Transcripts
1. Class Introduction: In today's content driven world, owning a digital camera
is no longer a luxury, but a necessity for creating quality food, photos
and contents. However, navigating a digital cameras buttons
can be overwhelming. I get it. I've been there. When I first bought my camera, it took me two years to overcome
my fear of the buttons. Now I want to make
sure you never feel lost in the maze of
confusing settings. If you've just got your hands on a shiny new camera and
need some direction, you're in the right place. This class is here to help
you every step of the way. Hi, I'm Rose, a food and
product photographer, videographer, any top
teacher here on scale share. I love helping small
businesses supercharge their online presence with
mouthwatering food photos. Over the years, I've had
the pleasure of working with these amazing local
brands. Now imagine this. Your camera is like a
magic wand with one click, you can turn your ideas
into captivating images. But let's face it, understanding camera settings might seem
like solving a puzzle. That's where I step in. My goal is to unravel
the mystery of those settings and make
sure they enhance, not hinder your
creative adventure. Together, we'll make
food photography and camera settings
much more approachable. I want to help you feel at ease and confident
with your camera. If you're used to auto mode, I'm here to guide you
towards embracing the creative possibilities
of full manual mode. We'll start with exposure, a term you'll hear a
lot in this class. Then we'll breeze through the essential camera
buttons and settings, discussing the best file
format for your food photos. Then we'll dive into aperture, the setting that creates those
magical background blurs. Next, we'll explore
shutter speed for capturing split second moments and ISO your ally in
tricky lighting situations. We'll also tackle histograms, a handy tool for achieving
perfect exposure. But that's not all. We're going deep into focal
length and lenses. I'll share my favorite
set up and all the cool gear I've collected
over the years. Finally, get ready
for a hands on photoshoot session
where you'll watch me troubleshoot and
make decisions on camera settings to achieve
different looks and effects. By the end of this class, you'll have a much
better understanding of those essential camera
settings and how to use them to infuse your creativity
into your food photos. No prior skills required
for this class. Whether you're in a
creative profession, run a business, or
manage social media, if you're eager to
master your camera and capture fantastic
food photos, this class is tailor
made for you. So are you ready to get
started? Let's jump right in.
2. Class Project: Hi again. I'm so glad
that you're here. If you've been hanging
around Skillshare for a bit, you're likely familiar with how awesome projects could be. And if you're new, trust me, you don't want to miss
out on this part. It's where the real
magic unfolds. Jumping into the class project isn't just about
checking off a box, it's about diving
headfirst into the fun and putting your learnings to
practice or in action. Plus it's an incredible
chance to connect with your fellow students and
expand your creative circle. Now let's talk about
the class project. All you need to do is take
what you've learned from this class and apply it to one of three exciting challenges. Freezing a moment in a photo, creating dreamy and
enchanting blurs, or playing around with little light food Photography
is like a puzzle, and sometimes that means
troubleshooting like a pro. Oftentimes it's
about figuring out which camera setting is the perfect fit for
a particular scene. In my class project, I'm going to tackle all
three challenges this way. You'll see firsthand how
the principles we're exploring here can be put to work in real life situations. But remember, you can absolutely choose just
one if you prefer. Yet, if you're up
for all three kudos, you're on the path to becoming
a bona fide camera wizard. Seriously, not even kidding. Mastering blurs,
capturing motion, and handling various
lighting situations are like superpowers for
challenging food photo shoots. Now, what do you
need to get started? First up, any light source
you can get your hands on, natural sunlight pouring
through a window, the glow of a lamp ring lights, studio LED's, they all work. Then grab a flat surface
to set up your background, followed by your
background material. Think poster paper, fabrics,
curtains or anything. Non distracting. Of course, you'll need your trusty camera, whether it's DSLR or mere less. One last but not the
least is your subject. Fruits, vegetables, bread, and raw ingredients
are great options, but feel free to get
creative with cakes, noodles, cocktails, and
home cooked dishes. For that, extra touch
props, reflectors, diffusers, and a tripod
can all come into play. But hold on, there's
even more to help. As your class project, I've created a camera
setting cheat sheet. It's like your secret treasure
map filled with photos, camera settings,
lighting conditions, and the effects I aimed for. You can use it as your guide
to get things broiling. I hope you're as
excited as I am. Get ready for the first
lesson. See you there.
