Guides To Help You Improve The Quality Of Your Food Pictures

Taking great pictures of different food dishes isn't as easy as it appears to be in cook books and food advertisements. Great care should be exercised when taking these shots. Things that need to be considered include the dish's angle, composition, lighting, as well as problems that may arise. Here are some guides to help you improve the quality of your pictures.

Lighting

Consider the lighting in the kitchen or venue where you will shooting the dishes. It is a good idea to know this in advance so that you no longer have to make adjustments right there in the venue. Dark venues may be corrected by using a row of flourescent lighting which possesses diffusers. The drawback of this method is that the image will have a subdued shade of green. Depending on the camera that you have, it may have a setting that neutralizes the effects of flourescent lighting or a magenta filter may be used to compensate.

Stability of tripods

Since you are taking pictures of food, every shot is done at close range. Unlike shots taken at a distance, shots done in close up are sensitive to movement. Any sudden moves and the picture will be ruined. Focusing on the subject also becomes easier when using a tripod or even just a stack of magazines.

Food presentation

To get that professional look, cut the dish in geometric shapes. Proper arrangement of the food is also important so that you will be able to showcase the dish's ingredients as well as its strengths. Garnishing the food that you will shoot will enhance its natural colors, making it more appealing to the eyes.

Focusing on the subject

A rather dull photo will become vibrant and dynamic if care is taken when focusing and adjusting the field depth of the camera. If your camera doesn't have manual focus, depressing the camera's shutter button halfway to lock the focus at that specific depth. Recomposing the focus can be done by changing the position of the camera while the shutter button is still depressed halfway.

Automatic cameras usually lack aperture or depth of field. Some purposely adjust the aperture such that the background becomes a blur to heighten the subject's features while others prefer that a wider depth of field is used to capture the whole scene.

These are some of the things that you should know regarding food photography. Constant practice will help you produce better shots. Follow your instincts. Sometimes this allows you to take better shots.
Posted by Thomas, Sunday, January 13, 2008 8:10 AM | 0 comments |

Get The Most Out Of Taking Great Pictures

Taking pictures is an experience that is rewarding as well as memorable. Photography can be fulfilling as well as frustrating.

The following are basic tips and advice to get the most out of taking great pictures.

Taking pictures indoors

The best way to achieve a good focus indoors is by using a roll of film that has a speed of ISO 400.

There may be instances when pictures taken indoors are bit of a blur, the best way to solve this problem is by switching the automatic focus on your camera. This prevents from you having to manually focus and tirelessly concentrate on getting it sharp when the camera can do the work for you, in less time, making it easier for you.

Also, there is a reason why there is a flash on your camera. You need to use it especially when taking indoor shots. Pictures that are blurry are also the result of poor lighting. When this happens, the shutter of the camera is forced to open for a considerable amount of time therefore making the image blurry.

Dark photos could be prevented by using a flash. Indoor shots need to have a flash even if there is light available. To make sure though, it is highly advisable that one shot be taken with a flash and another without.

Batteries, batteries, batteries

Sometimes, trying to achieve focus can prove to be difficult especially if your camera is running out of power. You should always check your batteries. A flash system takes a lot of battery power and the sign that you need to have your old batteries exchanged for new ones is when your flash does not fire when taking that shot.

Get the glare out of your pictures

There may be instances when the final prints of your pictures may have a glare. Usually this happens when the flash reflects off mirrors, walls that are shiny, windows, tvs, etc. You may be able to avoid this by putting the camera on its side.

Frame and focus

Before clicking on that shutter button, focus on framing the shot you are taking. Be aware of the picture’s frame and try not to cut off the top of the subjects heads.

The best way to take pictures is with your bare hands. Remove gloves if you are wearing them and don't hold any objects while framing and focusing the shot. Doing such actually helps in avoiding the lens to be unnecessarily blocked.

What about pictures taken outdoors

These types of pictures may be taken using film that is ISO 100 where there may be light readily avaiable like during the day.

However, there may be instances where people may be squinting when their pictures are being taken. To avoid this, try to position people so they aren't facing the sun. It may be handy to have an umbrella handy.

