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Today’s post is a part of my quest to hone my photography skills.
In order to take a good picture you need to of course know how to use your camera (which I’m still in the process of doing), BUT you also need to have something great to photograph.
The recipes I see on food blogs I follow have amazing pictures. Which makes sense: if you want people to make the food you’ve created you need to make them believe it’s good/tasty/worth it!
I by no means consider myself a food blogger, and will never live up to the likes of Kristin or Kath (and her ability to make oatmeal look gorgeous). That being said I found myself eager to learn some tips & tricks that could help me better capture my kitchen creations.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from food bloggers it’s: find the right light.
That’s where today’s project comes in: an at home photo studio!
All you need are a few simple supplies to get quality photos in your own home!
A few pieces of poster board are all you need to create a portable light-reflecting “studio.”
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
- 3 pieces of foam board (I got this Elmer’s Brand 3-pack at Target)
- 1 small sheet of thin poster board
- duct tape
TO ASSEMBLE:
Simply arrange foam board into a three-sided box.
Use duct tape to secure edges.
Place next to a window (natural light is the best), grab your camera, and shoot!
THE RESULT:
A white background is one of the best ways to make an object/food stand out.
THE VARIATIONS:
Another trick I came across was the use of a “sweep” which will remove the distinct line in the background where the boards intersect. This is when the thin piece of poster board comes into play. 
Attach it with a piece of tape and place object at the bottom. Voila! Line gone!
You can also take that same concept and get crazy with patterned fabric, felt, dish towels, etc. The background you choose can drastically alter the feel of the picture.
I found these felt pieces at Hobby Lobby. 50 cents each? Don’t mind if I do.
APPLYING WHAT I LEARNED
I used my new “photo studio” to shoot my Pumpkin Pie Protein Bar recipe.
Z walked in and found me like this:
Sure it’s a tight space, but the window and small table make it an ideal location! (Please pay no attention to my “outfit” and by outfit I mean “blanket skirt”. That’s a whole other story…)
So far I’m having lots of fun learning more about photography and experimenting as I go along. I’ll continue sharing what I learn with all of you!
Like this post? You may also be interested in:
October Photo Challenge
Week 1 Recap, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4
Cool trick! I enjoyed reading about your photography lesson in the previous post too. Every once in awhile, I break out my camera’s manual and try to learn about a new function to play with, but I usually forget exactly how to do it by the time I’m on vacation and actually taking lots of pictures.
And, personally, I think that blanket skirt is great look.
Hiii! I got swallowed up by the real world and have been a bad blog commenter, so I’m just catching up! I love your photo “studio” and definitely need to make my own, so thanks for the tutorial! Love the blanket skirt too :)
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This is a wonderful article! I know the photos I take for my site are just so-so, but this is an easy and inexpensive way to try giving my shots a boost. Thank you!
No problem! Consider this one of the baby steps I’m taking to improve my photographic skills. This project doesn’t involve a large monetary investment to do so which is nice!