3. Camera Parts and Buttons: If you're diving into
this lesson with a new camera in hand,
you're in the right place. If you're pretty much
familiar with the buttons in your camera and you just want to master the settings,
then full fee. To skip this lesson,
I won't be going into all the technical details of how a camera is put together, but I'll share the
essential buttons you need to be
best buddies with. That's how I learned
to use my camera by starting with the basics and
gradually learning more. I was lucky to have
my husband who knows his way around
cameras help me out. Now I'm here to be your
guide and helping hand. Use a Panasonic Lu mix G seven. I chose it because it's great
for both photos and videos. Easy to use and doesn't
break the bank. This awesome camera
is a mirrorless one, which means it uses an electronic viewfinder
instead of mirrors. It's light and handy. It's also a micro
four thirds camera. A bit of a mouthful, but it has a two
times crop factor compared to a regular
full frame camera. Don't worry, I'll explain that more in the lesson about lenses. Even if we have
different cameras, the buttons and
settings we need to become friends with
are quite familiar. In my case, the buttons
I frequently use during photoshoots
include the menu button, the display button,
the mode dial, the front and rear dials, the shutter button
and the play button. I'll discuss each button
and why they matter, showing you how to use
them in your photography. Getting comfortable with
these buttons will be a big help in your food
photography journey. It's one last thing to stress about and it can really
kick, start your progress. Let's start with the basics. The on off button, This is your camera's power
switch simple, right? But before you dive
into taking pictures, there's a quick prep step. That's where the menu
button comes into play. Press it and you'll
see various options. Look for the camera icon. This is your gateway to
different photo settings. In here, you can adjust
your photos style, filters, aspect ratio
quality, and more. For example, I prefer the standard photos style because it makes my
food look natural. Filters, not for me. I like to keep it all natural. The aspect ratio I go
with is the standard 16 by nine and I set
the quality to raw. I have the option for
Jpeg Raw or both, but I choose Raw for
more editing control. I'll cover this in more
detail in the next lesson. After configuring
these settings, you're ready to
start taking photos. Now let's explore the buttons, dials, and settings I often use. First, there's this dial
that lets you choose between four K burst
mode and single photo. Burst mode is great
for action shots, while single photo is
perfect for still subjects. Then we have the mode dial. When I first started out, I stuck with automatic mode, labeled as P for autopilot. On my mode dial,
choose this mode and your camera takes care of the settings no
matter the lighting. Basically, just A and snap. There's also a for
aperture priority, for shutter speed priority. We'll dive deep into
these modes later. Lastly, M stands
for manual mode. This is my preferred mode
for most photoshoots. I love having full
control over the settings because I believe we can
be more creative than AI. After selecting manual mode, the next step is to adjust the exposure triangle for
a well balanced shot. That triangle includes aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. To see and change
these settings, just press the display button and you'll have access
to the aperture, shutter speed, ISO histogram, and grid lines, all ready to go. Now let's dive into
setting the aperture. I make adjustments using the front dial when it's time
to tweak the shutter speed. I can easily do that with
the rear dial for ISO, there's a dedicated button. Keep in mind that
the placement of these buttons and dials
might vary on your camera. Take a look at your cameras
manual to find them. Once I've configured my settings and achieved a
balanced histogram, I'm ready for a test
shot to view it. I press the play button. You can zoom in and
out as you like. Whether you prefer using the
touch screen or the dial, it's your choice to
return to the display. Just give the shutter
button a gentle half press and vola. I hope you enjoy that. And don't worry because
this is just a sneak peak. We'll dive deeper
into these buttons and settings
throughout the class, especially in the demo
lessons. I'll see you there.
4. FIle Formats: Now let's talk
about file formats. Remember Ryan Jpeg from
the previous lesson? Let's dig deeper and talk about which file format is best when capturing your food photos. If you're taking photos for your own fun or sharing
on social media. With some quick tweaks, Jpeg is totally fine. But if you're getting serious
with your photography, especially for pro
gigs or clients, then raw is the choice. Think of raw as
uncooked ingredients straight from the market. It's like your camera
sensor is serving you the pure, untouched data. Nothing is prepped or seasoned. It's not all dressed
up for sharing or printing similar
to raw ingredients. It needs some preparation
and a bit of cooking, which in the photography
world we call post processing to make it
truly shine the cool thing. It's like a black canvas holding immense potential
for your edits. On the flip side,
Jpeg is more like ordering a ready to eat
dish from a restaurant. Your camera has already
done the seasoning, adjusting colors, enhancing
sharpness and all that jazz. It's like a pre cooked meal, tasty and quick, but
not very adjustable. Additionally, if you keep
tweaking a Jpeg image, it loses some quality
with each edit. Much like reheating leftovers when you're all
about heavy editing, like changing colors,
enhancing sharpness, or fixing exposure, raw
is your best buddy. It's fantastic for pro
work since you have more control to fine
tune every detail. Meanwhile, Jpeg is your speedy choice
for instant sharing, low resolution, online use, or when storage
space is a concern. Here's the bottom line. Jpeg serves up a polished camera made image ready to roll, raw hands you the raw data
to mold as you see fit. Your choice depends
on what you're aiming for and who's going
to see your photos. Just remember, if
you notice that your Jpeg shots don't
handle edits well, it might be time to
experiment with Raw. Your cameras manual
can guide you on switching from Jpeg to Ramode. In the next lesson,
we'll jump into the exciting world of
exposure. See you there.
