How To Blur Backgrounds - Food Photography Tip!

By Danny

Easy Food Photography Tip

Blurred backgrounds are really popular in the glossy food magazines making the rounds in the past few years and it is one of the tricks that really distinguishes professional photography from amateur looking images. Blurring the background is not only a super easy way to add emphasis to your images, but also add an air of sophistication to them!

Tips continued after the jump...

In one of my last food photography posts, (5 Tips To Take Your Food Photographs From Boring to Fabulous)I talked about the importance of emphasizing the food and not distracting it with busy backgrounds. This tip directly relates to that because having a blurred background will guide your readers to look at the food and will also add an extra element that will completely enhance your images! Below are two ways to achieve this look!

Tip #1 - Use a Large Aperture Opening

If you're shooting on a digital SLR, utilize the Manual feature and shoot with a large aperture. Large apertures are signified by small numbers....confusing, I know, but trust me, it works. Your camera has numbers that relate to the lens opening, numbers like 2, 4, and 5.6 will blur the background while retaining detail and focus on the food. These numbers are called F-Stops and this phenomenon is called Depth Of Field.

This technique requires that you adjust the shutter speed to attain a correct exposure. If this is beyond your skill set, change the setting to Aperture priority and select one of the numbers above(2, 4, 5.6) The camera will now expose automatically based on the setting you just gave it. The smaller the F-Stop number, the larger the blurred effect will be.

Tip #2 - Shoot on Portrait Mode

If you don't have a fancy digital SLR with manual modes you can still achieve this look. Most digital point-and-shoot cameras have a mode called "Portrait". It is usually signified by a small icon of a persons head. This "mode" acts like the Aperture Priority mode discussed in Tip #1, Utilizing a small F-Stop number to take the picture!

Hope these tips help!

How To Use A Reflector To Improve Your Food Photographs

By Danny

Easy Way To Improve Your Photos

Using a reflector is one of the easiest and simplest ways to improve your photographs, food or otherwise. I bought a small folding reflector from my local camera shop, but you could easily use a white piece of foamboard, cardboard, presentation board, or anything that is flat, rigid, and white.

More On How To Use The Reflector After The Jump...

Placement Is Key!

The most important aspect of using the reflector is the placement! A reflector is used to minimize dark shadow areas of the object being photographed, and the way that is done is by placing the reflector facing the source of light.

In the picture above, the reflector is placed to the right of the bowl of lemons because the light source(the window) is coming from the left hand side. This way the light travels from left to right, hits the reflector, and bounces back to the left, filling the shadow side of the bowl of lemons. As you can see, my set up is not elaborate at all. I use two jars of jam to hold the reflector up, so no fancy equipment on my end! Yet, using a reflector is a technique that always delivers better quality images. Check out the with and without images below to see how the reflector affects the image.

Selectively Boost Color Saturation in Your Photos!

By Danny


In the next few weeks I'll be sharing with you some of my most treasured food photography tips! I wrote a post earlier in the week that listed 5 important tips to help you photograph your food, so the upcoming posts will act as continuations of that list!

Food Photography Tip after the jump...

Photoshop Is Your Friend

I use Photoshop to adjust and enhance most of my photographs. I don't alter the images, but I do boost the strengths of particular images. Photoshop is your friend. If you don't know how to use it, learn it!

Below is a video with a quick tip to help you selectively boost the intensity and saturation of particular colors. I use this trick on almost EVERY photograph!

Video via photoshop killer tips

5 Tips To Take Your Food Photographs From Boring to Fabulous!

By Danny

Photographing Food

Photographing food can be a daunting task. When I first started blogging about food I had to constantly experiment to achieve the type of look I was after. It was hard work, but I luckily picked up a few great tips along the way. You don't need a fancy camera. You don't need expensive equipment. All you need is determination...and these great tips!



Food Photography tips after the jump...

The Devil Is In The Details

Details are extremely important when photographing food. Therefore the following tips all are all detail oriented tips

Tip #1 - Focus on Light

Lighting is the single most important aspect of food photography! I only shoot during the day and next to a large window in my kitchen. No exceptions! For home operations, there simply isn't another alternative. Flash lighting will give you harsh shadows and bright, blown out highlights, so don't bother!

The biggest tip I could give you is to shoot next to a window, during the day, and USE A REFLECTOR! A reflector can be as simple as a piece of white cardboard. You place the reflector OPPOSITE of the source of light, and reflect light back onto the food to fill the shadow areas. The reflector will also diffuse the lighting which will make it softer and more appealing.

Tip #2 - Choose Your Setting Carefully

The setting of the photograph will largely be determined by the amount of light, but if you have many options for locations, the best locations are often the simplest. I shoot on my white desktop right next to my window in my kitchen. The desktop is very deep and clutter free so it allows me to have clean looking backgrounds. My aesthetic tends to be very minimalist, so this works well for me, but it also serves to draw attention to the food! The more you draw attention to the food, and not distracting backgrounds, the better!

Tip #3 - Don't Be Afraid To Get Close

I almost always shoot really close to the plate of food. This accomplishes a few things that are key to a successful photograph. Getting close to the food focuses attention on the food and not the background(which reinforces tip#2)but it also tends to BLUR the background and parts of the food, adding amazing depth and atmospheric space! This is what distinguishes amateur looking pictures from professional pictures! I always try to shoot slightly above the level of the food. This tends to produce the best angles for food.

Tip #4 - Plate Food on Simple Plates

Again, the focus is the food, not the plate. Even though it's easy and tempting to use that fabulous Jonathan Adler platter you just purchased, it will most likely distract from your food. Keep it simple. I almost always shoot on a simple white plate. If I want to mix it up, I place a vintage napkin on the table and then place the white plate on top of it, making sure that very little of the napkin shows up in the picture.

Tip #5 - Garnishes Are Your Friends!

Garnishes make all of the difference when shooting food. These are not just afterthoughts! Garnishes can pull a plate together and really add an air of sophistication and professionalism to your photos. For desserts I tend to use mint, sliced strawberries, and powdered sugar. For savory dishes I use chopped parsley, basil, or cilantro. Try sprinkling it all over the plate, or try placing one single leaf on the plate. Experiment!

Do you have any great food photography tips? Leave us a comment and let us know!

Custom Bookbinding in Downtown LA!

i just picked up my karaoke bar book from the bookbinders. mariana, the bookbinder, did the best job! i wanted the cover to look like a bar stool, and she had just the right red vinyl fabric plus a padding insert to make it puffy! and with the gold stamp finish, it looks great!A-1 Bookbinding is the place to go if you ever want to have a fabulous book cover made. she has a huge selection of fabrics, and can do just about anything.. and you can have just 1 book made or 100. mariana knows her stuff, this place is family run in downtown LA since 1960!not a bad wall of fame, too...