Finding The Light

almond-flour-chocolate-chip-cookies-collage

I hate Daylight Savings Time. Hate it. I don’t care about that extra hour of sleep I got; it’s not worth the trade-off of it becoming dark outside by 5pm. That is a nightmare for a food blogger.

Something I haven’t talked about much is how frustrated I’ve been with my photography over the past 2 months. A dorm room—as you can imagine—has very limited space and this makes setting up elaborate scenes difficult. After 8 weeks of trial and error(and error and error), I think I’m just now starting to pick up the tricks of how to work with limited light and limited space.

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My usual set up is to put a flat, textured surface on top of a storage bin set up in front of the window with a neutral background behind propped up with a chair to reflect the light. Once I have that set up, I start adding plates of food and other props around it to make it look like a more permanent tablescape.

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I think one of the most important things is knowing when the light is “good” in a room. This is just something you have to observe about the space over time. For me it seems like there are a few hours in the morning and a few in the early afternoon when the most light comes through the window, so I try to arrange taking photographs around those times.

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When everything else has come together, all that’s left is to find the right angles and start shooting. I’m a big fan of the take-many-photos-and-hope-one-isn’t-blurry method. A tripod to hold the camera, lengthen the exposure, and allow for more detailed, lightened photographs would be a good investment; but it’s one that I haven’t made yet.

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The latest thing I’ve done to improve is switch from a white to a light grey background. The problem with white is that it’s often too bright and makes the rest of the image look dull in comparison. Depending on how the camera’s white balance is set, it might throw off the colors of the objects in the photo, too.

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White balance is something I admit that I understand very little of; but certainly it’s one of those things that you notice in a photo when it’s well done and notice when it’s not. I’m looking forward to trying more with grey backgrounds with a grey posterboard I just bought(much better than an inside-out shirt).

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Another option I’ve used is my homemade light box, which is good because it allows me to take photos at any time no matter how light it is outside. However, I’m not a huge fan of using it because I think it ends up looking too artificial and overexposed and the only way to change that is by making another larger light box. That being said, this is the first photo I’ve had accepted onto Tastespotting and Foodgawker in months so I shouldn’t knock it too hard.

Why all this about photography? Fore one, it’s probably the part of food blogging that comes least naturally to me. I feel very confident cooking for any number of people under whatever conditions and being able to make something satisfying. But photography takes work. Another reason is that I just found out I’ll be taking a photography course at the Rhode Island School of Design next semester. While the thought of being graded on something so far removed from my studies makes me a little nervous, I know in the end I’ll gain a lot from the experience and hope that shows through on the blog.

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14 Responses to Finding The Light
  1. Ela
    November 18, 2011 | 10:28 am

    I’m full of admiration that you’re making such efforts with this and even taking a course on it! Congrats on getting into the course.

    I’m the same way as you–photography is by far the hardest part of doing my blog. And I’m not visual at all, so it’s very hard for me to remember how important it is, and I don’t make nearly the efforts you do.
    Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

  2. Melissa @TryingtoHeal
    November 18, 2011 | 11:13 am

    I give you major props for being able to take pictures like that with your setup in your dorm room. I sometimes try to make an effort towards better photos but really, I’m just lazy. haha. You’re doing a great job though! And congrats on Foodgawker and Tastespotting of course!

  3. Gina @ Running to the Kitchen
    November 18, 2011 | 12:21 pm

    That’s awesome you’re taking a course at RISD! Hope you share some of what you learn. I love seeing behind the scenes photography stuff b/c it makes me feel a little less crazy for the set-up and mess I create sometimes. 🙂

  4. Jo @ Jo In the Kitchen
    November 18, 2011 | 12:22 pm

    I know exactly how you feel! I have really appreciated your photography tips so far, so I’m really excited for you to take a class so that I can hopefully learn more 😉
    Thanks!

  5. Liz @ Tip Top Shape
    November 18, 2011 | 2:42 pm

    Your pictures are always fantastic–so you’re doing something right!

  6. janetha
    November 18, 2011 | 2:58 pm

    i always love behind the scenes photos! fun to see your setup.

  7. pure2raw twins
    November 18, 2011 | 8:46 pm

    love seeing what others do for taking pictures. we are still learning white balance as well, we try our best to take pictures when we have the best light, but it does not always happen. that is awesome about your class, we wish we took more photography style classes, there is so much to learn.

  8. Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit
    November 18, 2011 | 9:13 pm

    I’m totally with you with the lightbox. We made one, have studio lights and everything… but I hate using them. There’s just something about natural light that just cannot be replaced. I’m feeling the time change difficulties, too. I either have to RACE home after work, or head in late so I can take pictures of my breakfasts. So silly. Thanks again for the recommendation to visit the Kensington whole foods in London! I’ve added to my plan and will be heading there Sunday afternoon 🙂 Will let you know how I like it!

  9. Hannah
    November 19, 2011 | 3:56 am

    Oh, Evan. I’m in awe. I hate the bad quality of my photographs and have never been able to get good shots in my apartment, because the light is terrible. I’ve started taking almost all my food photos at my parents’ house on the weekend, but even then it often doesn’t work. I’m inspired by your set-up and desperately hope to invest the time and energy in getting a similar set-up soon… perhaps once I’ve recovered from this weeks conference of 14 hour days and next week’s work trip that will involve getting up at 5am and home at 9pm….

    And yes, this is all just excuses. I need to simple stop whining and start light-building 😛

  10. Emily @ Relishments
    November 19, 2011 | 7:54 am

    Thank you, again, for reminding me how important good photos are and how easy they can be to create. I’m pretty lazy about taking good photos (although I’ve certainly improved). Most of that laziness is due to the fact that I’m usually photographing dinner which is always cold by the time I’m done photographing at all. In an ideal world, I’d cook at times other than when I actually need to eat the food immediately, but I don’t foresee that happening.
    At any rate, I’m going to try out some of your suggestions.

  11. Jennifer @ Peanut Butter and Peppers
    November 19, 2011 | 10:49 am

    I agree about the daylight savings time too! I hate when it’s dark by 5pm! I feel like my night is over!

  12. Weekend Digest « Cinnamon Bums
    November 20, 2011 | 9:01 am

    […] Finding the Light by The Wannabe Chef – I can totally relate to Evan’s situation because I photograph in a dorm room as well – but I’m so impressed with Evan’s little light set-up because I definitely just photograph on my messy desk… […]

  13. Sally @ Spontaneous Hausfrau
    November 30, 2011 | 2:14 pm

    I’m totally with you and struggle with getting a decent photo. The worst is when you think you’ve got something great and you load it to the computer later and see that everything is just a touch out of focus. It’s like searching for the holy grail.

  14. Affinity For Cats
    December 26, 2011 | 9:11 am

    […] For instance, the other day when I was trying to photograph the items I received in my Austin to Boston swap box. It was night so I experimented with a little lighting setup similar to something I’ve seen on the Wannabe Chef. […]