5. Exposure: All right, let's talk about a term that you'll hear
a lot in this class. Exposure, think of it as the amount of light
your camera lets in. In formal definition,
exposure is the amount of light that reaches the camera
sensor to record the image. Basically, it's how bright
or dark your photos. Turns out exposure matters because it affects how
your picture looks, the brightness, contrast,
and overall vibe. Getting exposure right is key
to showing off the foods, true colors, textures, and
details. Here's the best part. With any camera, you're
the boss of exposure. You can brighten up a dark scene or tone down a super bright one. How using these three
settings, aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, these bodies work together
to shape your photos. Final look and feel. Looking at my camera here, when I press a display button, I can see my aperture
number here, my shutter speed and ISO. When I adjust each setting, it also changes the
overall look of my photo. How do we juggle these settings to create our perfect photo? In the upcoming lessons, we're diving deep into
each camera setting. We'll also learn how to
use them like true artist. See you there.
6. Aperture and Aperture Priority: Do you ever find yourself mesmerized by
dreamy photos where the main dish is crystal clear and everything else
is a beautiful blur. I do that magic. My friend comes from a
setting called Aperture. In the digital photo world, that blur is called bouquet. Aperture affects how much
of your image is in focus. This is known as depth of field. The aperture controls
the depth of field. A deep depth of field means
that a lot of the area in the image is in focus from the front of the
scene to the back. A shallow depth of field,
on the other hand, means that there is a small part within
the image that is in focus backgrounds and
often foregrounds appear as a soft blur. This is one of the amazing creative controls
of the aperture. Apart from depth of field, aperture can also greatly impact the light reaching
your camera's sensor. Aperture is the opening
inside the lens that allows light to
enter the camera. In human anatomy analogy, aperture is like the
pupil in a human eye. It's the hole in the
lens which permits light to enter through to reach
the camera's sensor. The aperture can be opened up wide to let more light
into the camera, giving you a brighter exposure or made to be smaller to
create a darker exposure. We measure aperture with
numbers or F stops. It's a bit confusing at first because the higher the F number, the smaller the lens
hole and vice versa. Just remember, higher
numbers, Lot in focus, Less light, lower numbers, sharp subject, dreamy
background, more light. To show an example,
I am photographing this pancakes for
breakfast scene. My aperture is
currently at 2.8 Let me set it to 8.0 for a
deep depth of field. Since I am using a tripod
and not shooting handheld, the shutter speed
can stay at 60. Then for my ISO, 640 looks okay. Again, our aperture setting
is 8.0 Let's take a shot. It's a bit dark because our lens opening is small and
our depth of field is deep, which means a lot of
the scene is in focus. Let's try to make
it brighter and try a different setting Next, let's try 4.5 for the aperture. As you can see, our scene
is getting brighter. Let me adjust the ISO to
balance the exposure. 320 looks okay. Let me just focus on our main
subject and take a shot. As you can see, our scene is brighter and some elements
in the background are getting a bit blurry compared to our first photo where
everything looks sharp. The first photos, aperture
is 8.0 smaller lens opening, resulting in a darker image
and deep depth of field. Second photos, aperture is
4.5 a bigger lens opening, resulting in a brighter scene and a more shallow
depth of field. Next, I will set the aperture to the widest for this lens, which is 2.8 Let me also add
a few foreground elements, and let's see if
it will be blurry. A table napkin and
more cutleries. Then we arrange our props
for a better composition. Setting my aperture from 4.5 to 2.8 Then adjusting ISO
again to compensate, just making sure that
our subject is in focus. Then take a shot. This is the effect of setting the
aperture to the widest, as you can see a brighter image in a shallow depth of field. Let's compare it to
the previous photo. Aside from being brighter, observe the honey dipper and
the mug in the background. They're getting blurrier
as we adjust the aperture. Now observe what happens
when I move the camera closer to the scene with
the same aperture setting. Since I am shooting handheld, I need to adjust
my shutter speed to help me get a sharp image, even if there's a bit
of camera movement. I set the shutter
speed to 125 and adjusted the ISO to get a balanced exposure.
Then take a shot. As you can see, the
same aperture settings, but the one where I moved closer to the subject have a
blurrier background. I will try another one, but this time really
close to the subject. Observe the sharpness of the subject and the
elements in the background. Same aperture settings. The only thing that change is the cameras distance from
the subject and the scene. Here's a top tip. The distance between objects
impacts their clarity. In photos, try moving things around and see how it changes
when you take a photo. Now what if you like
prioritizing aperture in your photo shoots and
you don't want to worry about the
other two settings. That is, when you can use the aperture priority
mode in your mode dial, it's like a chauffeur
for your settings, you handle aperture,
It sorts out the rest, shutter speed and ISO. As you can see from my example, no matter what aperture
number I chose, the histogram tastes the same. My camera adjust
the shutter speed and ISO to get the
ideal exposure. This mode or setting is very useful to help you ease
into full manual mode. Especially if depth
of field, blur, and focus are your priorities
when taking photos. To recap apertures your lens, pupil controlling
light and blur, Set higher numbers
for sharp scenes, lower numbers for sweet bouquet. Next up, shutter speed, the light and creativity champ. See you in the next lesson.
