I’ve been a photographer for over 10 years, and I wanted to share these three simple things I do to get rehired by my existing clients.

Now, there are obviously many things that you can try. But I wanted to share the things that have worked for me that I think are somewhat effortless and also don’t annoy brands or clients. 

You can watch or read the tips. It’s your choice, but if you’re ready to get rehired by existing clients then let’s jump right in!

Getting Rehired by Existing Clients Tip 1: Share a Concept Idea With The Client

This is my personal favourite and something I love doing. It feels effortless and doesn’t feel like work. It makes it really easy to reach out to clients. 

I’m constantly on social media and Pinterest and looking at different concepts for photography. So when something really sparks my imagination or I get inspired by it, I always save the idea. 

This helps with inspiration for shoots and I use this method for an existing cocktail client I work with. I think about the specific types of liquor brands and recipes that I can create for them. 

So when I find something that I think is really cool, that I would love to work on and that aligns with the brand, I save it into a specific folder. Imagine getting rehired by existing clients to create work you’re excited about.

Then I reach out to that client and pitch my new idea and concept. Just like the images above. I pitched this idea to them.

Clients love this for a number of reasons, especially if it’s a small brand, because not only are you being proactive but because you’re helping them out with creative concepts. You’re also demonstrating you understand the brand’s needs and can bring something innovative to the table.

The best part of all is typically once I’ve shared these ideas with clients, I’ve gotten hired and paid to create the things that really excite me. 

Getting Rehired Tip 2: Reshare Client Work on Social Media

Not to be underestimated, the power of this next tip is really simple and easy – but it works!

Reshare a photo from a job that you did with a client.

In my photography business, I have monthly retainer clients, clients I work with for over a quarter for a specific season. Then there are other clients that I work with maybe once a year. 

The clients I work with once a year, are the ones that I need to make sure they remember me. What I like to do to get rehired by existing clients I only shoot for once a year is share a photo that I love from a particular photo shoot.

Then I mention or tag the brand, the creative agency, and the art director. This works as a little reminder to say, “Hey, I’m still here and I’d love to work with you”. 

What I’ve learned over doing this for a number of years is that people that work at magazines, agencies, and brands, they’re just people that have jobs and they move on to other jobs. Whoever takes over that job, doesn’t know I exist. So you just wanna pop in and stay relevant. 

The aim here is that the new employees will remember who you are and decide to reach out.

BONUS TIP: It can also work in the opposite direction. If your contact moved to a different creative agency. They may remember you and pitch to have you on a job as the photographer because you did such a good job last time and were really good assets.

Send Portfolio Updates via Email: Getting Rehired Tip 3

My third tip is just to send a simple email. I hear you though, what if you are unsure what to put in that email? What’s gonna help you stand out and be helpful to the client? 

My recommendation is to reach out with either a portfolio update or share a new skill that you’ve acquired.

Maybe you’ve started doing beverage photography, or maybe you’ve mastered noodle styling.

You might have a bunch of new props or you’ve moved into a new studio. Perhaps there’s something more you can offer them with your photography service. 

Sometimes it can feel icky like we’re bothering a brand by emailing them. But after doing this for so many years, you’ll be surprised at what will come back.

Don’t let those little voices tell you what to do because your email could just be the saviour that a client is looking for. 

On the flip side of that perhaps the client doesn’t get back to your email and as a creative, we can take that personally, like we’re just not good enough for the client to hire us. But what we have to remember is that email is text. 

No matter how good that photo is, if the subject line wasn’t enticing for them to click on or their inbox just got bombarded, then they’re never going to see that photo. So we just have to keep trying and be courteous.

How do You Cut Through The Noise?

I’ve been lucky enough to do some social media account takeovers with large brands, and I’ve seen what’s on the other side. I’ve seen what it’s like for brands and how many people are reaching out to them. 

They get hundreds of direct messages. Hundreds of tags t in a day. I tell you this not to let that put you off, but sometimes there’s a lot of noise out there.

I think the way that we do that is we want to be really thoughtful in the content we’re sharing. You want to tag them in your best work only. Don’t tag them every day in hundreds of things. 

Sometimes with brands that I really wanted to work with, it took me like five years to get there. 

The key things to remember here are to share something you’re passionate about, share your best work, and just show up time and time again. 

