s"all i"age! At this ti"e you can rena"e the i"age as you choose! / .ouldnIt reco""end using the sa"e file na"e as the original file- to a'oid confusion! o / .ill na"e "ine S/GP>>=$S(dited "!Gpg

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>! /f pro"pted choose the JPG option! Clic+ 8H and no. your s"all edited file4photo is sa'ed!

/n the end / ha'e < copies of each photo- one - the original 88C- t.o - a large edited 'ersion and three- the s"all edited 'ersion for "y .e,site! /t is up to you if you .ant all these copies! An i"portant thing to consider .hen doing this is storage space! No. all there is left to do is upload the s"all edited i"age to your ,log4.e,site li+e you nor"ally .ould!

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i/ing .or .ood Porn +ebsites and Tips

0Jood porn $ebsites are $hat bloggers call "ood sharing $ebsites. Jood on these $ebsites is meant to entice and pro3oke you into $anting to eat it. &hese sites are great places to "ind recipes and "ood photography inspiration.4 7he day a food ,logger gets his or her first acceptance notice fro" a food porn .e,site is a 'ery happy one! 6e do a happy dance- s"ile- pat oursel'es on the ,ac+- tell our fa"ily- friends- and readers a,out it! 7he day a food ,logger gets his or her first denial notice fro" a food porn .e,site is not a happy one! Perhaps they shrug it off and say theyIll try again! 7heir ne0t photo su,"ission gets declined- then another- and another and another! No "ore shrugging it off! No- no. the e"otions range fro" confusion- frustration- sadness- and anger! @/I" sure "any a 67Fs are ,lurted out!B 6eI'e all ,een there! /I" here to tell you donIt gi'e up! )ou "ay thin+ itIs easy for "e to say ,ecause "y photos are accepted to food porn .e,sites! Not so! ?pon disco'ering "any of those sites / started su,"itting li+e e'eryone else! /t see"ed li+e it too+ "onths for "y first photo to ,e accepted! Li+e "any of you / .as frustrated and perple0ed as to .hat / .as doing .rong! Actually "any ti"es / still find "yself perple0ed at the photos that get accepted and those that donIt! After nearly < years of su,"itting- / still get reGections! Before / used to stress out a,out it- no. / prefer to ta+e it one su,"ission at a ti"e! Perhaps so"e of you are .ondering .hy you should su,"it yourself to this +ind of reGection! 7he reason to that is traffic! Ha'ing your photos accepted to Pfood pornQ .e,sites is hitting the Gac+pot in ter"s of traffic- or 'isitors- to your ,log! More 'isitors "eans "ore e0posure for our .or+- and a ,igger audience to share our recipes- photos and stories .ith! Additionally if you are running ads then e0tra traffic can really help in ,ringing in a ,igger paychec+! 7he "ost i"portant thing to re"e",er is that a reGection does not "ean your photos arenIt good photos! /I'e had photos reGected ,y food porn .e,sites that ha'e ,een top sellers at stoc+ agencies! o if people are paying to use one of "y reGected photos that is clear e'idence that the photo .asnIt a ,ad one! 6hat .e ha'e to +eep in "ind is that "any of the food porn .e,sites .ant photos theytheir editors- find pleasing or that fit into their personal style- of course that 'aries fro" one person to another! 6e .ill ,e discussing so"e of the food porn .e,sites and a fe. tips to help increase your odds of acceptance! Belo. are so"e reasons .hy your i"ages ha'e ,een reGected and tips on ho. to correct or pre'ent the"! 7his co'ers a s"all a"ount of .ays .e can i"pro'e our chancesadditionally youIll .ant to refer ,ac+ to the e0posure- lighting and co"position chapters of this ,oo+! &ighting: Ma+e sure your photos are ,right enough! ?ndere0posed photos @that are too dar+B .ill al.ays get reGected! /f the shooting conditions arenIt ,right enough to fully light the su,Gect- use a reflector to shine "ore light onto it! Also adGusting your ca"eraIs / 8 and shutter speeds .ill help achie'e ,etter e0posures! Composition: 6hen shooting "a+e sure you are paying attention to the rule of thirds! Ma+e sure you donIt ha'e too "any things4props distracting fro" your su,Gect! ('en if you are shooting a photo for your .e,site and the co"position is perfect- .hen it co"es ti"e for su,"itting to food porn .e,sites the co"position in the s2uare crop can ,e off! @6hat /I" tal+ing a,out is the s2uare for"at that "any of the food porn .e,sites re2uire!B The $readed 4uare .ormat: Not sure .hy nearly all the food porn .e,sites .ent .ith this for"at- ,ut they did! 7he ,est .ay to sa'e your sanity is to not rely on the default cropping tools- on the food porn sites- and to crop su,"issions yourself! )ou need to +no. .here and ho. to crop your i"ages in photo editing soft.are! Loo+ for the cropping tool and enter the 909 @s2uareB di"ensions "anually to the cropping tool! Ma+e sure the co"position also flo.s .ell on the ne.ly cropped s2uare i"age! / suggest you ta+e a loo+ through the food porn .e,sites for sa"ples of the s2uare crop co"positions they "ost prefer!