7. Shutter Speed and Shutter Priority: You've definitely
heard the saying, a picture is worth
1,000 words, right? It might sound like a cliche, but it's absolutely true. Photos have this incredible
power to weave stories, capturing moments that
feel like pure magic. I personally have
a soft spot for those shots that make
time stand still, and I'm pretty sure you
fall in love with them too. Now let's get into
the secret sauce that brings these
frozen moments to life. Shutter speed. Think of it as the superhero among all
the camera settings. Quick shutter speeds are
like action freezing Champs, allowing you to seize every tiny detail you might
have otherwise missed. On the other hand,
slower shutter speeds are more like an
artist's brush stroke, adding a lovely blur to moving subjects and infusing
their motion with life. It's like painting a
picture with your camera. Think of the cameras
shutter like an eyelid opening
to let light in. The shutter speed tells us how long this
shutter stays open, allowing light to hit
the camera sensor and create an exposure. Shutter speed is measured in seconds or fractions
of a second. For example, when you see 1/400 or just 400
in your settings, it means that the shutter is
open for 1/400 of a second. That's super quick. A fast shutter speed
is like freezing time. It's great for
capturing movement, but it means less light
enters your camera. That's where the
other two settings, aperture and ISO,
come into play. I'll show you how they work
together in the next lesson, especially in the demo. Now the opposite of fast
is slow shutter speed. If you see a double quotation
mark after the number, like four, it means the shutter is open
for a whole 4 seconds. This allows more light
into the camera, which is handy in
low light conditions to get brighter image. But here's the catch. You need a tripod to
keep your image sharp. Even the tiniest movement can
result in a blurry picture. To show an example, here are photos using slow and
fast shutter speeds. In the first photo,
I wanted to freeze the moment when I
poured the while. In the second photo, I wanted
to create a motion blur. In the first photo, I set the shutter speed to
1/500 of a second. It is a fast shutter speed that will let you
capture motion. In the second photo, I set the shutter speed to
1/30 of a second, which is a slower shutter speed. It lets in more light and
allows for a brighter image, but anything that's moving
can result in motion, blur. I use manual mode in
most of my photo shoots, so whatever shutter speed I set, I also need to adjust the
two remaining settings, aperture and ISO, to
balance my exposure. But just like aperture priority, also a setting to help
you control shutter speed while your camera sets the
remaining two settings. Shutter speed priority can also be found in the mode dial, and in my case, it has a label. When you select
shutter priority, you can control or set the shutter speed
while your camera takes care of the two
remaining settings, Aperture and ISO. This is handy if you
want to experiment with capturing motion or
creating motion blurs, but don't want to worry about
the other two settings. Just like aperture priority, my exposure in
histograms stays the same no matter what
shutter speed I select, because my camera decides
the ideal exposure for me. To summarize, fast
shutter speeds like 1/500 of a second and above can capture
movement clear and sharp, like it is frozen in time. But can only let in little light because of the short time
that the shutter is open. Slower shutter speed,
on the other hand, like one over 30th of
a second or slower, can help create motion, blur, and can let more light in, resulting in a brighter image if you need a slow shutter
speed to let in more light, but you also want your
photos to come out sharp. My top tip is to use a tripod
to avoid camera shakes. In the next lesson, we
will talk about ISO, the light booster.
See you there.
8. ISO: Ever wanted to capture action and keep everything
in sharp focus? Well, that can be a bit tricky. You might need a
fast shutter speed and a narrow depth of field, but that can make your
shot really dark. Now that's when ISO
comes to the rescue. Think of ISO like
a brightness dial. It helps brighten
up your photos when your aperture and shutter
speed can do the job alone. Iso is a measure of how sensitive
the sensor is to light. Iso stands for incredibly
sensitive observer. Well, not really, but
that's what it does. The higher the ISO number, the more your camera
sensor likes light, and the brighter your
photo becomes, lower. Iso means your sensor is
less interested in light. Your image might be darker. It sounds straightforward, and
you might think of bumping your ISO settings to
the maximum at times. But a high ISO comes
with a side effect. A high ISO can create noise. It's like those tiny
specks in old TV shows, and it can mess up your
image quality and sharpness. For food photos, we usually
want that delicious detail. We need to be careful
with ISO, for example. These photos look the
same at first glance, but when you zoom a little, you'll notice that
the one captured with a higher ISO looks grainy. By the way, I am showing these examples to
guide and educate, I'm not here to make
you nervous about ISO. Sometimes you really
have to bump it up, especially in low light
situations without a tripod. The good news is camera tech
is getting better higher. Iso's might not
always be a problem. Plus there's a lot
of editing features nowadays to help remove
noise in photos, just like the AI tool that
I will share later on. Now that you're best
buddies with aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, let's talk about a tool that can help tell us if our
image is bright enough. See you in the next lesson.
