Food Photography

Recently, I had the opportunity to do a food photo shoot.
My friend, Lia has been hired to populate a website with homemade food items to sell.
We had so much fun working together.  We did the photo shoot in my kitchen.

 Italian canned tomatoes with salt, basil, and garlic

Artisan Cheese Loaf

 Tuscan loaf with rosemary and olive

Jam Tarts (raspberry)

Artisan White Loaf

* These photos were all taken in my kitchen with my 50mm f/1.8 lens.

To prep myself for this shoot, I skimmed over these articles:


Ten Things I've Learned About Food Photography by Ree Drummond (aka. The Pioneer Woman).  Through trial and error, Ree gives some quick and easy tips to taking photographs of food look not only awesome, but appetizing as well.  My favorite tip from this article is that food looks way more appetizing if displayed on white dishes, than let's say, yellow dishes.


And if that's not enough, Ree also gives more tips in this article: Taking Photos of Food - 8 Helpful Tips.  My favorite tip in this piece was to cut into the food so that viewers will see exactly what the food looks like just seconds before they gobble it up.

Photo Recipes to Try

Me Ra Koh is one of my favorite photographers.
I love that she loves teaching women, especially moms,
how to use their camera to capture those precious moments in life.
Here are some links to read more about her photo recipes.  

Back to School

Modern Family Photo 

Perfect Self Portrait

Pets

Six Tips for Family Photo Shoots

To Become More Technically & Emotionally Aware...

1.  13 Things Your Camera Wishes You Knew.  Tips for the more advanced photographers out there.  I sure have some things I could improve on.



2.  4 Tips For Photographing People Laughing by Photography Concentrate.  This fabulous article will fill you in about what part of the laughing process is the most flattering to photograph.  Good to know if you're into photographing laughter.



3.  DIY - Create Your Own Bokeh.  Bokeh=blur (like a blurred out background in a photo.)  I haven't tried this out yet, but believe me, when the Christmas lights come out again, I'll be totally testing this out.



4.  FAQ: Children's Photography.  My favorite tip from this is the first one discussed: "Let Mom and Dad off the Hook."  Kids just seem to do better following directions from the photographer if their parents aren't right there adding the pressure to perfect behavior.  Letting the parents know that you have everything under control.  For more great tips, read the article.



5.  Don't Say Cheese -- 5 Tips for Getting Natural Smiles by iheartfaces.com  My favorite tip is "Don't Say Cheese."  An idea is to ask the child what their favorite food is and then ask them to say that food and then you add a random ingredient.  It's guaranteed to make kids laugh!  To learn what the other four tips are, read the rest of the article.

6.  Selfie Magic.  This blog teaches about self portraiture with a twist.  I have yet to by a reliable tripod or a remote for my camera, but I will one of these days.  I think self portraiture can be fun, especially if when photographing yourself, you also photograph you with your family and/or friends.

Smart Summer Shooting

The summer season is my favorite time of year to take photos.  The long lazy days of summer are filled to the brim with photo ops.  Bright colors, sunshine, green grass, picnics, and more family time are just a few of the reasons I whip out my camera more in the summer.  Check out these awesome articles I ran across this week.




1.  Summer Photo Tip by Ali Anderson.  Ali explains the perfect times of day to capture backlighting and shows some excellent examples.  And if you aren't familiar with backlighting, you'll find out.



2.  Capturing Summer by Kelle Hampton.  Kelle is amazing photographer.  Pure joy just radiates from the images she is able to capture.  For 10 summer shots to add to your shot list, check this out!


3. How Do You Get In Your Own Photos?  The Secrets of Self Portraiture... by Brooke Snow.  Brooke explains how self portraiture can make you a better photographer.  She also tells about the helpful tools that she uses that can make self portraiture a fun and easy process.  (I think it's important for me to be in some of the shots with my husband and kids.  Now want to save up to purchase the tools Brooke suggests.  )




4. Life After Cheese - One Photographer's Approach to Natural Photography by Mary Jane Photography.  Mary Jane explains how to how she gets the people in her photos look comfortable and natural.  You might be surprised at what she has to say.

My Favorite Photo Tips from Me Ra Koh's website

1. Blur the Background with the Right Camera Settings: (taken from The Nate Berkus Show website)
a. Point-and-Shoot: If you are using a Point-and-Shoot, set your camera to the shooting mode where there is a woman’s head (Portrait mode). This will automatically change your camera settings so that when you focus on your subjects, the background will blur behind them.
b. DSLR: With a DSLR, you get more freedom in manipulating your camera settings. Set your camera in A mode (or Aperture Priority/AV mode), and roll your dial until you get the lowest f-stop your lens can give. The lower your f-stop the more buttery, blurred your background is. I love buttery, blurry backgrounds because it puts all our attention on the subjects. It’s especially helpful when you are shooting in a kitchen. With a blurred background, it doesn’t matter if there is a stove and fridge behind your family, like the Chromolux family photo that you saw on the show!

