Snapshot Spotlight – Shaheen from The Purple Foodie

April 12, 2010

Name: Shaheen

Blog Name: The Purple Foodie

Twitter ID: PurpleFoodie

When & why did you start getting into food photography?
When I started my food blog, I went and bought myself a high end camera phone thinking that it’d be perfect because I wouldn’t miss a photo opportunity – bad decision. Soon enough (okay, it took a few months) I realized that the photos were quite shoddy and needed to capture the food just as beautifully as it really looked. That’s when I bought a Canon camera. I’ve been fiddling around with the manual functions ever since and working on bettering my photographs.

What equipment do you use?
I use a Canon Powershot A570IS. Yes, just a point and shoot! I feel very flattered when people tell me that my photos look like they’ve been taken using a dSLR. This reaffirms my belief in the fact that it’s not always about the equipment; for that will only take you to till a certain point.The only kind of processing I do is adjustment in brightness and contrast. I am not well acquainted with Photoshop or Lightroom because I’m a little terrified about using it.

Do you have any of your first food photographs? If so, would you share one with us?
This has been my favorite question from all the previous spotlights! Very inspirational to see the evolution of photography skills of other food bloggers.

So here is one of my first shots, taken with a Sony Cybershot camera phone

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti by Purple Foodie

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti by Purple Foodie

What has been your absolute favorite food photograph you have taken? Why is this photo your favorite?
I’m usually never satisfied with my photos and I keep thinking about how I can take a better picture. That said, I really like this photo of pop tarts. Love the drip of the strawberry syrup – totally accidental and I like it because I took just a few shots and this stood out from the rest.

DIY Strawberry Pop Tarts from Purple Foodie

DIY Strawberry Pop Tarts from Purple Foodie

This one got everyone swooning and even reached the top of all-time favourited food photos on foodgawker. Garlicky baked fries:

Garlicky Baked Fries from Purple Foodie

Garlicky Baked Fries from Purple Foodie


Please share with us a photograph of your typical setup for your food pictures. Describe, in short, your setup.
Another surprise here – I don’t use a tripod. I feel it restricts movement. I have this one spot in my house by the window where I typically shoot all my photos. It’s a west facing room so I have ample brightness and yet not the jarring sun in the mornings. A white foam board is good for reflecting light and avoiding shadows that might occur because of the crockery

I have a bunch of textured papers, place mats, and a few plates, bowls and spatulas in different colors that I adore. I find that colourful paper liners for cupcakes, silicone bakeware, cake stands  and pretty measuring cups are a good investment for those who are more into baking.

Share one or two tips that you think might be helpful to food bloggers when photographing food.

Take lots and lots of photos – it doesn’t cost anything beside power. The more photos you take, the more you will learn.
It’s imperative to know your camera very well. Don’t be afraid to play around with the manual settings.
One of the things I’m doing off late is using the “foliage” setting – this makes the photos look warmer. If you don’t have that, then turn on the “cloudy” setting.
Another thing I almost always do is keep a low ISO setting – never more than 200. The higher the ISO, the more grainy the image (of course, this is assuming you’re shooting in a naturally lit room).
Move around a lot when taking the photos. You might just discover some interesting angles.
It’s a good idea to keep the raw fruit/ingredient in the background – like in an apple pie (but definitely not for a banana bread!)
I take a lot of photographs as I’m baking to show in process work – this takes a little time but it not only helps maintain the flow of the blog post but also makes the reader think “Hey, the steps look simple, I should make that!”
And finally, always keep your batteries charged – there is nothing more annoying than having a sigh “change the batteries” in your face.

Who or what inspires you?
Tastespotting and Foodgawker are my places of inspiration. I like them so much because it’s not just about one person’s style – you will find so many different perspectives here. It helps develop your own unique style and is a storehouse of wonderful photo ideas.

Remember – any comment or any submission for the month of April means that you are entered into a drawing for a $50 CB2 gift certificate!

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Solar System Cupcakes from Katie at goodLife {eats} + a Giveaway!

April 2, 2010

Solar System Cupcakes Before & After

Solar System Cupcakes Before & After

Photo Title: Chocolate Buttermilk Cupcakes with Vanilla Almond Frosting (Solar System Cupcakes

Blog Name: goodLife {eats}

Technical Details:

Camera: Canon EOS 50D
Lens: Canon 50 mm 1.4
ISO speed: 125
Aperature: f1.8
Shutter Speed: 1/160
Flash: off
White Balance: Manually set using a gray card

Set up: Placed a black foam board on my island and a black poster board in back to create a solid black background. Used some plastic glow in the dark stars around the cupcakes and a small yellow dessert plate to be the sun. I clipped a desk lap on the island and directed it at the yellow plate to make it look like the sun was shining instead of flat color.

