Photography
Photography is a very passionate hobby of mine. I studied it intensly in high school using SLR cameras and then I didn’t really pick up a proper camera again until digital made it’s way to the forefront back in the early “noughties”. Last year I mad the venture into DSLR’s and haven’t looked back.
I get a lot of questions asking me what camera I use etc.. I hope to provide a simple guide based on my experiences. Just for the record, I am NO EXPERT. I am completely self taught and a lot of the techniques I use for my food shots have been learned through trial and error. I actually belong to a few groups on Flickr that advise “keen amateurs” like myself about lighting, composition etc… I have really absorbed a lot of information from flickr. It’s a wonderful resource and many people are very helpful in guiding you and offering technical advice.
I just want to clear up a few other things. I get emails from people asking me if the food I cook is edible!!! I know what I would really like to say but the truth is there are no “tricks”. Everything is prepared, cooked, styled and photographed by me. (and eaten of course…although the neighbours enjoy a good amount too!) It’s all real. You won’t find any baby oil or special effects here. Yes, I spend a lot of time and energy organising my shots for this blog BECAUSE I want the food to look good. I’m a firm believer we eat with our eyes first and then with our stomachs.
I use a Nikon D40 D700 camera. (I upgraded in the beginning of 2009)
I’m blessed with huge windows in my apartment and this allows me to shoot with natural lighting. In my opinion natural lighting is the best for food photography. It brings out the natural textures and makes food appear appetising. I personally don’t like to use artificial lights but if you’re struggling to find decent lighting there are a lot of kits that can be bought on ebay or Amazon for a decent price.
If you shoot with a “point and shoot” type of digital camera it’s really important to understand how your camera works before you fire it. Don’t just stick it on “AUTO” and hope for the best. For a quick snap that’s ok but if you’re shooting food think about the elements around you. What time of the day is it? How is the sun reflecting today? Are the clouds going to change the colour of the shot? What should I do to my white balance? These are just some examples of what to think about. Put your camera in manual mode, drop down to an “eating angle” and see how close you can get before you fire the shot. If you can shoot near a window you can reflect the light with a white canvas board sold in art shops. They are quite cheap and can help with reflecting the light and take away the “dullness”.
You often hear people say “it’s the photographer not the camera”. Yes that’s true but not all cameras are created equal. Like I said before it’s important to understand how your camera works before you shoot with it.
I use a whole range of lenses to get that special type of shot. I prefer lenses that can be used in low light conditions and these are referred to as “fast glass”. I have a 50mm f1.8, a 50mm f1.4, a 55mm f3.5 macro lens and fair few others. Some are inexpensive but others can be more expensive than the camera! I’m always on the lookout for a bargain so I’ve managed to secure a few at decent prices.
Nikon or Canon? I prefer Nikon-others prefer Canon. There is no real right or wrong answer or choice. People are motivated by many factors. Go with the one that makes you feel happy. But whatever you do DO YOUR RESEARCH!
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