2. Black and White or Color?
Nowadays: I love how black and white draws attention to the emotion or a single expression.  Everything else in the world fades away, and all we see is that little guy’s eyes.

Look Thinner in Pictures!

Thanks to Me Ra Koh and The Nate Berkus Show, I now know some tips I can utilize in my own photography in how to make people look thinner in pictures.  Here are the tips taken directly from The Nate Berkus Show website:

Get secret tips on how to look thinner in photographs from professional photographer Me Ra Koh.

They say the camera adds 10 pounds so who doesn't want some secret tips from a professional photographer on how to look thinner in pictures? Me Ra Koh was on The Nate Show to show Nate and the entire studio audience some great tricks to posing for pictures.
1. Scooch the bum. If you are seated for the photo, don't sit back and cross your legs. That's a sure fire way to have your thighs front and center while your head seems oddly small. Instead, scooch up to the edge of the seat and lean in to the picture.
2. Angle your shoulders. To give your body perspective when standing, angle your shoulders.  Put your weight on your forward foot, and engage with the camera by leaning a little forward. You'll naturally elongate your neck avoiding those unfortunate double chin pictures.
3. Get a little bossy! Make sure the person taking the picture gets some height. Don't let them shoot you on an even angle. Get them up on a curb or a step to give a bit of a downward angle on the shot. It's your picture after all, make sure you look your best.
4.  Lean In.  If your having a family photo taken, have everyone stand at an angle, and then lean into each other.  Exaggerate the leaning which will feel odd but show warmth in your photo.  The more you lean in to the person beside you, the warmer and leaner you look!
5.  Avoid busy patterns.  If you know you are going to have your picture taken, avoid busy patterns like plaids, stripes and logos.  They tend to make your body shape look boxy.  Instead, wear solid colors.  Most of all, wear what you feel most beautiful in; it will show in the photo!
6.  Avoid the same colors.  If you are having a family photo done, mix up your colors and you will look smaller in size.  For example, if you are all wearing white, it’s hard to tell where you end and the kids begin. (not what you want.)
Nate posed with an audience member to put Me Ra’s tips to the test. Check out their before picture:

And then this one, after they learned Me Ra’s ways to look thinner in pictures:


Me Ra Koh loves cameras, kids and parents, and spends her life bringing them together.  Her work and Photo-Recipes have been featured on national television several times, including the The Oprah Winfrey Show.  You will also be seeing Me Ra on The Nate Berkus Show this season!  You can talk to Me Ra on her blog at www.merakoh.com

Holiday Card Photo Tips from Me Ra Koh

Me Ra Koh was on The Nate Berkus Show today.  She gave tips on creating family photos for holiday cards.  Here's a link to the tips:

Great Photography Tips

Watch this: Photography Tips Video

Notes from BROOKE SNOW's Class

I went to a class taught by a professional photographer, Brooke Snow.  The class was titled: Ten Tiny Tips that will Dramatically Improve Your Photography.  Here are the notes that I took from the class:

Beginning notes:

Establish a knowledge base of photography
   - master using your camera and understand the functions and the effects it has on the images
   - Read photography books
   - Take a photography class

Practice taking pictures and shoot intentionally!
   - slow down, even if you miss the moment you were trying to capture
   - shoot often

Train your eye
   - spot issues in your own work
   - rules should be learned and not broken
   - (my own note) look at other photographer's work and be able to explain why you like their images

The Importance of Photography
   - Happiness can increase by keeping happy memories vivid.  Viewing your own photographs can flood the mind with happy memories of your life.

"What you record on earth is recorded in heaven."
     ~ Wilford Woodruff

"We should be a record keeping people.  Record the story of your life."
      ~ Spencer W. Kimball

"Those who keep a personal journal are more likely to keep the Lord in remembrance in their daily lives."
      ~ Spencer W. Kimball

*** TEN TINY TIPS THAT WILL DRAMATICALLY IMPROVE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY

Tip #1: LEARN TO SEE THE FRAME

            -Look through the viewfinder and scan your eyes around the frame (especially the edges) and ask yourself these questions:

What in included in your frame?  What is excluded in your frame? 

Watch for cut-offs. 

Avoid cropping at joints. 