Edits: Bumped the contrast and saturdation by +10 in Photoshop CS

Kristen here… you may have noticed that Katie got a new camera! She was one of our previous contributors who did amazing things with a point and shoot, but she decided to make the upgrade to a DSLR. Beautiful work, Katie!

The monthly contribution prize is back! For the month of April, anyone who comments on an April post, submits a behind the scenes photo to Culinary Snapshot or participates in our upcoming Through My Lens event will be entered to win a $50 gift card to CB2… Crate & Barrel’s outlet that has great items for food photography props. The giveaway will be closed on April 30th, and the winner will be selected through the Random Number Generator close to May 1st. Please make sure to leave a way to be contacted so I can get a hold of you if you are a winner. (You can earn multiple entries by commenting on each April post, submitting more than one photo, etc).

I fell in love with CB2 on a recent trip to Texas. They in no way have paid for or sponsored this giveaway. It is just a super cool place to shop!

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Just Like Lambert’s Thrown Rolls by Dine & Dish

March 21, 2010

Just Like Lamberts Throwed Rolls

Just Like Lambert's Thrown Rolls

Photo Title and Recipe Link: Just Like Lambert’s Thrown Rolls

Blog Name: Dine & Dish

Equipment Used: Nikon D300, 50mm 1.8 lens

Technical Details:

Exposure: 0.003 sec (1/320)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 250
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: No Flash

Photo Editing:

I used Adobe Photoshop CS4 and adjusted the levels and the curves. I also increased the saturation slightly.

Setup Details: I set up on an old crate that I bought a couple of years ago at an apple orchard. I love the texture of old wood with homemade bread. The photo was taken by a row of East facing windows in the afternoon.

Props: White, linen towel and an old rustic crate

Additional Food Photography Tips: See what you have lying around your house or at markets that can provide interesting texture to a photograph. Something simple like a wooden cutting board, or old house shutters… you’ll be surprised what you can re-purpose that might look good in a photo!

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Through My Lens – The One With the PB&J

October 2, 2009

Those of you who participated in the most recent Through My Lens event probably thought I took your photos and ran! Tempting, because I do love PB&J and the amazing photos you all turned in had my mouth watering. You all did a great job with this assignment! I have decided, however, to share you talents with the rest of the world and get this post up! The delay was because my working version of Photoshop is on my PC and I try to avoid turning on my PC as much as possible because it literally pains me. Since the version of Photoshop I have ordered for my Mac still hasn’t arrived, I’m going to just do this the old fashioned way, not have a collage and let all of these photos have their glory, one by one. So here we go…

If you’ll remember, the assignment was to pretend like you have been hired by a magazine to photograph a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich. How would you interpret that assignment? And now, for your viewing pleasure, here is the PB&J Through My Lens roundup:

Blog Name: Liesl’s Confection Dissection
Equipment Used: Canon Rebel XTi w/ 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens, Manfrotto 190XB tripod with Slik AF2100 pistol grip head, Impact reflector, Canon RC-1 wireless remote….and a white plate as an additional reflector.
Photo Editing: Photoshop…I used the cloning tool to take out the “Williams & Sonoma” logo.  Also, brought up the saturation, brightness and contrast, and used the sharpening tool.
Props: Cookie Cutters to make sandwiches, colored plate, William’s & Sonoma lunchbox

Blog Name: Our Best Bites

Equipment: Canon 40D, 50mm f/1.8 lens

Photo Editing: PSE, cropping, increase brightness

Setup Details: Outdoors on patio, natural light, foam board in background.

Props: Cutting board, homegrown grapes from my garden, and a jar of PB!

Blog Name: Panini Happy
Equipment Used: Canon Rebel XTi, Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens, Tripod, Canon wireless remote control, White foam board
Technical Details:  RAW format, No flash, Natural light, Aperture f/4.5, ISO 200
Photo Editing: Adjusted white balance, exposure, clarity, vibrance and saturation in Photoshop Elements to brighten the image and accentuate the colors. Cropped very close-up to make the individual ingredients even more visible.
Setup Details: I placed the sandwich on a white plate on my kitchen table, opposite a large window. I used a white foam board to bounce the natural light onto the right side of the sandwich (a tip I learned from this site!).
Props: White, rectangular plate
Additional Tips: This is an inherently messy sandwich, so I went ahead and let the jam flow! In this instance, I think seeing the bright red drops against the white plate actually makes the sandwich look more appetizing. I also put more peanut butter toward the edges of the sandwich so it would be more visible in the photographs.

