If you’ve been using a digital SLR for a while, you know how frustrating it can be to pick up a point and shoot camera and get good shots. For that matter, if you use a point and shoot, you might be just as frustrated. A point and shoot, for all its ease of size and automation, makes all kinds of decisions for you in what makes a good photo, and while often it is right, it is just a piece of hardware and can’t read your mind about exactly what you want. When you photograph food, this becomes particularly clear.
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It must be the holidays! I’m getting tons of requests for lighting and camera recommendations, so I thought perhaps I should do a little post on my gear and photo-centric wish list. (plus, I just updated my Amazon Shop, which includes most of this stuff… I’ll keep it updated with my latest finds.)

Camera

I’m still shooting with a Canon EOS 20D for most of my shots. I love this camera… it’s a great size and produces beautiful shots. Of course, the Canon EOS 5D is on my wishlist… but I think it’s still many months off.

In the studio, I shoot with one of three lenses almost exclusively: the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro, the 50mm f1.4 and the 45mm f/2.8 Tilt Shift Before I got the tilt-shift, I used the 50mm quite frequently… but it’s so close to the 45mm, that I rarely use in the studio anymore. 75% of my shots are now with the 45 T/S. It is an amazing lens.

Outside of the studio is a different story. For shooting on location with minimal gear, the 50mm 1.4 is a must have. Nothing else handles low light like this lens (ok, the 1.2 version would, but can anyone afford it?). I also love to take the 24-105mm f/4L, which is a great lens for well-lit shots and gives a bit more flexibility for framing. Just the little bit of zoom handles most of the shots I want to take. If I’m up for bringing a 3rd lens with me, then it’s the 200mm f/2.8L , which is my favorite telephoto lens… cheaper than the 70-200 2.8 and a bit crisper.

I also have some accessories. My favorite is the Canon EP-EX15 Eyepiece Extender, which lets me look through the view finder without always smudging up the display on the camera. Such a simple little thing, yet it makes me so happy.

I also love my Remote Switch, which lets me take photos on slow shutter speed without having to mess around with the timer. Of course, I’m sure I’d also like the Wireless Radio Remote too.

Lighting

A good portion of my lighting is free, or nearly so. Big windows and french doors that face south and west. I’ve covered the southern windows with a frosted vellum that is available at art supply stores by the roll. That, and a few big sheets of styrofoam board are my lighting solution for about 75-80% of my photos.

When I don’t have enough light, I use the Lowel Tota system, which is a reasonably priced start into studio lighting. The Tota-Pak includes a 750W tungsten halogen lamp with bulb, a stand and an umbrella is regularly $280, but I just noticed that it is on sale for $194 on Amazon right now. The V-Light Pak, which is 500W is on sale as well for about $5 less. I haven’t used them yet, but I recently got the Tota-frame and Assorted Lighting Gel Set for the Tota-lamps as well.

I also have a very small fresnel light by Mole-Richardson that I use only for special cases that I need just a little bit of extra light in one spot. It’s fairly dramatic lighting, esp with all the accessories you can put on it.

Props & Accessories

My tripod is a set of Manfrotto legs and a Really Right Stuff ball head. This is a heavy duty studio tripod… the kind of thing you wouldn’t want to throw into a backpack and take with you, but excellent in the studio. I also have a great arm that clamps onto my tripod for holding onto miscellaneous gear like reflective discs.

White dishes are my most frequently used, but I have quite a few solid color things as well. And some dishes with Asian prints. But, if you are just starting out, make sure you have a good variety of white plates and bowls, and some simple flatware. Forks appear most frequently in my shots, quickly followed by spoons. I tend to use the smaller flatware more frequently, but I also have a couple of interesting serving tools, like a copper ladle and coffee scoop.

For backdrops, head to your local fabric store. You can get some good deals on cloth paying by the yard. Who cares if the edges aren’t finished when they don’t show up in the photo. Also, hand-made paper found at arts supply stores or card stores makes for some really nice backdrops, esp when you have a working sweep.

For a more finished look, I also have a fairly wide selection of towels and linen napkins that can be folded and placed under or around dishes. I prefer simple patterns and solids, in fairly light colors for these… but I do have the occasional piece that is quite bright and playful. I find most of my linens in the sales racks.

For styling your food, a good set of tools to have on hand are a pair of chopsticks (for pushing, poking or picking things up), tweezers, a pair of manicure scissors, some cotton swabs, a spray bottle (with water) and plenty of paper towels. Joe Glo wipes are also really good for little clean-ups.

Software

I reference Photoshop CS2 for most of the articles on Still Life With. It’s really, really expensive but it’s also just about the only tool that you can use to do advanced editing. If you don’t need advanced editing, just go with Photoshop Elements. If you outgrow it, Adobe is generally pretty good with giving upgrade discounts. Or, if you are really just getting started, you can always go with iPhoto on the Mac or Picasa on the PC without any outlay of cash.