If you enjoyed this post on getting rehired by existing clients, make sure you also check out Practical Tips for Client Creative Briefs For Photographers: What to Include.

The post 3 Easy Tips for Getting Rehired by Your Existing Clients appeared first on Two Loves Studio.

Running your own food photography business can be a daunting process at times. I know, I’ve been there, but it’s a rewarding process and after reflecting on the last 10 years I wanted to share the key messages I’ve learned along the way.

Wherever you are in your journey, maybe you are thinking of starting your own food photo business and need some inspiration or maybe you are already in the thick of it and are looking for guidance, either way, here are 10 things that I’ve learned over 10 years of running my own business.

Tip 1: Turn a No Into a Yes for Your Food Photography Business

The first thing is that a no can become a yes. I’ve reached out to clients and I’ve heard ‘no’ many times. If you want it badly enough you can turn that no into a yes.

They may say we don’t have room for you, or they don’t even work that way. But six months, nine months later (sometimes even three years later) I’ve been able to turn that no into a yes!

Now, maybe you don’t want to hear that it can take months or years, but the thing you want to remember is that if this is your business long-term, all the work you do today can lead to work in the future.

RELATED POST: Composition Breakdown: How to Create a Classic Vintage Margarita Photo Shoot

Tip 2: Your Mindset Matters The Most

Your mindset actually matters more than your photos.

Now I know that sounds crazy because we get paid to take photos, but if our mindset is not in check, we can self-sabotage. We can doubt ourselves. We can let imposter syndrome, drive our decisions. Being creative is hard, and there’s a lot to unpack in terms of mental health.

One thing I’ve noticed in my food photography business is that it’s not the best photographers who succeed. It’s those people who believed in themselves, those who kept showing up, and who worked on their mindset. This is also true for many creative fields.

Now we’re all human and we feel the same things. So if you feel like things aren’t working for you, maybe check if your mindset needs to be worked on.

Tip 3: Diversifying Your Income.

It’s hard to make a full-time living from your creative pursuits and stress and pressure is not a good thing for creativity. So I think how you survive in the long-term is by diversifying your income.

That can look so different depending on what you want to do. With your creative business, you could:

1. Sell digital products, like courses or eBooks.
2. Start your own blog and earn income through advertising revenue, affiliates, and sponsored posts.
3. You could even have a totally different job which could be part-time if you want.

There are so many different ways that you could approach this thing.

Tip 4: What’s the worst that can happen?

I used to be terrified when I first started my food photography business, but what can be the worst thing that would happen. Literally, the worst thing that could happen is you take a photography job when you don’t get paid because the client’s not happy.

So when you feel fearful of doing new things, ask yourself, what’s the worst that can happen? Then you can ask yourself, is it worth taking that risk?

I can tell you nine and a half times out of 10, you can actually sort things out with the client. And often the worst that you think will happen will never actually happen.

Tip 5: Manage Your Time Wisely

This tip may sound simple but consistency is key. It is almost impossible to get everything you want done in a day but if you keep showing up, you keep working as much as you can, you’ll be astounded at what you can achieve within your food photography business in 10 years time.

Tip 6: You Are Your Best Investment

Invest in yourself. You are your best asset.

It took me years to figure that out. I didn’t feel worthy of investing in myself. It’s one thing I wish I’d changed because I’m never going to get that time back. Whether it’s investing in camera gear or taking courses, invest in yourself because nobody else will.

Tip 7: Get Comfortable Saying No

It is okay to say no. When I first started out, I was saying yes to everything. It doesn’t work. It is okay to say no.

There is power in saying no. To say no to the wrong projects, will free yourself up for the right ones.

Tip 8: Learn to Trust Yourself

It’s not easy. It took me years to learn, to trust myself, to trust that I would find my style that clients would like my work that would be able to make a long-term career out of this.

Trusting yourself is like a muscle. We have to build it up. And the thing is, if you don’t trust yourself, nobody else is going to do it for you.

Tip 9: Find a Friend with their own Food Photography Business

This is my favourite tip!

This journey can be lonely and not everybody gets it. If you talk to people who are not creative or not trying to run a business, they can’t always empathise with where you are.

Find a friend, find a colleague, find someone through a blog or through Instagram, who you can really talk about things with.