Blog Name: Something Shiny
Equipment Used: Nikon D80, Nikkor 35mm 1:1.8G AF-S DX lens, tripod, foam core bounce board
Technical Details: Exposure 1/20 sec at f/4.5, Aperture Priority mode, Focal Length: 35 mm, Focal Length in 35 mm film: 52 mm, ISO Speed: 200, Exposure Bias: -0.3, Flash did not fire, RAW format
Photo Editing: Photoshop CS2, PW Action set 1 – “fresh & colorful”, Brightness/contrast
Setup Details: table next to North-facing window, window on right, bounce board on left; clothes rack behind table for draping backdrops
Props: red and white checked towel, small white plate, small clear drinking glass

Blog Name: She’s Becoming DoughMessTic
Equipment Used: Crappy little Sony Cybershot.
Photo Editing: A little bit of Photoshop Cropping, Contrast & increased Saturation


Blog Name: goodLife {eats}
Equipment Used: Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5, Photoshop CS
Technical Details: Macro setting, No Flash, Adjusted the exposure on the camera to +1/3
Photo Editing:  Cropped the image, Increased the contrast by +10, Applied a warm toned gradient map on soft light 25% to warm up the color of the bread, Duplicated original layer, set to soft light 50%, sharpened the image
Setup Details: Set up on my kitchen island with a white foam board opposite the light source.  Plates on clearance from Martha Stewart line at Macy’s  Placemat from Crocodile Creek via Oompa Toys
Props: Placemat, Plates, Sliced banana and strawberry

Thank you all for participating and for submitting these beautiful photos! PB&J has never looked so good! I’ll announce the next Through My Lens assignment next week as well as the winner through the random drawing for the Digital Food Photography Book.

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Shirred Eggs with Spinach by Kitchen Contessa

September 16, 2009

Shirred Eggs with Spinach Before & After

Shirred Eggs with Spinach Before & After

Photo Title and Recipe Link: Shirred Eggs with Spinach

Blog Name: Kitchen Contessa

Equipment Used: Nikon D80, Nikkor 50mm lens

Technical Details:

Flash not used
Exposure Time .008s (1/125)
ISO 100
Aperture f/1.8

Photo Editing:

Used Photoshop Elements
Enhanced Contrast and Brightness Levels
Sharpened photo
Used clone tool to touch up spills and crumbs
cropped

Setup Details: I set up plate on my kitchen counter. I had some natural light from kitchen window and used my floor lamp for more light. I positioned the floor lamp in front of the dish.

Props: White plate, Bacon, Toast

Additional Food Photography Tips: Didn’t like the full photo so I decided to crop it down. I really have no idea what I am doing. I just started a couple of months ago but thanks to blogs like yours I have learned a ton!

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Watermelon Gazpacho by Ben at What’s Cooking

September 8, 2009

Watermelon Gazpacho Before & After

Time snuck up on me! I am extending the deadline for the PB&J Through the lens to next Monday, September 14th! We’ve received some really cool entries so far!  Details can be found HERE.

Photo Title: Watermelon Gazpacho

Blog Name: What’s cooking?

Equipment Used: Canon D60 6.1MP, 50mm f/1.8 lens, Promaster 7500DX flash

Technical Details: Exposure: 1/180
Aperture: f/2.5
Exposure compensation: +0.25
ISO: 100

Photo Editing: Adjusted saturation, contrast and sharpening with Photoshop CS2.

Setup Details: The tall mug and the watermelon slices next to it were giving me very strong shadows on the opposite side of my light source. To solve this problem I wrapped some boards in aluminum foil to make the bouncing light brighter on that side. That solved my problem.

Props: yellow mug, plate and watermelon slices

Additional Food Photography Tips: Move your boards (or whatever you use to bounce light) around to find the best setting. Use two or three small ones to highlight different parts of your subject. Silver foil gives you a white reflection while golden foil gives you a warmer light.

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Dobos Torte by Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy

September 4, 2009

Dobos Torte After & Before

Dobos Torte After & Before

Photo Title & Link: Dobos Torte

Blog Name & Link: Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy

Equipment Used: Canon Rebel XTi with 100 mm Macro Lens; Manfrotto tripod legs with Really Right Stuff ball head; remote shutter release;

Technical Details: The shot was taken on a rainy day by a southeast facing window. I used two Lowell Ego Lights, one to the right and behind the subject and the other on the left , facing it.

Photo Editing: Using Photoshop Elements, I first adjusted the shadows and highlights.  Then, I adjusted the levels to get a whitewashed effect in the background, and to brighten up the cake.  After that, I sharpened the photo using the unsharp mask.

I still wasn’t happy with the composition, so I tried cropping it a few different ways to see if I could make it more interesting.  This was the version I liked best.

Setup Details: I used white foamboard to cover my window seat and for the background.  I set the cake in the center and put a small white milk pitcher behind it on one side and a small white bowl of raspberries behind it on the other side.  For some reason, I found the berries distracting, so I cropped them out.  I really liked the way the pitcher kind of fades into the background.

Props: 8-inch white plate for the cake, white milk pitcher, and white bowl filled with raspberries.