My newest software necessity is Phase One’s Capture One Pro. It’s a raw workflow tool that lets me shoot tethered to my Mac. I have a long USB cable that connects my camera to my Mac, and as soon as I take the photo, it’s on my laptop and I can see it full res to make sure that I’m getting what I wanted. It’s completely changed the way that I shoot and edit, and I couldn’t be happier about it. But, it was a serious expense. Unless you are going pro, there is no reason to pay that kind of money. That said, I’ll have more info on shooting tethered in an upcoming post.

BTW - I’ve been thrilled to get so many mails asking me my opinion on this stuff. I’m very happy to help… so if you have other questions, do feel free to shoot them my way!

Technorati Tags: camera gear, Food, Food Styling, Photography, shopping

A few weeks ago, I posted about a new rental lens service called Ziplens. Unlike Rentglass, Ziplens had the two lenses in stock that I was hoping to try, so I placed an order to rent them for a couple of weeks. The lenses have come and gone back, and I must say, the whole process was amazingly simple and effortless.

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A new online mail delivery lens site has entered the arena, which is great news for those of us who were on the lookout for some of the specialty lenses that always seemed to be out of stock at RentGlass.com. Ziplens offers almost exactly the same service as RentGlass… but at least at the moment, has most of their lenses in stock. Plus, and added bonus, you can reserve out of stock lenses that will be shipped to you upon return. I like that system much better than Rentglasses notification system, since the few times I’ve been around when the In Stock email alert came in, the lens was back out again by the time I added it to my basket.

I’ve got a couple lenses on their way to me now, so I’ll let you know how it goes.

[via PhotoDoto]

Technorati Tags: Photography

One of the simplest ways to improve your food photography is by controlling the lighting with a reflective surface called a bounce. A bounce can be any white, silver or gold material that reflects light. While the effects may be tricky to see on first glance, they will make a big difference in the overall look of your photos especially when you are using limited natural light that is coming in through a kitchen or dining room window. You can use a bounce in a number of ways.. to subtly lighten shadows, to bring out detail in a dark part of your subject, or even to control reflections. The key is understanding which type of bounce to use and where to put it.

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I am not a person who gets excited by gear. In fact, gear often deters me from even getting into a hobby in the first place. When I began to learn to rock climb, all I ever wanted to do was slap on the shoes, and boulder around… the idea of knots and ropes and carabiners completely turned me off. Skiing is a blast, but prepping for the skiing is a royal pain for me. Poles and gloves and hand warmers and boots… Ack.

So, it’s quite strange, that I’ve become so into the photography thing and get excited about things like lighting fixtures, lenses and, even more so, tripods. Tripods are the ultimate accessory for the gear head. They come in a plethora of material and weight configurations with different components for attaching, spinning, leveling and positioning. Perfect for those who want to spend hour searching away on forums to find just the right equipment.
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Bokeh is a Japanese term used to describe the quality of a background blur. Is it smooth or is it harsh? Do the colors and light blend together in silky, natural combination? Or are there wiry bits that look artificial?

I’ve always loved photos that had extremely narrow depth of field (DOF), and marry a sharply focused subject with a creamy soft backdrop. It simplifies the photo and makes it both pleasing and understandable. Looking back through my photos, especially my food photos, a great number of them are shot with an aperture of 3.5 to 1.4.

However, I had never heard of bokeh or given much thought to how the blur looked until someone left a comment on one of my flickr photos inviting me to the Bokeh: Smooth and Silky group on Flickr. Now I am hooked and have started to look at my photos in a new light.
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I own a lot of lenses. I’m a bit of a lens addict, and I admit, I get all giddy when a new one comes out. Whenever I travel, I get the eye-roll from my husband when he asks me how many lenses I’m going to take. The best example of this was our trip to Africa, in which I toted around 4 different lenses everywhere I went “just in case.” I think I spent more time switching lenses than I did taking pictures. But, there is a reason to the madness… shooting with the right lens can make all the difference in your photos.
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Really, it’s all Heidi’s fault. I stumbled upon her photography portfolio one day last year, and was a goner. From there, I found 101 Cookbooks and began reading it and discovering new food blogs at an epidemic rate. My food blog favorites folder soon scrolled well beyond the confines of my screen… full of sites with amazing photography or writings of food you would hide so you could have indulge in their wonders all by yourself. I joined Flickr groups and found even more food that was so beautiful, it would be a crime to eat. I started making food just to take photos of it, pawning off most of it to family and friends. All my meals were eaten cold, after I’d taken all the photos that I could. Finishing a meal meant quickly hopping over to my computer to touch-up the photos and crank out the recipe to get it up on my food blog. Desk lamps disappeared from other rooms to be come my “studio” lighting. My tripod became a barrier to prevent anyone else from entering the kitchen. The dining room table was buried under stacks and stacks of finds that “would look great in pictures” and of course meant that most of our dishes no longer matched. I read this and like so many others, instantly recoginized myself as a fellow mad food blogger.
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