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koko

On Sun, 5 Oct 2014 12:56:57 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:

>I've never been real happy with photos I've taken of food I've made,
>so today I decided to try some simple experiments.
>
><http://i1196.photobucket.com/albums/aa407/Silvar_Beitel/RFC/Photograping%20Food/IMG_0577_1_zps200772b4.jpg>
>
>shows the blueberry-nectarine tart I made last night (or rather what's
>left of it) sitting on my kitchen counter, illuminated by a combination
>of a 60-watt incandescent in a work light clamped to a cabinet shelf,
>the light from a 40-watt halogen bulb in the cook-top hood, the light
>from the under-cabinet LEDs, and some back-light from the central over-
>head fluorescent fixture.
>
><http://i1196.photobucket.com/albums/aa407/Silvar_Beitel/RFC/Photograping%20Food/IMG_0578_1_zps19b79da2.jpg>
>
>is a photo of the tart taken with the default camera settings (a Canon
>PowerShot A620). It has a disappointing dull orange-y look.
>
><http://i1196.photobucket.com/albums/aa407/Silvar_Beitel/RFC/Photograping%20Food/IMG_0579_1_zps39fabc0e.jpg>
>
>is what I got when I changed the white balance setting from "automatic"
>to "incandescent." Quite an improvement, eh?
>
>Finally,
>
><http://i1196.photobucket.com/albums/aa407/Silvar_Beitel/RFC/Photograping%20Food/IMG_0580_1_zps455a8a08.jpg>
>
>is what I got when I used a piece of ordinary white copy paper on the
>counter to set the "custom" white balance.
>
>That last one looks closest to the real deal to me.
>
>So, the conclusion: You may be able to get better color without
>fancy lighting by simply playing with the color balance options on
>your camera.
>
>Or, with somewhat more effort, you can make a "whiter" light source,
>like this nice MacGyver-ish example:
>
><http://thetiptoefairy.com/blog/2014/01/diy-soft-lights-photography-blogging.html>
>
>Or, you might be able to take your food outdoors into natural light.
>At dinnertime around here in autumn/winter (~7 p.m., New England USA)
>that isn't really a viable option :-)
>
>And of course, this addresses (barely) just color and lighting.
>Composition, prep, table accessories, etc. are whole other topics.
>Google "food photography tips" for more (than you'll ever want to
>know if you're not a professional!)
>
>Good luck.

Thank you for sharing your observations, very helpful.

koko

--

Food is our common ground, a universal experience
James Beard