Better Food Photography Photos 101

My hottie husband measuring!

Food photography is uber important to having a successful food blog. No matter how great you write, people will be looking at your photos so they better be good. More importantly, with the rise of Pinterest (my new favorite guilty pleasure) your photos must be appealing in order for people to repin. Places like pinterest, tastespotting, food gawker, and photograzing drive tons of traffic to your blog, and what do you need to get on to these websites? Good pictures!

Now trust me, I am no professional photographer nor will I pretend to be.I have been trying to get better photos and I think it is working.  I am still using a Cannon point and shoot ( dreaming of getting a DSLR for my birthday in a month.) I have been reading a ton of articles over the last few months and I gathered a few tips they will help you take better food photos.

• Do not ( almost never) use flash
• If using external lighting try to light from both sides, not above
• Remove clutter that is not part of the frame. Who wants counter clutter in the background of your photo?
• Learn how to use whatever camera you have (even if it is P&S) really well
• Get creative, try out different angles and props
• Natural light will probably get you your best lighted shot
• If you are using a P&S use the macro setting

This weekend Toby and I made a light box for me and I cannot wait to use it. A light box uses translucent paper and a desk lamp to transfuse light and make your artificial lighting more natural. I tried it out with a lemon in a bowl and it looks really great! This is the website I used to help me. It had great step by step directions and it was really simple!

Some Tips for Construction:

•  It took me forever to find translucent paper. If you are a frequenter to Michael's Crafts you will probably know where it is.If not, just ask someone. I walked around for an hour before asking a lady in the floral department. 
• For the white paper to cover the inside of the box with- We found a roll of "project paper" at Office Depot. It looks like wrapping paper only it is all white. 
• Buy double sided tape. It makes it easier to paper the inside of the box

The box before adding translucent paper to top

Final Product!

These are some photography articles I found helpful. Hope they help you too!

10 Tips for Mouthwatering Photography
Food Photography Basics: Shutter Speed
Best Food Photography Tips from Experts