It's more pleasing to the eye to:

- crop at the midpoint of an arm, leg, etc. 

- crop the top of the head

- don't crop off the chin

Tip #2: WATCH FOR MERGERS AND DISTRACTIONS

            - Look through the viewfinder and scan your eyes around the frame, looking for mergers and distractions at the background.  Reposition yourself or the subject in your photograph if necessary.

            - Take the picture right the first time so you don't have to spend as much time editing 

Tip #3: CONSIDER THE RULE OF THIRDS

            - heads centered in the middle of the frame generally are boring to look at.

            - As you are looking through your viewfinder, divide your frame into thirds and place your subject at an intersecting point.

            - When photographing a landscape, decide if you want to showcase the sky, the mountains, or the foreground and frame it accordingly as you shoot.  If you want to showcase the sky, frame atleast two thirds of the sky in your viewfinder.  

Tip #4: CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE

- be creative

- heavier people can look thinner if you shoot from above.  (ex. have the person sit on a lower step than you and have them look back at the camera.)

- get a child's eye level when photographing children

- when you view a great professional photographer's work, ask yourself where the photographer was standing when he took the shot.

Tip #5: GET IN CLOSE

- take two steps closer once you set up your shots

- closer shots create more intimacy

Tip #6: REMEMBER DETAILS

- when shooting an event, remember the details of the occasion.

- photograph buildings, street signs, landscape, food, etc.

- detail shots help to tell the story of the event

- it's fun to look back at detail photographs of previous places you've lived

 Tip #7: THINK LIKE A KID TO GET GOOD KID SHOTS

- shoot from a kids' perspective

- get down at their eye level

- for kids who don't follow a photographer's direction well, play games with them to help get true expressions (ex. "Simon Says" is a great game to get kids to cooperate)

- Imagine outloud with kids... get into their world.  Expressions on kids' faces when using their imagination creates authentic moments.

- Involve kids when doing a photo shoot.  Let them see their pictures once you take them or even let them take a picture or two themselves.

- sing

- don't overstimulate (if you need to start to whisper, sing, etc. to get kids to pay attention to you.)

-talk to kids... ask "find out" questions (ex.  What's your favorite food?  Who's your favorite princess?)

- allow them to relax and be themselves (suggestion: photograph in a kid friendly environment and allow kids to play as you photograph them.)

-have fun people behind you (suggestion:  if you are at a kid's level (down low) and you want your fun people (like the parents) to help you, have them get down low with you. 

Tip #8: GOOD POSING HELPS PEOPLE LOOK THEIR BEST

suggestions:

- put weight on back foot

- bend your leg closest to the camera (ladies bend leg closest to the camera when doing leg pops in kissing shots)

- keep your arms off your body (bend arm)

- sit on the edge of your seat (better posture and makes your thighs look thinner)

- if you have two of something, put them on different planes (ex. put one arm over someone's shoulder and one arm on your hip)

- to reduce seeing a double chin, have person lean forward or the photographer can shoot from person

-avoid full front posing (widest view of a person)

-group shots - put heads in closer together and connect through touch

  

Tip #9: CHOOSE LIGHT FIRST, LOCATION SECOND

Finding the light:

- watch for dapples on the ground (patchy sunspots in the shadows on the ground)

- look for open shade (even light)

- shoot with the sun behind the subject

- look for natural reflectors (cement, white walls)

- window light adds shadows, drama, dimension, and provides catch lights in the eyes

- Become a student of light by studying images and see the characteristics of light.  Ask yourself: Where is the light coming from in this image?

Tip #10: BE A GOOD EDITOR

- if you want people to think your a fantastic photographer, only show your best work

- use the proper camera setting to take the picture right the first time so you don't have to spend so long editing your images

Focal Point & Picasa 3

In most color photographs, there are tons of colors competing for your attention. A picture with good composition helps the eye to know what the focal point is. I know that the photograph below is not edited well at all, but I can still get my point across. Can you guess what the focal point is in this photograph?

It's kind of hard to tell. If you guessed that the baby boy's eyes are the focal point, you are right. See how much easier it is to tell that his eyes are the focal point in the photograph below? Why is it easier to tell what the focal point is?

It's easier to tell that the eyes are the focal point for a couple reasons. Obviously, some photo editing was done. First off, the eyes are what's sharpest in the photograph. Secondly, the monochromatic color scheme makes it easier to focus on the baby's eyes.

*** F.Y.I. -> I used a free photo editing program called Picasa 3 to edit these photos. Give it a try. Click here to download. Trust me, it's quick and easy to use to give your photos a boost.