I don’t think its any secret that photography is one of the most important parts of a food blog. I emailed Jessica when I first started blogging (and again a few times after that) and asked for tips for a new blogger. The thing she said was the most important for a successful blog was photography as your reader is “eating” with their eyes. Easily the best advice anyone has given me thus far in regards to my blog. Not that should come as a surprise because her blog is awesome and so is she!
If you’ve been following me since the beginning, you’ll notice my photos have come along way. From this:
I cringe even looking at that. Ew.
To this:
That’s also two different cameras which really shows the quality difference between point and shoot and DSLR.
But since I got a DSLR back in November, its been an interesting (read: complicated) journey trying to figure out how to utilize all of the features and settings. The first week I had my camera I didn’t know I had to format the SD card and then had to delete all of the photos I had just taken. I almost cried.
I know I haven’t been using it to its full potential so when I saw a Living Social Deal (I’m a sucker for a good deal!) for a DSLR camera workshop it was a no brainer that I needed to take it.
It was a 3 hour long class that covered ISO, aperture and shutter speed and a few other basic details of understanding your camera and getting a great shot. Honestly, I didn’t know about over half of the features my camera has. Other things I learned, apparently the new lens I bought doesn’t work with my camera. Good to know…2 months later.
I shoot with a Nikon D3100 and currently have the AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 lens (which I’m trying to sell if there are any takers!) to get a tighter shot. One other thing I have realized is you can only shoot in natural light.This can be a bit tedious since I work full-time and daylight is limited but you gotta do what you gotta do. Sometimes I’ll come home on my lunch break or take pictures before work. With it getting darker later now it will be easier to capture shots after work but that really is the key to a good shot.
This is a decent shot in the evening but it just really doesn’t allow the natural colors of the to food come through. As compared to the picture of pasta sauce I shared above, I also learned you cannot use a flash. So go ahead and turns yours off now never to be turned on again.
Now, this picture was shot over the weekend and around 1:00 PM so the sun was at the highest point in the day. My dining room conveniently gets excellent light and I have sheer curtains hanging that help diffuse the light.
While I know my pictures still have a ways to go, its crazy to look back and see how much progress I’ve made in only a little over 6 months. I hope that some of these tips help you as much as they have helped me.
Now, time to watch a bit of TV before bed. Goodnight y’all! 
