Why You Don’t Need a Fancy Camera: Getting the Best Photos with Your Point & Shoot

Photography

You hear it all the time: “I wish I had a dSLR so I could take good pictures.”

Well, a dSLR does take some pretty good pictures, but so can a point & shoot camera. Sometimes it’s the way you approach the picture taking that makes all the difference.

Here’s some of the strategies I’ve used to help my food pictures go from blah to bam! (Ok, maybe not ‘bam!’ yet, but I’m working on it- taking pictures is on art, and it takes time to become great!)

Camera Settings

The number one thing you can do to improve your food photos is to make sure your using the best settings on your camera (yup, even point & shoots have adjustable settings.)

– Turn that flash off! The flash washes out the color in your food & makes it look less appealing.

Look for this icon: 

– Use Macro. The macro setting helps your camera focus up close- perfect for those detailed food shots.

Look for this icon:

Lighting

Once you have your camera set up optimally, lighting is the most important part of taking a good picture, especially when it comes to food.

– Daylight. Natural light is your best friend in food photography. Try to find a spot near a window to take your pictures, although preferably not one with a direct beam of sun shining in. Don’t be afraid to take your plate outside either!

– Fake daylight. Step one was to turn your flash off- so what do you do at night? Turn the lights on!! Get as much light as possible so you don’t have a dark picture or shadows everywhere. Unfortunately, no matter how much light you have, you’ll probably end up with a picture with a yellow cast.

The yellow cast is from the type of light bulbs being used. You can adjust the white balance on your camera to compensate for the extra yellow tones, but I find for me that doesn’t work all that well. I have a better solution:

A daylight balanced bulb. I found a clip lamp out in the garage, and switched the regular bulb out for a daylight balanced bulb- a couple bucks at any home improvement store. The bulb is the key- it doesn’t matter whether you put it in a desk lamp, floor lamp, etc.

See? You didn’t really do anything and already better:

You can stop here if you want- those are the most essential tips, but you can take it a couple steps further to get some really great photos.

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– Reflectors. Professional photographers have those crazy round reflector panels & funny looking umbrella lights for a reason: they reflect light.

Reflecting light, or changing its direction, eliminates harsh shadows and provides a better light source from multiple directions.

By no means do you have to go buy a fancy reflector: a piece of white foam board will do the trick. Or you can do what I do: a 3 ring binder covered in aluminum foil. (That way it stands up by itself & you don’t have to worry about balancing it.)

Where do you put a reflector? The easiest placement is directly across from your main light source, facing the object your photographing. [So in the top picture, I put it facing the window.]

– Soften light. Sometimes a light source can cause harsh shadows. You can soften, or diffuse, the light to make the shadows softer & less noticeable, by using something transparent in front of the light. Some people will tape tissue paper over a light- just make sure you’re not going to start a fire. I use an old see-through curtain I had lying around that I clip to the blinds when I need it.

So, the whole setup:

Is all this absolutely necessary? No, of course not! But if you’re having trouble getting a good shot, give it a try.

Composition

You’ve might have heard this one before “a good camera doesn’t take a good photo, a good photographer does.”

There are a TON of ways to improve the quality of your photos based on what you take a picture of & how you look at it. Here are my top three tips:

Rule of Thirds

Imagine this grid in your viewfinder/on screen:

Instead of centering the subject your photographing, try placing it where the lines intersect (the red dots.) It adds interest & creates life in your photos.

(If you miss the mark on this one when taking your pictures, think about using it when cropping your photos later on.)

– Use Space. You don’t need to fill up the whole frame. Space implies movement & something else going on. It’s ok to include the table, place settings, utensils, etc in food photos- it portrays the idea that someone’s going to eat the food (always a plus!). [An easy trick for people: leave space in the direction they’re looking.]

– Vary your angle. Don’t take every picture from above- try multiple angles & chose the shot you like best. My favorite view? Get on the same level as the plate.

Last, but not least:

Edit Your Photos

– Free photo editing programs: there’s a TON out there. I tend to use Picasa because I love all things Google. My most used: “I’m Feeling Lucky” (automatic fix tool) & “Fill Light” (lightens up the whole photo.)

– Crop. Cropping can change the look & feel of a picture, so play around. And by all means, crop out the accidental foot in the background. (Or whatever.;))

– Take lots of shots. That’s not really an editing tip, but the more shots you take, the more you have to choose from once you go through them. The beauty of digital “film” is that taking an extra picture or two doesn’t waste anything at all.

So what are you waiting for?! Go take some fantastic pictures!!