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Proper i/ing: 8nce youI'e cropped the i"age to a s2uare for"at / highly reco""end it ,e sized do.n! 5ou,le chec+ the re2uired size the food porn site you are su,"itting to re2uires- though "ost .ant $D%0$D% pi0el! / al.ays su,"it the $D%0$D% i"age size- this .ay / can see .hat the co"position and sharpness .ill loo+ li+e! Add harpness: Another reason gi'en for reGection is Ldull or unsharp i"ages!L After youI'e cropped and sized do.n the i"age sharpening should ,e applied! Again "a+e sure you +no. .here and ho. to apply sharpening to your photos in the soft.are you o.n! /tIs a"azing ho. a little sharpness can "a+e i"ages pop! 7he a"ount of sharpening for larger i"ages- such as used on your ,logs- .ill re2uire "ore than the s"aller sizes re2uired ,y food porn .e,sites! ubmit and +ait: 7he ne0t step is to choose- .hich and ho. "any- porn sites to su,"it to! 7here are so "any of the" that youIll ha'e plenty of choices! Belo. are food porn sites / su,"it to or ha'e su,"itted to! By no "eans does it "ean you ha'e to try all of the"- find the ones you li+e ,est! 9ood traffic but be ready for many re3ections: Foodga.+er http*44foodga.+er!co"4su,"it4 7aste potting http*44...!tastespotting!co"4upload 7asteologie http*44tasteologie!notcot!org4MactionTne. Li2urious- only alcoholic drin+s http*44li2urious!notcot!org4MactionTregister Finding ;egan http*44...!finding'egan!co"4su,"issions!ht"l ;egan only recipes and photos "ust ,e <%% 0 $9% p0 @not a s2uare- enter <0 $!9 on cropping toolB erious (ats http*44photograzing!seriouseats!co"4upload4 $ecent Traffic0 Chances of Acceptance are 2igher !because they aren;t as tough on submissions as those abo,e#: 1ecipeNe.R http*44recipene.z!co"4login4 tarted ,y a fello. food ,logger- Coo+ing 1oo+ie! P1ecipeNe.R is an open co""unity-dri'en platfor"- accepting all recipes- and they ai" to gi'e e'ery recipe a chance to shine! 8ften recipes that .ere reGected fro" other food sites recei'e thousands of 'isits through 1ecipeNe.R:Q! -per their site! 5essert tal+ing http*44dessertstal+ing!co"4su,"ission4 a'ory ights http*44...!sa'orysights!co"4su,"it-ne.4 Hnap+ins http*44+nap+ins!co"4signup4,logger Food(pi0 http*44...!foodepi0!co"4upload4

If I can offer one %ast piece of ad,ice it )ou%d be not to compromise your artistic ,ision: /I'e read and seen "any ,loggers start changing their style- e'en cropping all their photos to s2uare for"at- once theyI'e ,een accepted on food porn sites! Not ,eing Gudg"ental- ,ut / feel that li"iting oursel'es li+e that can only hurt our artistic gro.th! )es- itIs nice seeing your i"ages there and the traffic they send is also pretty nice! But in the end the thing that "atters "ost is if .e are happy .ith the direction our photography ta+es! My personal opinion any.ays!

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:- kno$ you@3e heard it a thousand times be"ore. 9ut it@s true -- hard $ork pays o"". -" you $ant to be good, you ha3e to practice, practice, practice. -" you don@t lo3e something, then don@t do it.: -2ay 9radbury

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Chapter T)e%,e: Practice *akes Perfect and &ast Tips