Cases also occur where people appear dark or shadowy in the picture even if the pictures are taken outdoors. When this happens, it could be that the photographer was positioned directly towards the sun. As much as possible, the sun should be behind the person taking pictures. Or use a flash to reduce any shadows on the subjects being photographed, if it is necessary that the photographer be positioned towards the sun.

Most cameras have a capacity to lock on their focus. To do this, have your camera point towards a spot that is bright. Keep pressing on the shutter halfway, without going overboard and pressing it completely. Then, move the camera to the picture you are to take and press the shutter fully.

Be aware not just of the subject you are focusing on but on any backgrounds available where your subject is positioned. Pay attention to trees or any objects that could appear behind the subject that could ruin the shot. There have been instances where a flag pole seems to be coming out of a model’s head, when actually the shot was just poorly framed and focused.

All in all, focusing is easy if you put your mind, heart and eyes into it.
Posted by Thomas, Wednesday, January 9, 2008 9:23 AM | 0 comments |

Features Of Zoom Lenses

If you are a photographer or just someone that loves taking pictures using your camera, specifically the single-lens reflex (SLR) camera, you must know what zooms are for. Zoom lenses are added to your basic camera unit to be able to focus on a subject correctly. It is similar to filters that you also add on your camera for specific special effects.

During the past, you would see a photographer carrying his huge camera case which contained about half a dozen different lenses. Each of these lenses has a fixed focal length and can only be used for a certain type of focus shot. If the photographer wants to take a shot on something from a different angle, he would need to change lenses. That takes a lot of time and possible loss of the good view for the shot.

Having all these lenses and carrying them every time you have a shoot can be a big burden, not to mention, expensive. Thanks to our ever improving technology, zoom lenses were introduced. With zoom lenses, you can have a single lens that covers the same range that three or more fixed focal length lenses. This definitely lets the photographer change angle or focus instantaneously as compared to the old lenses.

Mid-range zoom lenses are versatile since they can cover normal, wide-angle and telephoto focal lengths with just a single lens. Telephoto zoom lenses are great for portraits, scenic, travel, candid and sports photos. Long zooms are useful for wildlife and sports photography.

Features of Zoom Lenses

Here are just some of the features of most zoom lenses available:

1. Macro focusing. This feature allows the lens to focus at a close range. To determine how close a lens is able to focus, a reproduction ratio is specified in the lens. A 1:4 reproduction ratio means that a lens can focus an object such that if the diameter of the object is 4 inches, it will measure just 1 inch in the picture itself.

2. One-touch zoom control. Most of the zoom lenses have just a single ring that controls the focus and zoom at the same time.

3. Lens aperture. There are zoom lenses that have only one maximum aperture, while others have two, for example f2.8-4.0. The f-number changes as the zoom changes.

Tips in buying zoom lenses

If you are planning to buy a zoom lens, the first thing you have to consider is the focal length range. For you to know what correct focal length range to buy, you must identify your purpose for the lens. If you think you will use it mostly for travel and vacations, a mid-range zoom would suffice. However, if you are planning to use it for sports and portraits, a telephoto zoom is a better choice.

The size and weight of the lens is also a consideration. In general, a bigger and heavier lens is usually faster. One that has wide zooming range can also be larger.

Lens speed is important if you are intending to use the lens for indoor photography. A faster lens allows more light which makes it easier to shoot in subdued lighting.

If you are using a lot of filters, it is best to consider the size of the zoom so it can accommodate as much filter. If you want close-up photos, you must also consider the specifications of the camera with regard to macro focusing. If you are after flexibility, it is best to have a zoom with continuous macro focusing than a limited one.

Of course, just like any other product, price is also a consideration. The better the features of the zoom lens, the more expensive they will be.

Zoom lenses are really a good investment if you are thinking of making photography a business. Even if you don’t, and you are just someone who loves taking pictures, having zoom lenses is still a good choice. You can take great shots at different angles and distances.

So if you are thinking of getting one, decide first on how you intend to use the lens so you can make the right choice. As you become more and more into this hobby or profession, then you can buy different types of zooms. Carrying just one or two zoom lenses is not a bad idea.
Posted by Thomas, Wednesday, November 28, 2007 7:11 AM | 0 comments |