“Food” is the Photo Theme for September

Food – Photographing food is harder than it seems.  Your photos will improve with practice (lots and lots of it). Here are some tips and tricks about food photography and equipment.

• Take photos under natural light.  Do not use overhead lights or lamps or your built-in flash.  Ever!
• Move around to find the best light source.  Don’t feel confined to taking photos in your kitchen. Perhaps the light is best in your bedroom in the morning, and in your living room in the afternoon.
• Try taking photos from multiple angles.  Some plates of food look better from above (like, pizza), or from the side (burgers), or at a 45-degree angle (drinks).  Try moving around the plate and taking photos at various angles so you can pick your favorite later.
• Minimize clutter.  If that spoon, napkin or busy background doesn’t add to the photo, it detracts from the photo.  Focus on what is most important, but don’t zoom in so close that viewers can’t tell what the food is.

Create photographs that fit the theme and upload up to five of them to the club’s Monthly Photo Themes flickr group.  Post them during September, not before or after, that way they’ll appear together with other club member’s images.

[Photo by: Arne Kalma]