9. Histogram: Now that we've covered
the three key settings that control how your
camera captures slide, let's dive into a handy tool
found on your camera screen. And in most post processing
software, the histogram. Think of it as a
graph that tells you about your photo stones, how bright or dark
different parts are. The graph moves from black on the left to
white on the right, showing shadows, mid tones, and highlights in between. Here's what the
histogram can tell you. First is over exposure. If there's a spike
touching the right edge, you're losing details
in that bright area. This is called clipping. Next is under exposure. A spike touching
the left edge means you're losing details
in the dark part. Next is tonal dominance. It shows whether
highlights, mid tones, or shadows are prominent
in your image. Finally, contrast, The spread of tones tells you how much
contrast your image has. This tool is awesome for understanding how
your camera sees. But there's no perfect histogram because every image is unique. For example, in my
dark and moody shot, lots of shadows are intentional. Even if you see darkness
on the histograms left, there's still some bright
tones on the right, letting us see the subject
in that moody vibe. The same goes for bright photos. Using light props makes the histogram light up with
bright tones and highlights. Here's my top tip. Use the histogram as a guide, but don't let it tie you down. Your goal is to avoid
gaps on either side. A gap means no bright
or dark tones at all. Remember that this is
not an exact science. It depends on your
set up and lighting. But paying attention to the histogram while
shooting gives you insight into whether you need to tweak exposure by adjusting aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. In the next lesson, we're diving into lenses
and focal lengths, ready for more fun.
See you there.
10. Lenses and Focal Length: For this lesson, let's
take a step back in time. I remember the early days when I first got
into photography. It was a bit frustrating. I had invested in a fancy
camera hoping to snap those delicious food photos I saw in cookbooks
and magazines. But here's the twist, my camera skit lens
wasn't cutting. It turns out for close up
shots of small subjects, I needed a different lens. That was my first lens lesson. Not all lenses are
created equal. Different lenses have
different talents. While I won't cover
all the times, I'll share what I use and recommend for your food
photography journey. Now before we get lens crazy, let's understand focal length. Think of it as your
lens superpower. It tells you two things. How wide an area you'll capture and how big
objects will look. If the focal length is long, say 100 millimeters, your view narrows and
stuff looks bigger. If it's short, like
35 millimeters, your view widens, giving
you more room to play. Now for the type of lenses. Starter lens is a kit lens with an aperture range of 3.5 to 5.6 and a focal length
of 24, 220 millimeters. It's versatile, but not
the best for close ups. I got a prime lens next
with an aperture of 1.7 and a focal length of
around 500 millimeters. It mailed sharpness and
blurry backgrounds. Then I got macro happy
with a macro lens with 2.8 aperture and around 60
millimeters focal length. This one brought out
the tiniest details, but wait, there's
a little twist. My lens had one thing, but my camera sensor
shrunk. Thanks. By a half. Yep, that's the crop factor. My 25 millimeter lens,
thanks to the crop, felt like a 50 millimeter
lens on a full frame camera. My 30 millimeter lens, it acted like a 60 millimeter
lens. Here's a top tip. Before lens shopping, know
your camera's crop factor. It changes how
your lens behaves. Calculate what lens effect
you'll get yourself. In the next lesson,
I'll give you a real peek into how
these lenses work, their magic. See there.
11. Choosing the Right Lens: Why dive into the world of different lenses
and focal lengths? Well, the proof is
in the pudding, Or should I say, the photos.