Additional Food Photography Tips: There is a lot you can do with Photoshop Elements to make your pictures pop, and it costs less than $100.  Before you spend a small fortune on the full version of PS, play around with Elements.  I’ve been using it for over a year and am pretty happy with it.  I plan to upgrade some day, but I’d rather save my money right now to buy another great lens for my camera.

Also, I’ve really gotten fond of using Picnik, and it is free.

Just a few announcements:

  • The winner, drawn by Random.org, of the Boneca Linda Camera Strap is…. Jamie from My Baking Addiction. Thank you Jamie for your participation and congratulations! You can pick out your camera strap by visiting the Boneca Linda Etsy Store here.
  • All entries for the month of September will be entered to win a new copy of the book Digital Food Photography by Lou Manna. Snapshot spotlights, individual posts and Through the Lens participants are all included in each months drawing. The more you contribute, the more chances you have to win!
  • Speaking of Through the Lens… we hope you’ll join us in our current Through the Lens assignment. Imagine you have been asked by a magazine to photograph a Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwich. How would you approach that assignment? Check out the details on Through the Lens here. Deadline is Thursday, September 10th.

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Snapshot Spotlight – Paula from bell’alimento

September 2, 2009

Name: Paula Jones

Blog Name: bell’alimento (Italian for beautiful food)

Tell us how you started getting interested in food photography: I’ve always been fascinated with photography but did not get into food photography until I started my food blog earlier this year. After being “coerced” by a couple of friends into starting bell’alimento, it was sink or swim, and I’m seriously not one to go down without a fight.

What photography and editing equipment do you use? My camera of choice is my Canon EOS Rebel XS – mostly with my 55m lens. Our post processing is done with Adobe Photoshop Elements.

Please share with us one of your first food photographs.

Asparagus alla Paper Bag

Asparagus alla Paper Bag

What has been your absolute favorite food photograph you have taken (include link to blog post if it relates)? Why is this photo your favorite?
Oooo, that’s like asking me to choose which one of my children I like best. With every post I hope I’m learning more and expanding my food photography horizons. To be honest, I’m never completely satisfied with any of the photos I take, which keeps me on my toes and fuels my fire to continually improve.
Here are some of my current favorites:

Pineapple Fusion Scallops

Pineapple Fusion Scallops

Baby Banana Bread Bundts

Baby Banana Bread Bundts

What is your typical setup for your food photography? When possible I shoot outside on my deck. If I shoot inside & the light coming through the windows isn’t optimal I use a lightbox with 2 lights & also a foam board to bounce the light.

Share one or two tips that you think might be helpful to food bloggers when photographing food. I learned early on to never, ever, ever use a flash. Natural sunlight is best so use that when possible. Have all of your plating items ready to go when your food is ready. Also, never underestimate the power of post processing! It can turn a good photo into a great photo.

Thank you, Paula, for a great Snapshot Spotlight. If you are interested in being featured in an upcoming snapshot spotlight, please email us at admin <at> culinarysnapshot.com. We would love to have your contribution!

You can view the tips and tricks from our past Snapshot Spotlights:


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Duck Croquettes with Garlic Aioli by Salt and Chocolate

August 27, 2009

Photo Title: Share Our Strength Event

Blog Name: Salt and Chocolate

Equipment Used: Canon Rebel XS with a EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro lens

Technical Details: Nothing fancy at all, just the flash off in automatic mode!

Photo Editing: None, I don’t like to do any editing, although I’m sure I could salvage many a photo this way I prefer to shoot when the light is good and try to make adjustments with my camera instead of software.

Setup Details: This was all set up at the Share Our Strength Event. It was probably the coolest set up that they had there with the tree branch and moss.

Additional Food Photography Tips: Don’t be scared to play with your camera, I have taken some of my best pictures while messing with the aperture and iso.

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Zucchini Nachos from goodLife {eats}

August 25, 2009

Zucchini Nachos Before & After

Zucchini Nachos Setup & After

Photo Title: Zucchini Nachos

Blog Name:  goodLife {eats}

Equipment Used: Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5, Photoshop CS

Technical Details:

Macro setting
No Flash
Adjusted the exposure on the camera to +1 (thanks, Helen for this tip in your spotlight!)

Photo Editing:

In Photoshop CS:

1. Images>adjustments>brightness & contrast: adjust to +10 on contrast

2. Used the sponge tool on the edges of the white plate to desaturate. Sometimes white plates get kind of a light blue glow to them. This helps get rid of that.

3. Duplicate the original layer and set to 40% “screen”

4. Duplicate the original layer and set to 40% “soft light”

I liked the saturation levels and contrast, but it was just slightly too bright…

5. Duplicate the original layer and set to “normal” at 25%.

6. Filters>sharpen>sharpen edges

Setup Details: Set up on my kitchen island with a white foam board opposite the light source. We ate dinner a little later than usual, so the sun wasn’t quite as strong in the kitchen and that is why I set the exposure to +1.

