Over the years i’ve received many emails regarding photography questions. Majority of the topics seem to be around:

1. What camera I use..
2 What lenses do I use..
3. How do you take photos in low light situations..
4. Do I use flash photography..

Hopefully this basic tutorial will answer your questions. First up, I’m no professional nor claim to be one. Photography has and always was a learning curve if not a hobby. The more I took my camera out, the more I became aware with the equipment and functions. I read through many tutorials, you tube clips and learn’t how to experiment with friends. If you have a group of friends who own SLRs, set yourself targets with simple tasks. e.g. “how to freeze water, how to show rapid flow, how to take night shots etc”. Simple test subjects will help you understand every aspect of your camera.

1. What camera I use..

Most people know I’m a huge supporter of Canon and that’s because I own one and bias towards my decision! (canon’s are awesome! – get one!!). Nikon users will probably dis it – thanks to rivalry of the two key players in the market..and canon users will shit all over nikon.. so to be fair.. they’re both good cameras in their own way.. stick to either brand and you’ve got yourself a beautiful batch of photos.

Canon 7D is my new love!! You will find this is quite pricey as the body cost me $2,000. It’s an elite camera for those who have had experience with using the SLR. I find my photos are less grainier / smoother when I pump the ISO quite high in dark situations. So far so freaking awesome! If your new to photography I suggest you start off with the canon SLR that contains 3 digits (e.g 500D, 550D, 600D etc).  My first dslr was 450D and it was fantastic! Much credit goes to that model as it helped produce many if the photos I’ve taken. It’s easy to use, its not as heavy and the quality just gets better and better as new models are released!

Other camera I also use is Lumix G2. This was given to me as a promotion thanks to nuffnang! I love it!! I use it sometimes if i’m lazy to lug my 7D around and i mainly use it as a ‘people’ camera as it has a multi flip screen

2. What lenses do I use..

When I purchased my first SLR, I made the mistake of buying the camera with the standard kit lens. Standard Kit lens is a cheaper lens which is made out of cheaper materials. If you can afford to cough up extra $600-$900, I suggest purchasing a good quality lens (50mm f/1.4, 30mm f/1.4, 28mm f/1.8). The 50mm f/1.4 is also great for weddings and portraits so i recommend that as its a useful lens suitable for all occasions!

For my food photos, I usually use the 50mm and 28mmm. I also own a 60mm macro f/2.8, but I rarely use that as it does quite poorly in light conditions. I see it as more of a novelty lens as I rarely use it.

3. How to take photos in low light situations..

When dining in a restaurant, if you’re not accessible to natural light, try and angle yourself according to the lights on the ceiling. The right spot you choose will determine no shadows in your photos as you hover over to photograph food. For super quality photos, its best to eat during the day. If that’s impossible, pump your ISO (800 or 1000) I try not to exceed that as I don’t want to ruin the photo quality by making it grainy. Other factors which help clarity of images is determined by the lens you have and always shoot photos in RAW format!

Other handy tricks include setting your ‘custom white balance’. The original method is taking a photo of a ‘white object / plate’ which is annoying. I suggest purchasing one of these ‘white balance lens caps’ (see below)  as it saves time and you won’t have to worry about searching for a white object. All you need to do is take a photo with the cap on, and change your custom white balance. Too easy right?? I can’t remember how much the cap cost, it wasn;t cheap.. I think it was around $50-60USD?!

For the record, I don’t go taking my huge ass tripod to restaurants, that would be insane and hilarious haha! Some foodies use this when taking photos for their recipe blog.  Its totally up to you if you wish to buy one so far, its useful for family portraits and or if your doing still night photography “light trails”.

Tripods can cost around $200 for a decent one . Manfrotto is an Italian brand and is well known for making awesome durable tripods! If you think you’re not going to use it often, then maybe best settle for something cheaper. Just make sure its not too light as you want it to be able to support your camera weight without it tipping over.

4. Do I use flash for my photography..

HELL to the F*K to the NO!!!!!! I don’t care if its super dark, I refuse to use flash for food photography @ night. I think its annoying having people flash their cameras non stop at every dish that comes out and it draws attention and it can ruin the customers experience around you which can be inconsiderate! When I put myself in a customers shoes, i’d hate to eat dinner and have someone flash a million times blinding me as I try to look at the food on my plate ARGH – ANNOYING!!

I guess at the end of the day I’m super shy when it comes to taking photos so the last thing I want to do is draw any attention to myself. Having said that, I also think it ruins the look of food photos.. as it can sometimes look harsh and super glossed up like msg and oil have had a nice party together. Having a good lens with a low aperture (1.4/1.8)  allows you to capture the mood, ambiance. To sum that up.. “No, I NEVER USE FLASH!!!”

That’s all I have for now, so if you want me to answer more questions, email me at leona@pigged-out.com!