Let me show you why. Let's capture the same subject
with different lenses. First up my trusty kit lens, it came with my camera with its adjustable focal length
of 24 to 120 millimeters. I can switch from white
scenes to tight close ups. I often use it for flat las and stop motions. But
here's the catch. It's limited aperture,
which is 3.5 and 5.6 means I miss out on that
dreamy background blur. That is why my very first lens upgrade is a
prime lens with an aperture of 1.7
25 millimeters, equivalent focal length
of about 50 millimeters. Because it's a
standard prime lens, I can use it on food and product as well as
portrait photo shoots. It's a good choice for
your very first lens upgrade because it is versatile. This is one of my best
performing lenses. It's fast sharp and since
I can open up the aperture to as wide as 1.7 I finally
got my magical blur. It's reliable to use in
low light conditions. The only downside for
me is not being able to photograph extreme close ups. It introduces distortion
as I get closer to my subject and it has a hard time focusing
at a short distance. This is why my next lens upgrade is the macro lens
with an aperture of 2.8 and 30 millimeters equivalent focal length
of about 60 millimeters. Because I wanted to capture
close up shots of food. A macro lens will enable you to capture fine eye
catching details. This is my go to lens when
photographing most dishes. You may have watched
or read somewhere that your camera skit
lens is not enough and you need upgrade
as soon as you can. Partly true, but I'd say to
push your kit lens limits. First, learn the art of food photography before
splurging on pricier lenses. This way you'll
know what you need. If you want to invest in camera lenses or are thinking
of getting an upgrade, it's best to ask yourself
these questions first. What kind of photos do you want? What's your creative focus? Will you be photographing
big or small subjects? Will you be photographing
in tight or wide spaces? Your answers will guide
you to the right lens. My goal in this
lesson is to give you ideas and considerations. I hope that by showing you my lenses and
the photos that I was able to create with them can help you narrow
down your choices. But again, my recommendation is to start with a camera and the lens that you have access to right now and push
it to its limits. Invest in photography
knowledge and skills first and stretch
your creativity. I learned this from another
teacher here on skill share. He said restrictions
and limitations can actually help stretch your
imagination and creativity. Maximize whatever gear you have access to right now,
and really practice. Another top tip for
buying lenses is to try borrowing or renting
first to test the waters. Lenses are a bit pricey, but if they power up your food photography journey,
they're worth it. Are you excited for
the next lesson? I'll spill the beans on
my other secret weapons for crafting captivating
food photos. See you there.
12. Bonus: My Gear and Accessories: All right, now that
we've conquered the big three camera
settings and learned about lenses and
focal lengths for that extra energy
in your photos. Let's talk about the
accessories that I personally use in
my photo shoots. Let me be useful in
your journey as well. First up the trusty tripod. Think of it as your
shooting partner. I used to have a
flimsy one until I saw the light and upgraded
to a sturdy version. Your tripod cradles
your camera like a, giving you steady shots
from all angles overhead, straight on, or that stylish,
three quarters view. It's like having an
extra pair of hands. Remember, tripods
make those dreamy, slow shutter shots possible by keeping your
camera rock steady. Speaking of which,
handled shots are great, but even the steadiest
hands can't escape the accidental shakes that
can blur your photos. Next we have light modifiers. They help control light, whether you're
brightening up the scene, vanishing shadows, or molding
light to your wishes. Whiteboards, mirrors,
anything that bounces or shapes light
can save your shot. If you're eager to know
more about light modifiers, I've got a detailed
explanation in my beginner's class on
food photography lighting. You can check that out in my teacher profile
Whenever you're ready. Next. No photo shoot is
complete without backup. Power spare batteries are lifesavers during
extended shoots. Next, I don't have
a remote release, but I have a smartphone
to wirelessly connect with my camera for a
cool remote control, perfect for capturing movement, playing with shutter speeds, and crafting stop
motion marvels. Let's not forget
storage the SD cards. Trust me, investing in reliable heavy duty
ones is a game changer. I also have photography
stands for light, the stand for backgrounds and clamps to hold backgrounds
and reflectors. Clean gear equals clear shots. That's why I've got cleaning materials for my
cameras and lenses. Keeping them spick and span
is crucial for crisp photos, for the ultimate
gear protection. I've got this nifty pelican box. It's like my camera safe haven to battle moisture
and keep fungus away. I've got a dehumidifier gadget, my gear's best friend. Last but not least, a coffee camera bag. It's my got for on site
and outdoor shoots, because being comfortable
makes you more creative. Now, don't rush to buy
all these in a hurry. It took me around five years
to gather this collection. Start by investing in
your skills first. Like I always say, make
the most of what you have. Consider borrowing or renting gear before jumping
into purchases. In the demo lessons, I will show you my usual
set up when shooting food for personal
projects and clients. I will also apply
what we've learned from the previous
lessons and show you the camera settings that I used to create the
images I have in mind. So I'll see you there.