No professional photographer got to ,e as good as they are .ithout practice! 7hey all achie'ed their goal and success ,y practicing their trade! /t doesnIt "atter .ho you are- there really is only one .ay for i"pro'ing our photography- practice! 6hetter .e o.n a hu",le point-and-shoot or a fancy 5 L1 .ith all the ,ells and .histles- .e still need to practice! 7he ca"era doesnIt "a+e a photograph- it is Gust a tool for capturing .hat .e see! /f you .ant to i"pro'e your co"position then you need to practice! /I" ,eginning to sound li+e a ,ro+en record- / +no.- ,ut practice really is e'erything! 6hen you practice often you not only ,eco"e "ore co"forta,le .ith the ca"era- ,ut also learn .hat is right and .hat can or should ,e i"pro'ed! / +no. "any of you say you donIt ha'e the ti"e to spend shooting photos ,efore you eat! But if you can find &% or &D "inutes in a day or .ee+ to play around .ith your ca"era you .ill greatly ,enefit fro" it! (0peri"ent shooting things on different surfaces- plates- or in different stages of preparation! /f you are using artificial light play around .ith it ,y "o'ing it around the su,Gect and seeing .hat has the ,est results! /f shooting .ith natural- .indo.- light then o,ser'e and shoot photos at different ti"es of the day to see .hat effects the constantly changing light has in your shooting area! Practice using a .hite,oard or reflector to see ho. this i"pro'es an i"age! Play around .ith photo styling and props! 7ry to de'elop certain loo+s to your shooting area that you can fall ,ac+ on in ti"es of lo. inspiration! 8nce you ha'e so"e practice .ith setting up the light and plating the food- it .ill ,eco"e ,oth easier and faster for you to photograph food ,efore feeding the fa"ily! 7he +ey to all of this is to Gust +eep learning and ,e creati'e .ith your tools! For "e personally the learning and practicing ne'er stops! / "a+e sure to s+etch out at least &% "inutes-or "ore ti"e per"itting- e'ery .ee+ for practicing .ith "y ca"era! o"e ti"es it is trying to see foods or ingredients in a ne. light! o"eti"es it is ho. to capture so"ething ordinary so that it "a+es others stop and notice! 8ther ti"es it is styling and trying to figure out ho. certain foods photograph ,est! Most of the ti"e it is a "atter of learning and practicing .ith "y ca"eraIs functions so that they ,eco"e po.erful tools! / ha'e a long .ay to go and / can al.ays i"pro'e "y photography- ,ut / do feel li+e / a" on the right path! tic+ .ith it and you too .ill figure out .hat photography path you .ant to ,e on!

$ea%ing )ith Photography Burn Out

Photography ,urnout- at so"e ti"e or another .eI'e all e0perienced it! /t doesnIt "a+e us any less of a photographer- and it certainly doesnIt "ean .eI'e lost our eye or talent for photography! /t Gust happens! Li+e anything else you do in your life- the "ore you do it the higher the ris+ of ,urning out! / thin+ "ost of us get in a nice co"fort zone once .e ,egin feeling satisfied .ith our .or+! lo.ly things ,eco"e repetiti'e- "ay,e itIs using that one prop .e lo'e so "uch! )es- "ay,e the prop is ,eautiful- ,ut if .e use it all the ti"e it .ill su,consciously ,eco"e ,oring and certainly repetiti'e! 1epetition is the ,iggest culprit of photography ,urn out! 1epetition pre'ents you fro" ta+ing your photography to the ne0t le'el! /t +eeps you trapped in a so-called co"fort zone .hich only ends up hurting your 'ision! 6hene'er you start getting that ,urnout feeling stop and see .hat in your photography has ,eco"e repetiti'e! A'oiding full ,urnout or curing it is easier than you "ight thin+! 7oday .e are going to discuss a fe. .ays you can cure or pre'ent that photography ,urnout!

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+a%k A)ay
7here are ti"es .hen / ha'e a specific 'ision of .hat / .ant "y photograph to loo+ li+e! / select the shooting ,ac+ground and area- choose so"e props- prepare and style the food- then / gra, "y ca"era! After a fe. shots / realize that the photos arenIt loo+ing li+e / en'isioned the"! 6hat a frustrating feeling! /t can e'en ,eco"e infuriating at ti"es- especially .hen /I'e spent a good hour on coo+ing- styling and photographing! /n the cloud of frustration / +eep pushing and pushing "yself- only to end up "ore frustrated! 8ne day it finally da.ned on "e that it doesnIt "atter ho. "uch / push "yself! /f it isnIt .or+ingitIs ,est to .al+ a.ay! Put the ca"era do.n and try again in a fe. hours or e'en ,etter- the ne0t day! Gi'e your "ind ti"e to clear! 8ften ti"es youIll realize that itIs the pressure youIre putting on yourself thatIs causing the frustration! /f you need to ta+e a .al+ and try again after you return! Many ti"es after youI'e Lcooled do.nL and you chec+ the photos you too+- that they .erenIt as ,ad as you first thought!