Nachos were plated on small white square Food Network plates that I picked up at Kohls with a coupon. Woven fiber placemat underneath was on clearance at Cost Plus World Market for $1.

Props: White square plates, woven fibers placemat

Additional Tips: I loved Helen’s tip in her spotlight about adjusting the exposure levels on point and shoot cameras. This has introduced me to probably the last option my camera has that I hadn’t yet explored, but it’s one that I look forward to using in my pictures.

Also, Kristen had some great advice about taking different shots of your piece. My first couple of angles didn’t work at all for me, but I loved this one.

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Rum Spice Cookies by Cooking Etcetera

August 23, 2009

Rum Spice Cookies Before & After

Rum Spice Cookies Before & After

Photo Title: Rum Spice Cookies

Blog name: Cooking Etcetera

Equipment used: DSLR – Nikon D90 using 60mm lens

Technical Details:
Shutter speed 1/10 sec
F-Stop f/3.0
ISO Lo.1 (equivalent to 100)
White Balance – preset using grey card
Flash did not fire
Manual setting

Lighting: Back lighting from a large window with natural light diffuser + 2 white styrofoam as reflectors on both sides

Photo Editing:
I use Photoshop CS4 with additional plugins “power retouche” and “alien skin exposure”
Minor retouching includes cropping, contrast adjustment, exposure and OE/glare removal

Photo Setup Details:
Setup near a large window with natural morning lights

Photo Props:
Photo setup on a piece of large white cardboard in the living room.
Green paper backdrop used, matching green ramekins and a bottle of white rum
Reflectors from white Styrofoam are used on both sides.

{ 4 comments }

Through My Lens Round #1 – Chocolate Chip Cookies

August 20, 2009

(1) Rachel Hearts Food (2) Guilty Kitchen

(3) She Wears Many Hats (4) CJ Photography

(5) Kitchen OCD (6)Sweet ToothFairy

(7) Foodie Reflections (8) Dine & Dish

Thank you to everyone who participated in the first round of Through My Lens… an experiment in interpretation. I think it is really interesting to see how simliar and different each photo turned out to be! Over the next few days, I will be posting each photo individually with the “behind the scenes” data for each one. Hope you’ll tune in and I hope you will support the photographers who participated by clicking through the links to their blogs!

The next assignment for Through My Lens will be…Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches (Thank you Mangio da Sola for the idea!). Easy to make, but I think it will be a challenge to photograph! Imagine that you have been hired by a magazine to photograph a simple PB&J for them. How will you interpret that assignment? I hope you’ll join in!

The Details:

  • Please make, photograph, and post about the assignment on or as close to September 8th as you can.
  • Through the “submit your photos” section on Culinary Snapshot, send me your photo, a link to your blog and a link to the post that relates to this event. In the subject line, please put “Through My Lens” and your blog name.
  • I will have a roundup, linking back to your blog, up by Thursday, September 10th. For those who provide “behind the scenes” info, an individual post of your submission will also follow the roundup.
  • If you plan on joining in on the fun, please leave a comment on this post indicating so.
  • All Through My Lens participants will be eligible for the Culinary Snapshot monthly giveaway drawing.

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Ice Cream Sandwiches with Raspberry Swirl by Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy

August 18, 2009

Lemon Ice Cream Sandwiches with Raspberry Swirl Before & After

Lemon Ice Cream Sandwiches with Raspberry Swirl Before & After

Photo Title: Lemon Ice Cream Sandwiches with Raspberry Swirl
Blog Name: Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy

Equipment Used: Canon Rebel XTi with 100 mm Macro Lens;
Manfrotto tripod legs with Really Right Stuff ball head;
remote shutter release;
1 Lowell Ego Light and 1 white foam board

Technical Details: This photo was taken near a big southeast facing window on a very overcast day.  I lit one side of the subject from the side opposite the window and used the white board as a bounce on the other side.

Photo Editing: I currently use Photoshop Elements 6 and/or Picnik to edit my photos.  I used Photoshop on this one.  I didn’t care for the original photo composition once I saw it on the screen.  So, I played around with cropping it until I got something more pleasing to me. I also felt the photo was a little dark and dull, so I adjusted the levels and brightened it up a little.  I  adjusted the color slightly to make the ribbon pop and “warm up” the shot.  The last thing I did was sharpen the photo up a little with the Unsharp Mask.

Setup Details: I have a big bay window with a window seat in my bedroom. I removed the cushions on the window seat, and that is the “table” I use for taking photographs  The windows are on the southeast side of the house.  There are lots of trees around the house, so all of the natural light is filtered.  While not ideal, it is the ONLY place in my house that gets any kind of significant natural light.  To supplement the natural light I have, I use  one or two Ego lights, as needed.  I also use white foam board and sometimes small mirrors as reflectors.  I always, always, always use a sturdy tripod!  And, I also always use a remote shutter release.  My hands are way too shaky!

