There are not many convenient spots in my home where I can get decent natural light without having to move things away and I always feel that the clouds are conspiring against me. One minute there is a lovely glow from the window and the next its flat, dull and boring. It's maddening. And difficult. Since food is best photographed when freshly cooked.
I use a Canon 450D. My setting is always on manual. The lowest (highest?) aperture setting that I can take with my camera is 4.0 so I seldom get a shallow depth of field. A macro lens is totally on my wish list. My focus is on auto. I have recently acquired a 6 foot tripod. It has helped a lot in taking better, less shaky pictures in low light.
Light is everything. And different lights give different results. Strangely I prefer low evening light to photograph my food in even though they say it's not ideal. But I like the warmth it gives to my photos. I love photos that look like oil paintings.....with a contrast of light and dark shadows. Recently though I have experimented with taking more 'lively' shots that are brighter/whiter giving a more picnic-ky, out-doorish, meadow kind of feel. I find that quite charming too.
I have a collection of props and l love hunting for them. I usually set things up to look casual not formal...rustic but not too messed up. I recently nailed some planks together and painted it in baby blue and white. They make great backgrounds that are easily changed according to the mood that I want to create......
Have a nice day. I will update this page as I go along and learn more tips.