13. Demo: Creating Dreamy and Enchanting Blurs: Now let's dive into
my favorite part of the class photo shoot demos. In this demos, I want to walk you through my
process of selecting camera settings and how I tackle challenges to
achieve the best exposure. Keep in mind there's no one size fits all perfect way to do this. My goal is to share my
knowledge, experiences, and provide you with
the tools to bridge the gap between
theory and practice. I'll also be capturing
different types of delicious desserts to hopefully inspire your creative ideas. As the old saying goes, we remember the
lessons learned in action. Let's get hands on. Before we dive into
camera settings, let me give you a sneak peek
into my set up and styling. Don't worry, you don't need fancy lighting or
any high tech gear. I'm just recreating
what it would look like next to a window with
some natural light. If you have a sunny
spot at home, you can totally apply
the same set up. Next, I'm adding a reflector to soften those side shadows, since we're using side lighting, just making some final peaks to my prop styling to make
everything look perfect. Next on the agenda, Setting
up my trusty tripod and camera this way I've got an extra pair of
hands to show you the settings while
I take photos. Next, let's turn the camera on. Then I'll switch
the mode dial to manual mode for full
control over the settings. Then here's where I adjust the aperture and
the shutter speed. We'll play with the burst
mode in a bit, but for now, let's stick to
single photo option, which you can find here. Now check out this
handy display button. It shows me my aperture, shutter speed, and ISO settings. Speaking of ISO, this
button right here lets me set it to lower
for a darker photo, or higher for a brighter one. Oh, and don't forget
the menu button, this is where all the
settings hang out. The only one I'm messing with is the photo style I
went with standard. But there are other cool options like vivid, natural,
and monochrome. Let's keep it simple
with standard, then the filter
settings are off. Aspect ratio is the
standard, 16 by nine. Now let's dive into the magic of different aperture settings. Let's start with the
aperture set to 5.0 then let me just lower the ISO to 500 for a sharper image, this is how it looks,
not too bright, and a lot of the area in
the photo is in focus. Next, let's set the aperture to 4.0 With the same
shutter speed and ISO, it's a brighter, but not so different from
the first image. Let's try lower
number. Let's try 3.5. Wow. Things are getting
brighter and the background is starting to blur a bit
exciting, Right next, let's set the aperture to
the widest for this lens, which is 2.8 As you can
see, it's a lot brighter. It's showing a shallow
depth of field and we are now getting that
creamy background blur. Beautiful, isn't it? Now, let's compare this with
the first photo. In the first photo,
our aperture is at 5.0 The photo looks
darker because the lens opening is
smaller and depth of field is deeper with the
background elements in focus. In the second photo, we set
the aperture to the widest. For this lens, which is 2.8 we were able to
let in more light, resulting in a brighter image. And shallow depth of field, resulting in creamy
background blur. Next, let me show you
the effect of distance. To do that, let me just remove the camera
from the tripod. First, let me show
you how it looks at this distance
with the settings. Now, I will keep
the same settings, but move closer to the subject. Here's the effect,
Same settings, but the only thing that change is my distance from the subject. As you can see, same settings, but this one where I'm closer
have a blurrier background. That's another
thing to experiment in your next photoshoot. Next, we don't want blurry
backgrounds all the time, right, Especially
in flat lay photos. This is another set up, and this is where
a higher aperture or deep depth of
field come in handy. From an aperture of 2.8 I
will set it to 4.5 then the shutter speed is
a bit higher to at 1.5 since I'm shooting handheld. And here's the effect, this is where a
higher aperture is helpful because all the
elements are in focus, which is best for flood place. Now what if you want
a blurry background, but you also want to capture
movement in your shots? That's exactly what our
next demo is about, How to capture motion using
shutter speed. See you there.
14. Demo: Freezing a Moment in Time: In this demo, I aim to
capture a fleeting moment. This technique works wonders
for shots where things are being poured or there's
some dynamic action. Pictures of food in motion
have a magical quality. And I'm excited to reveal how you can achieve
this effect in this demo for this demonstration
and freezing a moment, I'll be photographing
these delightful heart shaped chocolate bombs. These sweet treats
melt when you pour hot chocolate or milk over them. And I wanted to capture
that delightful process, freezing it in time to
showcase the deliciousness. But before we dive
into the action, let me quickly walk
you through my set up. First, a simple prop
styling to set up an atmosphere for my
delightful poor shot. A white surface,
backdrop and background. A white scarf to add layers,
texture, and interest. Then a cup on the saucer
for our hot chocolate. Then our star of the show,
the chocolate bombs. Just adding a few more
elements in the foreground. Next, rehearsing the poor shot before we put the
actual hot chocolate. Now, for the camera
settings to capture motion, I need a higher shutter speed. 400 should be good. Since I am getting
a darker exposure, I will adjust the
ISO to compensate. I think I'm good
with the setting, So let's take a test shot.
This one looks great. I think we can proceed
with our poor shot. Ready, 123. Go Here are our shots. This one is my
absolute favorite. I tried to crop it to get this tighter shot without the distracting
spills at the back. We've captured the vision. Well done. Bringing movement
into your food photos is a fantastic way to grab people's attention and make them pause during
their scrolling. Any action captured in food photography has the power to captivate your audience. I hope this demonstration has sparked your creativity
and given you plenty of ideas to incorporate the Freezing the Moment technique into your
food photography. Now what do you do when you
want to capture motion, but you're dealing
with limited lighting? In our next demo, I'll reveal how ISO can
be your superhero when it comes to taking stunning photos
in low light situations. Say June, and I'll
see you there.