I shoot most of my food photos with a macro lens.  It is easier for me to get sharp, clear shots with it.  Also, I like to focus on the actual food when I take pictures.

Props: I tend to go for simpler set-ups in order to showcase the food.  In this shot, I wrapped the ice cream sandwiches in wax paper and tied them with pink ribbons.  I placed the sandwiches right on a metal baking sheet, because I thought the silver background would be a nice contrast with the ice cream sandwiches.

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Snapshot Spotlight: Ben Herrera from What’s Cooking?

August 17, 2009

Name: Ben Herrera
Blog Name: What’s Cooking?

Tell us how you got into food photography? I’ve always been intrigued by photography. My dad had an old Minolta camera (late 70’s) that I used for my school courses and field trips. However, I never thought about photographing food until my parents wanted to build a portfolio of the cakes they made. I found out then that it wasn’t an easy task. For a while I abandoned that field of photography until I started my food blog. I am not a good writer so I wanted the pictures on my blog to speak for themselves. That’s when I realized I needed to learn more about that enigmatic (for me) field of photography.

What equipment do you use? Right now I am using an old mid range Canon D60 6.1MP (isn’t it funny that we consider a roughly 5 year old product old these days?). It is a BIG and heavy piece of equipment and it doesn’t have all the features the newer models do, but it is so reliable and takes amazing pictures that I don’t have the urgency to upgrade right now.

For lighting I use a Promaster 7500DX flash (I can’t live without it) a couple of 5500k lamps and a lot of reflecting boards.

And I use Photoshop CS2 as my “digital dark room”.

Can you share with us one of your very first food photographs? I love this question! When I started my blog I only had my Minolta Maxxum 5 and a video camera that took still pictures. For some reason I was afraid to use my film camera so I took the picture for this post with the video camera. The picture is terrible, I know!

But just look at the difference when I “manned up” and used my Minolta for a couple of shots:

What has been your absolute favorite food photograph you have taken? Why is this photo your favorite? I think it has to be the pictures I took for my Blueberry Flan post. I love the contrasting colors (it is a personal preference to always use a lot of contrast in my pictures) and blueberries are so photogenic!

What is your setup for your food photography like? In my 100-year-old house I don’t get much natural light so I always use strobes (I also find them a lot more reliable, flexible and convenient than natural light) I use 1 or 2 off-camera flashes, usually bouncing the light from the sides or back, and a white surface at the other side of the flash to soften shadows and as fill light. I sometimes use one of my 5500k lamps for fill light, too. When it comes to props, it like to keep it very simple. For me, the food has to be the star of the picture.


Please share one or two tips that you think might be helpful to food bloggers when photographing food. Digital cameras are amazing. However, they still have a lot of shortcomings when compared to film. One of the things I almost always find myself doing in post-production is sharpening images. Here’s a quick tutorial on how to do it using layers with Adobe Photoshop CS2

1. Duplicate background layer: Go to Layers > Duplicate layer… in the Menu Bar or by using the shortcut CTRL+J.

2. Apply the “Overlay” mode: In the Layer Style dialog box, usually located in the right lower corner of the screen, change the mode of the duplicate layer from Normal to Overlay from the drop down list. That will make the layer look funky, but that is only temporarily.

3. Apply “High Pass” filter: In the menu bar go to Filter > Other > High Pass. This will bring up the High Pass filter dialog box. You will see a gray preview of your picture in the dialog box and a slider bar to increase or decrease the intensity of the filter. Make sure the box next Preview is checked so you can see the changes of your image as you increase or decrease the filter intensity.

4. If needed, change the mode of the duplicate background layer to “Soft light” or “Hard light”. To do this, go back to the Layer Style dialog box and change the layer mode from Overlay to Soft light if you want to reduce the amount of sharpening or Hard light if you want to increase it.

Another way to reduce the amount of sharpening (or fine-tune it) is to reduce the opacity of the duplicate layer. You find this option in the Layer Style dialog box and you can set it from 0% (which would defeat the purpose of these steps) to 100% (the amount by default). Look at your image closely as you control this option.

I don’t understand 100% why sharpening your images is better this way than using the “Unsharp Mask” and “Smart Sharpen” filters, but I know the results look a lot better and it is less complicated.

Great interview, Ben. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge with us! If any of you are interested in being featured in an upcoming Snapshot Spotlight, please email admin <at> culinaryshapshot.com.

You can view the tips and tricks from our past Snapshot Spotlights:

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Taco Salad by Dine & Dish

August 16, 2009

Taco Salad Before & Afters

Taco Salad Before & Afters

Photo Title: Taco Salad
Blog Name Dine & Dish

Equipment Used: Nikon D80, 50mm 1:8 lens, Adobe Photoshop CS4

Technical Details:
Exposure:     0.004 sec (1/250)
Aperture:     f/3.5
Focal Length:     50 mm
ISO Speed:     200
Exposure Bias:     0 EV
Flash:     No Flash

Photo Editing: I adjusted the levels and saturation in Adobe Photoshop CS4. I also used the Unsharpen Mask.

