Cell Phone and Dslr Camera Tips

We’ve all heard the expression, “A picture is worth a thousand words”, before right?  Well I think that a picture is so much more than that!  A picture is a feeling that you get when you first see it for the first time.  Whether its the first time you saw a kindergarten class picture of your child, or the first time you saw a picture of your girlfriend/boyfriend with someone else!  Pictures change the way we buy products as well.  If something looks amazing we tend to buy those things 90% of the time.  I want to show you how to make more sales and more profit from upscaling your photography.  We will go over a few basic cell phone and dslr camera tips to make your clients love your product without even tasting it!

 

Finding the right camera

Some people think that they need an expensive camera to take an awesome picture, but this is definitely not true!  A camera is only a tool.  The person taking the picture is actually what makes it a great picture.  There are two types of camera sources that I prefer using, and they are dslr cameras and cell phones!  Dslr(Digital) cameras are cameras that combine the optics and the mechanisms of a single-lens with a digital imaging sensor.  Most of these also have video recording capabilities within their settings, which is a plus!  The advantages of a Dslr camera versus a cell phone camera are editing through raw or jpg files, and extra camera settings like auto focus area or aperture.  The most common brand names of digital cameras are Canon, Sony, Nikon, and Panasonic.  

Even though I own a Canon Rebel T6i digital camera, I do use my cell phone(iPhone 7) for photos and short videos.  Most people own a cell phone and cell phone cameras are getting better with quality.  The iPhone 7, Samsung Galaxy S8, and many more offer a 12 MP rear facing camera which is very high quality!  Cell phones are also easier to carry around.  You don’t have to load up a bunch of extra equipment when you’re at a venue to take pictures!   As you can see, my Canon digital camera has more pixels(24.2 MP) than my IPhone 7(12 MP).  The more pixels your camera source has the more details you can see within the picture.  This is what gives the Dslr a greater advantage over a cell phone.  My advice is to use both if you can.

 

Finding the right light source

Once you have chosen the right camera, you need to find the perfect lighting for your photos!  I generally take my pictures near a kitchen window in the daytime, which is a great source of natural light.  Natural lighting is the best lighting to capture food photography.  It gives you that warm feeling of being in the kitchen, baking cakes, cookies, or whatever!  Natural light is also free so you don’t have to worry about buying extra lighting equipment to take photos.  Another tip that I use when I’m in the kitchen taking photos is that I try to spread light across the entire subject that I am shooting.  This means that I try to eliminate all shadows as possible.  Sometimes I get lazy and I disregard this tip but this actually helps make a better picture when there is no shadows involved.

Some people go out and buy reflector boards or collapsible reflectors, but I’ve found that you can use white foam core board to reflect natural light off of to eliminate shadows on your subject!  I always shoot with the natural light on the right side of me and my foam board on the left of me.  This will cover light on both sides of whatever you’re shooting.  

 

 

Finding the right angle

There are a few angle that I tend to use when taking my pictures.  When it comes to small things like cookies, I like to use an overhead shot.  I try to position my camera directly overhead as close as possible to capture all of the details.  Along with an overhead shot, I will also get a 45 degree angle type shot.  I don’t know a pretty way of saying it, but I tend to make these my main pictures.  Its just a personal preference but you can play around with camera angle until you find what works best for you!

 

Finding the right accessories

A cake stand is just as important as the cake itself.  This is why it is always good to have accessories that help increase the “wow” factor in a photo!  A cake on a cake stand is more appealing than a cake on a regular cardboard or some “run of the mill” aluminum foil!  Cookies on a clean, shiny, white plate are more appealing than placing them on a paper towel.  Cupcakes on a cupcake tower is more appealing than just placing them in a box.  I’m not knocking placing cupcakes in a box, I just prefer the box be nicely presented.  Simple accessories can make a boring picture 10 times greater!

 

I hope this sheds light on some basic knowledge of cell phone and dslr camera tips.  I will continue to edit and elaborate more on this post as I find better ways of explaining it to my readers.  I will also create some sub post breaking down each and every tip in this article!  Make sure you sign up to our newsletter so you don’t miss out on this!  Thanks for stopping by!