Food Mood | Wife or Something Like It Guest Blog

Hey fun people! I have a lot of friends who have awesome blogs (particularly about things I'm not so awesome at, like food) and I want to showcase them every once in a while. I don't think that art is limited to a pen and paper, so I've asked these cool bloggers to talk about how art plays a role in their blogs.

I've known my wonderful friend Erika, writer and chef of Wife or Something Like It, for about ten years, and she is so cute and fun! She's been a really great friend to my brother and I grew up hanging out with her brother, so it's a cool little circle of life. Make sure to check out her blog ASAP, but be sure a grab a tissue for all the drool her yummy food will cause!

Hi everyone! I'm so excited to be a guest here today. Isn't MissE's blog fun? I love all the interesting and creative things she finds, especially when she posts architecture because that's something I've never really looked at, and it's awesome! My blog, Wife or Something Like It, is mostly a collection of recipes, some original, some adaptations, and some ramblings about my life and adventures of me and my adorable husband. Go check it out!


Today I want to talk to you guys about food photography. Food photography is really it's own art form. It's a lot easier to get a good picture of a sunset than it is to get an awesome picture of a cupcake that makes it look appetizing.

The art of food photography is something I'm still learning, but I want to share a few things I've picked up on.

Rule #1 of food photography is never use the flash on your camera. It's too bright, and it will wash out the food. I learned that on my DSLR, you can turn down the flash so that it's not as bright. This is kind of a last resort, for only if you have really bad lighting.

The best way to avoid having to use your flash is to take your photos at a time of day when the lighting is the best. This would be early in the morning, or at sunset, because the light isn't so bright and direct.

The other important elements of food photography are:
Composition-making sure that the photo is arranged well
White Balance-often taking pictures inside will give your photos an orange-ish tint, so you can either adjust the white balance on your camera, or use natural light
Focus-food most often looks best with a shallow depth of field, meaning only the foreground is in focus Lighting-make sure the photo is not underexposed or overexposed

Here's some really great examples of food photography:

(Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer from Mel's Kitchen)

I love that this one is kind of an "action" shot. The composition of this one is nice as well. You'll also notice that the creamer being poured is the most in-focus part of the photo. 

(Girly Girl Cupcakes from The Best of this Life)

I love that in this photo you can see the process. It shows the bare cupcakes, but then you see the frosting, sprinkles, and cupcake papers, and then also the completed cupcakes. 

(source unknown)

First off, I think these are the CUTEST popsicles in the whole world. This photo is a really good example of depth of field. You can see that the background is blurry, so the focus is on the popsicle in the foreground. 

(Pumpkin cupcake w/Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting from My Sweet & Saucy)

This has the same effect as above, with the blurred background. Right away, your eye is drawn to the cupcake with the most focus. I love this one because of the composition as well. The amount of frosting on the cupcake is horrendous, but it looks great! And the caramel adds a nice touch as well. 

Well there you have it! I hope you guys learned something today about food photography.  One of the great things about it is that the more you do it, the better you get!

Thanks for having me!

I really wish I had an awesome camera to get my photography groove on right about now. Hopefully you learned lots of helpful tips from Erika; I certainly did! Take a look at her blog and try out some of her tasty recipes. See you all Friday when I showcase my simple fall decorations!