15. Demo: Playing around With Little Light: In this demo, I wanted to create a striking action shot with a dark and dramatic atmosphere. My objective was to showcase powdered sugar pouring into
these chocolate palms. To achieve this effect, I made a few changes. First, I swapped out the
backgrounds and props for darker ones to set the stage for the dark and
dramatic action scene. This change ensures that the white powdered sugar
stands out vividly. I also adjusted the
position of my lighting, moving it farther away
to reduce the amount of light and create
longer shadows. Now, this approach works well
for regular food photos, however, for this specific shot, where I wanted to
capture the emotion of dusting these chocolate
bombs with powdered sugar, I needed a fast shutter speed to maintain a balanced
exposure in the shot. I needed the assistance of ISO. Now, let's dive into the step by step process to achieve
this captivating effect. First, a simple styling
of the chocolate bombs. I used making paper to separate the chocolate pumps from
the black cake stand. Then setting up my tripod. Again, we are doing another straight on angle
shot, in folate orientation. As you can see, we
have a dark set up, plus we need to capture motion. I'm setting the ISO to 2000, since we need to capture the dust pouring into
the chocolate pumps. We still need a
high shutter speed, keeping it at 400. Let me take a test shot. Nice. It looks dark and moody. Next, I'm setting
the mode to burst, or multiple shots instead
of a single photo. Next, doing another rehearsal, before we do the actual dusting, it looks perfect for me. So onto the exciting part, dusting the chocolate
bombs with powdered sugar. Here are the photos, and this one is my favorite. I believe we wouldn't
be able to achieve the same effect if we did not change the background and props. While this might not be directly related to
camera settings, having a grasp of basic
prop styling can also be a game changer in
your food photography. Just a quick note too that I edited all the photos
from this demo. The ones with really high
ISO had a bit of noise, so I used the AI D noise
feature in Adobe Room. Here's how they look before
and after denoising. Pretty amazing, right? There's an option
to reduce noise using AI, which is quite cool. I hope you enjoyed all
of that and it got you pumped up to experiment
with your camera. From these demo lessons, you've not only learned how to freeze a moment in time with a fast shutter speed and
choose the right aperture, but you've also discovered
how to set the ISO properly. Lower ISO is great for
well exposed shots, and higher ISO helps balance
underexposed images. I did not dive too deep
into my lighting setup and decisions because I've
saved a whole class for that. Same goes for selecting
props and styling. In this class, I
wanted to focus on getting you comfy with
your camera setting spurs. In the next lesson, I'll be sharing my final three tips to help you become a camera
setting Sp. See you there.
16. Final Tips: Big congrats on reaching
the end of this class. We've covered some
serious ground together. Diving into those
crucial camera settings and how to utilize them for a perfect shot
from exposure to aperture, shutter speed, ISO, histogram, focal length lenses, and all those pool
accessories that can boost your food
photography game. You've got a bunch of powerful tools in your
kit now, But guess what? I am not letting you go without some final nuggets of wisdom. I really want for you
to succeed and to never be intimidated by
camera settings ever again. So here are my final three tips. Tip number one, take
it one step at a time. I use manual mode
90% of the time, and I encourage you to
really practice it. But if ever it
gets overwhelming, it's okay to start with
the priority modes. Figure out what's most
crucial for your shot, whether it's capturing
that enchanting blur or freezing
a moment in time. Pick the mode that
matches your aim and study the cameras
chosen settings. This will ease you
into manual mode, naturally making it a
breeze before you know it. Tip number two, focus matters whether you're
into manual or autofocus. Always ensure your subject is razor sharp before clicking. For me, I usually rely
on this little box, I think it's called the area
auto focus on my camera. A handy trick for
nailing that focus. Autofocus shots might
be artsy sometimes, but they usually end up looking more like a blur
than a masterpiece. Last but not the least. Number three, embrace
the world around you. Take a moment to soak in your surroundings
before clicking. What might seem
ordinary to others could be pure magic
through your lens. Your camera is not just a tool, it's a portal to your
vision. Embrace it. Make the most of
it. And remember to savor every bit of
the creative process. Finishing this class
isn't just a check mark. It's like crossing a
threshold into the world of mastering camera settings
and food photography. But remember, real mastery
comes with practice. Don't be shy to get hands
on with your camera. If this is your first
class in food photography, guess what you're
in for a treat. Camera settings might
seem like a puzzle and if you've managed to solve it,
you're already winning. Think of it as setting up the solid base for your
photography adventure. Once you've conquered this, my other food
photography classes will feel like a gentle breeze. With that said, it's
time to wrap things up. Whether you had a
blast or found this last super valuable or both, please consider
leaving a review. You can do this by
going to Reviews, then click on Leave Review. Just answer this short
and sweet questionnaire and finally, submit review. Don't underestimate
leaving a review, because your thoughts
help me shape future classes and spread
more creative joy. Thank you from the bottom of
my heart for joining me and choosing this class to learn
more about camera settings. If photography and
videography is your thing, hit that fellow button
below to stay in the loop about new
classes and giveaways. And if you're itching
to explore more about lighting composition
and styling, I've got some in depth classes waiting for you in
my teacher profile. Oh, and don't forget
about the class project. And feel free to share your
food photos on Instagram. You can tag me and skill share. I'm atroselnene I can't wait to see your mouth
watering creations. And I hope to see you in my
other classes. Bye for now.
