I use my camera phone all the time. Although getting quality images out of your phone is challenging, it’s not impossible. The first thing to understand about photography is that lighting is key. Without light it is impossible to take great images.  If you follow a few key rules, you can make your food photos mouthwatering.

Rule #1: Use natural light (sunlight in the shade) or a well lit room. Never use the flash on your camera phone. The flash produces hard light, which cast ugly shadows.

Rule #2: Shoot from an angle. Try not to shoot straight down on your plate. A more pleasing angle would be the way you see your food as you sit at the table.

Rule #3: Shoot up close. Make sure you fill the picture with the food. Don’t worry about cutting off parts of the plate in your image. The food is the subject of your photo, not the plate.

Rule #4:  Don’t forget to edit your image.  Smart phones have a ton of apps that allow you to edit your images.  You can use apps like Picsay to correct colors and add a little punch to your image.

Rule #5:  Practice, Practice, Practice!  Like with anything, the more you do it, the better the results.  Snap images indoors, outdoors, and from different angles.

Photographing food can be a lot of fun.  I think we have all been guilty of taking a picture of our food and posting it on Facebook and Google+.  So don’t be shy, show us what’s for dinner everyone

Photomatix                    Lightroom 4 

What this image took:  1 hour round trip commute time + 1 hour to find the right spot + 20 minutes to process the image

So you want to get started in photography.  The first thing you are going to need is a camera.  For an entry level camera you are going to probably need to spend about $1000 dollars.  You can also opt to buy a used camera or a discontinued model.  Both Canon and Nikon (DSLR) cameras are what I recommend.  For example the Canon T4i is a great camera for less than $1000 dollars, but you can get the Canon T3i (the camera the T4i replaced) for around $600 dollars.  Both cameras are great entry level cameras.  The T4i does have a few extra features, but not enough to justify the bump in price.  I also recommend buying just the camera body.  The lenses that come with the cameras (kit lenses) are really not good quality and tend to be a waste of money.  I recommend you get the 50mm f1.4 lens.  This lens is great for portraits and shooting in low light.  Lens selection is VERY important.  Spending a lot of money on a great camera and not investing money in great lenses is pointless.  The 50mm f1.4 is around $300 dollars and it is a great lens to get you started.  I am a Canon shooter, but Nikon has similar entry level cameras and lenses.  I have provided links for your viewing.

Capturing Emotion is Free

You don’t need an expensive camera to capture great images. Any camera can capture emotion. At first glance this image looks like a simple horse jump, when you look closer you can see the drama in the eyes of the jockey. No matter what you are shooting, try to capture the emotions in the scene. When we look at images we want to be told a story; whether it be a story about love, drama, comedy etc, capturing the story is the key to taking great images.

Looking better in front of the camera. We all love taking pictures, but sometimes it is a little scary when we see ourselves.   Although posing for pictures seems kind of weird, it’s the way to go if you want to get better results. Find a spot, set your camera up and start clicking. I suggest you set your camera on timer and not hold the camera in your hand and take those obvious hand held delights. Do a series of poses, and then find the one you like best.

Never allow your body to face the camera. When posing, make sure your body is at a 45 degree angle to the camera. The easiest way to accomplish this is by having one shoulder closer to the camera then the other one.

Chin down neck out. Make sure you strech your neck out (think of a turtle’s neck coming out of  its shell). You should also focus on tilting your chin down to avoid the dreaded double chin. You can’t always avoid showing a double chin, but tilting your chin down will drasticly reduce the double chin.

Lean toward the the camera. Leaning toward the camera will slim your body by making your head a little larger then your body. The more you lean the more distorted your picture will appear, so don’t overdue it.

Arch your back and twist your torso. Along with having your body at a 45 degree angle, you should arch your back and twist your torso in the direction of the camera. Arching your back will straighten up your posture and twisting your torso in the direction of the camera will give your body a slimmer appearance.

Practice….Practice….Practice, enjoy.

Photo Tip: No flash, no problem. You don’t always need to use a flash at night, to take a picture; as a matter of fact, pictures look more natural without the flash. I took this picture in a very dark environment. I set my camera for a 30 second exposure and this is the finished product. A 30 second exposure will collect all the ambient light. So the next time you’re in a low lite situation, set your camera on a sturdy surface and take a 30 second exposure.

Important: This method will only work with static subjects. People or anything that moves, will come up blurry or invisible. You also need to use a tripod or a steady surface. All DSLR’s and most modern point and shoot cameras can take long exposure shots.