-e) &ight In A -e) Prop

Brea+ing free of repetition can ,e as easy as using a ne. prop! /n chapter nine under the Photo Props section / co'ered so"e suggestions! / ha'e found that playing around .ith a ne. prop has helped "e ,rea+ free of the repetition / .as stuc+ in! Additionally the ne. toy can force us into different shooting angles! /f you really .ant to challenge yourself select a ne. prop that is a co"pletely different color or style you nor"ally choose!

-e) etting or -e) hooting Area

Another thing / li+e to do .hen /I" feeling ,urned out is finding a ne. setting! / ha'e a s"all designated area .here / +eep "y props- ,oard and .here / do "ost of "y shooting! But /I'e found that spending all "y shooting ti"e in that sa"e area "a+es "e stic+ .ith one- repetiti'e- .ay of shooting! /nstead itIs ,est to alternate the areas .here .e shoot! 7he ne. area .ill force you to set up your shooting space differently! May,e the .alls are a different color in that ne. shooting space"ay,e there is furniture you can use as a ,ac+ground! /Ill tell you a little secret- /I'e shot in our ,edroo" and used the ar"oire as a ,ac+ground! /t sounds silly ,ut it not only refreshed "y 'ision ,ut ga'e "y photos a ne. loo+!

-e) &ight
Finding ne. light to shoot in can do .onders for your photography! As / "entioned in the pre'ious section- "o'ing to a ne. space .ill ,ring you ne. light to shoot in! May,e the .indo.s face a different direction- this can affect the o'erall loo+ of your photos- .hich of course can ,e a great thing! Perhaps the space .ill li"it you or force you to set up differently and therefore the light .ill hit the su,Gect differently! Again- a good thing for your photography! 7his helps you e0peri"ent .ith light direction and ho. it affects your i"ages! Another great thing to try is s.itching the type of light you use! /f you "ostly shoot .ith natural.indo.- light then e0peri"ent .ith artificial light! Li+e.ise- if you shot .ith artificial light s.itch to natural- .indo.- light! 5onIt feel inti"idated ,y the ne. light source! Just practice- o,ser'e and learn! / lo'e s.itching ,ac+ and forth ,et.een the t.o! (ach light helps "e e0peri"ent and learn so"ething ne. a,out light and photography! )ou also donIt ha'e to spend a .hole lot of "oney on an artificial light! My +it .as under O&%%- you can find so"e under OD%! 0(lease check my $ebsite "or in"ormation on the light kit - use.4

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Try A -e) Ang%e

Food photography is interesting fro" "any angles! Many of us get stuc+ in the sa"e shooting angle- .hich is not only repetiti'e ,ut also leads to ,urnout! /nstead of only shooting straight on and fro" the sa"e le'el- try shooting fro" a co"pletely different angle! et yourself up high a,o'e the food and shoot a ,irdIs eye 'ie.! )ou could also try zoo"ing out- or stepping ,ac+ further a.ay fro" the su,Gect! 7ilt the ca"era to gi'e your su,Gect a little e0tra angle! 7ry placing the su,Gect in a different spot of the 'ie.er! / donIt thin+ there is really a .rong or right angle to shoot food fro"! 7he i"portant thing is to +eep trying different angles and ,rea+ the repetition! )ouIll ,e surprised ho. refreshing this can ,e!

hoot omething Other Than .ood

/f youI'e tried all the afore"entioned tips and still feeling ,urnt out- shoot so"ething other than food! 6hether you shoot food as a ho,,y or as a professional- ta+ing a ,rea+ fro" food can ,e refreshing! / lo'e refreshing and getting out of the rut ,y finding a flo.er- or landscape to shot! Ne. su,Gects re2uire different angles- light- and techni2ues! All of .hich can open your eyes to ne. things to apply to your food photography! 7ry it- it .onIt only teach you so"ething ne. ,ut it .ill also ,e fun!

&earn omething -e)

Li+e anything else you do- our photography .ill only get ,etter .ith constant learning! Ma+e ti"e to learn .hat the functions and ,uttons on your ca"era not only stand for- ,ut ho. they can ,e used to i"pro'e the pictures! )ou only need ,ut a fe. "inutes a day to learn so"ething ne.! 7here is so "uch +no.ledge and infor"ation on photography- read it- learn it- and then put it to use!

5onIt gi'e up- and .hen you feel frustrated donIt let it get you do.n! Photography is hard .or+ and as long as you +eep trying and .or+ing at it- you )i%% succeed:

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!bo3e all, be true to yoursel", and i" you cannot put your heart in it, take yoursel" out o" it. -?n+no.n

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