Setup Details: I set up on my kitchen table, directly next to a row of windows. I had a white reflecting foam board on the opposite side of the salad reflecting the light coming in from the windows.

Props: Small white plate and placemat from Pier One Imports

Additional Tips: I was having such a hard time with this photo. I had the plate directly on the place mat and just wasn’t able to get the shot I wanted. When I was cleaning up after my original photo shoot, I glanced at the table with the plate off of the place mat. It was then that I decided to fold the place mat up and have some of the table showing in the photo. I personally think it looks a lot better with some different textures within the photo.
So, my tip…if you are not pleased with your photo, switch things up some. Don’t get stuck with your original idea. Instead, experiment a little and move your props and things around some!

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Snickerdoodle Cupcakes by My Baking Addiction

August 13, 2009

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes Before & After

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes Before & After

Photo Title: Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

Blog Name: My Baking Addiction

Equipment Used:  Canon Rebel XSi, 50 mm 1.4 lens, Sunpak 6200DX Tripod, Photoshop Elements

Technical Details:

Shutter Speed: 1/60 sec
F-Stop f/5.6
Aperture: f/5.7
ISO: 100
Focal Length: 50.0 mm
Flash: Did Not Fire

Photo Editing: Photo was edited in Photoshop Elements by adjusting the levels,  brightness and contrast.

Setup Details: This photo was taken in my kitchen next to my South facing patio door. The items were placed on my kitchen table. A piece of light blue cardboard was propped up in the background.

Props: In this shot I stacked three square white plates and a pale green napkin from World Market. The cupcake liners are from Bake It Pretty.

Additional Tips: Know what time of day is best to shoot. I found myself lugging tables, props and food all around my house to get the best light until I started paying close attention to the best times for optimal light. If it’s too late to shoot my photos using natural light, I will typically keep the item in fridge until the light allows me to shoot. Sometimes I pull out my Lowell Ego Lights if I am shooting my dinner or something that cannot be saved in the refrigerator.

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Snapshot Spotlight: Katie from goodLife {eats}

August 12, 2009

Name: Katie

Blog Name: goodLife {eats}

When and why did you start getting into food photography?
Last fall I started a recipe blog as a place to share all my favorites, new things I’d tried, and family recipes. I thought it would be nice to have them all in one place and that it would make it so easy to share the recipes with friends and family who asked. I thought it would be neat someday to make a Blurb Book using their Blog Book option. I knew the book would be so much more interesting with pictures in it. I still may do that someday…

What equipment do you use?
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5
Photoshop CS

Would you please share one of your first food photographs with us?

Coconut Curry Chicken Soup

Coconut Curry Chicken Soup

What has been your absolute favorite food photograph you have taken? Why is this photo your favorite?

My favorite photo changes a lot because I’m still learning so much. Kristen would disagree, but I still consider myself a newbie blogger/food photographer. I’m still figuring out how to set things up and how to maximize my point and shoot camera.

Right now, this is my favorite photo:

Zucchini Apple Spice Muffins

Zucchini Apple Spice Muffins

But a month or so ago I would have chosen this one, and I still like it, but it’s not my favorite. I felt really special when my adopt-a-blogger partner told me that she thought that picture was from a magazine. I couldn’t believe that I actually took a great picture!

Creamy Vanilla Apricot Sorbet

Creamy Vanilla Apricot Sorbet

And I still drool over this picture of my Cannoli Cookies:

Cannoli Sandwich Cookies

Cannoli Sandwich Cookies

Describe your typical food photography setup:

Being mobile depending on what time of day I’m photographing has really helped me take the best pictures I know how. I’m in the small formal dining room in the morning with sheer curtains drawn to filter the harsh light coming through the window. It’s my favorite spot and the kitchen is too dark in the morning. In the afternoon (and evening during the summer) I’m in the kitchen at my island or kitchen table.

Please share some tips that you think other food bloggers will find helpful when photographing food:
These are pretty basic, but once I was clued in I started seeing a big improvement in my photos. The first was figuring out that I shouldn’t use the flash. Having a white poster board opposite your light source really helps bounce the light.  Learning that white dishes photography nicely. Having the confidence to submit photos to foodgawker and Tastespotting even if they’re rejected and actually taking their advice on what was wrong with the picture. Picking up clearance pieces (table cloths, placemats, plates and bowls) to keep the pictures interesting. I take lots of photos for each post and pick the ones I like best. If I’m not happy about how it turned out, I don’t post it because I want my blog to reflect the best work I’m capable of at any given time. I’ve learned so much from other bloggers that at this current day my “best work possible” is better than it was 2 months ago.

