I emailed all of you recently and asked you to tell me what you would like me to write about on the blog. There were several common themes, and I'm excited to write about them all actually. Thank you so much for your feedback. I literally read each and every email from hundreds of you. It took a while, and I wasn't able to respond to all of you, but please know ALL of your emails are now in an … [Read more...]
Retouching a Food Shot – They make it look so easy!
Everyone has heard of Photoshop. I started using it in school in 1990 - version 2. Little did I know that my world of photography with film and my fabulous chemical darkroom containing potassium ferricyanide + many more gnarly chemicals (don't worry dad, I always wore a chemical respirator mask), would now be replaced with stupidly expensive digital cameras, a massive Mac tower … [Read more...]
Compositing Tricks with Photoshop
In this post I will show you how I created this image using layer masks in Photoshop. This image looks simple, right? Just slap 9 scoops of sorbet on a platter and throw some food accents on it. Easy! Yeah, no. This final image is a composite of 10 images - each image was of one scoop of sorbet with its food accent, plus an image of just the marble platter. This is just one of many … [Read more...]
What is the Difference Between RAW and JPEG Files?
How many of you are still trying to figure out what this whole RAW file thing is about? How many of you have no idea what I’m talking about and think that you've been fine this whole time shooting JPEGS and that this doesn't apply to you? Well guess what? You’re the ones that need to read this the most. In this post I will explain what the difference between RAW and JPEG files, how to use RAW … [Read more...]
How to Properly Use Jpeg Files for Your Blog
How many of you are still shooting in JPEG file format for your food photos? Most food bloggers that I meet are. That’s ok, for now. There is a better way to shoot (future post), but for now I will discuss the best practices for shooting and using JPEG files that I bet you are not doing. If you are starting out or have a less expensive camera, chances are the only file option for you to shoot … [Read more...]
Behind the Scenes of the “Location” Shoot of a Little Fig Tree
Isn't he cute? My little fig tree? Think it was shot outside? See the lens flare? Gotcha! I shot this in the studio actually. OK, so here's what happened. I pulled this whole shoot together in a few hours. It all started Saturday. Now this is going to sound like I'm rambling here, but trust me, it will all make sense. My good friend and food blooger, Erika Kerekes of In Erika's Kitchen, had … [Read more...]
How to Edit Images Shot on Location – Before and After in Adobe Lightroom
Shooting on a bright sunny day can be very challenging. The light can be very harsh, the shadows can be way too dark, and basically the amount of light going from your shadows to your highlights can go beyond the range of what your camera's sensor can handle. The sensor is the thing that has replaced film and is what is capturing your image. Taking an Image from "yuck" to "perrrty" When I shoot … [Read more...]
How to properly optimize images for the web using Adobe Photoshop
Every class I teach there are always questions about how to optimize images for the web. Once you learn how to do this it will become second nature. It's very important to learn this so that your website and blog perform quickly and load images fast. Not to mention, making your images nice, crispy, and sharp! Do not use WP or Blogger to resize your images I've seen bloggers uploading huge files … [Read more...]