Thank you, Katie! If any of you would be interested in being featured for an upcoming Snapshot Spotlight, please email me at admin <at> culinarysnapshot.com

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Mallows by My Baking Addiction

August 11, 2009

Don’t forget we have the “Through My Lens – an experiment in interpretation” event going on. We’d love to have you join us!

Mallows Before & After

Mallows Before & After

Photo Title: Mallows

Blog Name: My Baking Addiction

Equipment Used: Canon Rebel XSI
Canon 50mm 1.4 lens
Sunpak 6200DX tripod
Photoshop CS4

Technical Details From EXIF data:

Shutter Speed 1/320 sec
F-Stop- f/2.5
Aperture Value- f/2.4
ISO- 100
Focal Length- 50mm
Flash- Did not fire

Photo Editing: I edited the photo in CS4 by adjusting the levels levels and the brightness and contrast. I also used a sharpening action.

Setup Details: Photo was taken on a dark brown table in my kitchen near a patio door. I place white fabric over the table and then a layer of cheese cloth to add a little texture.

Props: White fabric and cheese cloth

Additional Tips: I am really trying to learn to shoot against a white background. I find this to be much more difficult than a dark background. My tips to working a white background is practice, practice, practice…at least that is what I intend to do!

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Korean Bulgogi & Kimchi by Mommypalooza

August 10, 2009

1st of all, so sorry for the lack of posts last week. Culinary Snapshot had a few tech glitches we were working through. All should be fixed now!

I’m excited to have a “newbie” to the world of food photography join us on Culinary Snapshot! Welcome, Candy!

Koren Bulgogi & Kimchi Before After Photo

Photo Title & Link: Korean Bulgogi & Kimchi

Blog Name: Mommypalooza

Equipment Used: Sony Cybershot H2

Technical Details: Portrait Mode, Macro mode activated, No flash

Photo Editing: Used Photoshop CS3 to sharpen and then brighten by 50% and adjusting contrast.

Setup Details: Photo taken in my dining room at about 6:00 p.m. with optimal sun coming through the window.

Props: White waffle weave napkin, chopsticks, small glass Pyrex bowl

Additional Tips: I am VERY much a newbie to food photography and am not much of a cook either!  I do enjoy cooking  a few favorite dishes, and this is one of them!  I just love the color that the kimchi adds to the spicy bbq meat and white steamed rice beneath.

My only real “tip” would be not to be afraid of playing around with your photo editing software and just see where it takes you! I definitely have a true appreciation for the art of photography, though, as I admire so many of your contributors’ work on this site!

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Through My Lens – An Experiment in Interpretation

August 2, 2009

I am starting a new “segment” here on Culinary Snapshot called “Through My Lens”. I have learned one thing in particular through your posts on Culinary Snapshot and that is we all do and see things differently. I thought it would be cool to see how you and I (and everyone else) interprets the same recipe through our camera lens.

For “Through My Lens” we will all be given the same recipe to make and photograph. Then, we will post about it on our respective blogs with a summary of the technical details behind the photo. I will then create a roundup post, featuring each of our photos with a snippet about the details behind that photo.

The first recipe we are going to start with is a simple chocolate chip cookie recipe. You can find the recipe for Lisa’s Swirled Choclate Chip Cookies over at Dine & Dish here. For those of you with dietary restrictions, please feel free to “healthy” up the recipe as much as you would like. Also, it is not necessary to use the swirled chocolate chips as I know they are not a commonly carried item in some stores. The goal is to keep true to the end product, so we are all photographing virtually the same thing. (If you have a recipe you would like to see showcased in a future installment of “Through My Lens”, please email me the link – admin <at> culinarysnapshot.com)

The Details:

  • Please make, photograph, and post about your recipe on or as close to August 16th as you can.
  • Through the “submit your photos” section on Culinary Snapshot, send me your photo, a link to your blog and a link to the post that relates to this event. In the subject line, please put “Through My Lens” and your blog name.
  • I will have a roundup, linking back to your blog, up by Wednesday, August 19th.
  • If you plan on joining in on the fun, please leave a comment on this post indicating so.

I think that’s it! I hope you all will join in on the fun.

A couple more things…

  • The winner of the $50 Amazon gift card is Simone from Junglefrog! I had my Twitter friends pick a number between 0-18 (the number of submissions in the first couple of weeks at Culinary Snapshot) & Simone’s number was picked. Congrats, Simone! Hope you are able to buy some fun photography equipment with that.
  • Everyone who submits a photo to Culinary Snapshot between August 1st and August 31st will be entered to win a really cool camera strap from the Etsy.com store, Boneca Linda. This includes those of you who participate in Through My Lens. Also, each qualified submission you make to Culinary Snapshot equals another chance to win!
  • Finally, thanks to all of you who have blogged about, tweeted about, spread the word about Culinary Snapshot. I truly appreciate your support!

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