Talk about creative difficulties, mindset struggles, and difficult clients.

The creative friendships that I have built have been some of the greatest friendships I’ve ever had, and I wouldn’t have made it through without them.

Tip 10: Enjoy The Journey.

You’ve all heard the saying “It’s not about the destination, it’s about enjoying the journey“. You have to find a way to enjoy the journey.

This is a hard road. Being creative is hard, running a business is hard and thinking about how are you going to get there 10 years later if you don’t enjoy the journey.

I don’t know how I would have done it otherwise.

That’s not to say the journey is always easy, but if we love what you do, you love food photography, and you find ways to enjoy the journey along the way. I actually think that is the definition of success.

What did I miss? What’s the number one thing that you’ve learned from your time being a food photographer?

Let me know in the comments below.

The post 10 Powerful Tips From My Food Photography Business After 10 Years appeared first on Two Loves Studio.

After 10 years of running my own food photography business, I wanted to share some of the setbacks and failures I’ve experienced.

Creating a business from scratch that pays your bills is hard. It wasn’t easy for me despite what it looked like from the outside peeking in.

I love the food photography community, who have supported me endlessly and I feel a responsibility to talk about my true journey.

It pains me that somebody might quit because their journey feels hard,  it’s not happening the way you thought it should. Or we compare our journey to others and what it looks like on social media.

This journey is unique and can be a lonely one. I want you to know that you’re not alone. In sharing my setbacks, I hope to show you, we all have them. 

Make sure to hit play on the video above or watch on YouTube: 15 Mins of Failure (& Setbacks).

Failures and Setbacks: Trying To Start a Business

The first time I left my full-time job to start photography, two weeks later, my husband lost his working visa. We were both out of work and it was a terrible time to start a business.

For the next six months, I worked a retail job 7 days a week to support us and wasn’t able to work on my business at all. It sucked but I knew that was something out of my control. I could try to start my business again later.

Once we sorted my husband’s visa out, I was working part-time as a photographer and working part-time in retail. I gave in to family and social pressure to pursue a management position with a salary. I temporarily gave up on my business.

This job was so toxic and took me down the wrong path for a few months before I decided I need to listen to what I wanted.

Life Thew Further Setbacks with a Death in the Family

Coming back to try running my business again, (but this time full-time), my mother-in-law passed away. We had to fly back and forth between Canada and Australia for six months to be with family. 

Again, this was not a good time to work on a new business. Everything was very stop-start and we were also dealing with the loss of a family member that we loved. 

It was a really hard mental battle to manage the loss of a loved one, trying to be creative, and working on a business. The process felt disheartening that here I was three years later and I still couldn’t make it work.

The silver lining, was these events taught me there is so much in life I couldn’t control, the one thing I could control was the ability to try again.

Hustle Leads to Burnout: Business Setbacks

Once I had the opportunity to work on my business full-time, that’s what I did. I hustled my butt off. Taking every job possible, networking, learning skills, asking for feedback, and connecting with other like-minded people.

But what ended up happening is I burnt myself out. I’d worked so hard for next to nothing, that I had gotten myself into this space where I had no energy. I was fatigued and my mental health was suffering. 

I ended up having to take three months off my business, again.

So here I was, I’d just spent three years trying to make this work full-time. I’d had all these setbacks and I finally got to this place of being able to work on my business full time and I couldn’t cut it

I wasn’t sure how I was going to move forward.

How Can You Charge That Much?

My first couple of client experiences were really challenging (but I learned a lot from them). My first ever paid gig was an event client, where I had to shoot people with food and the client wasn’t happy with the photos I sent them.

At the first food photography gig I took, they wanted a lot of things. So I charged a lot of money. I was astounded that I was paid that much, however,  this client turned out to be a bit of a challenge.

The creative director took me out for a coffee. She sat me down and said, “You can’t charge this much”.

The whole conversation had a tone. Who are you to charge this much? We won’t work with you if you charge this much. I was so new, this didn’t feel like a conversation to me. It felt like a takedown and it really rattled my confidence. 

Discovering How to be Kinder on Myself

I really wanted to make the educational part of my business work. My first digital product and coaching didn’t go so well. I sold around five eBooks, which was really disheartening for me. More proof that again, I couldn’t do what I wanted to do. 

It led me to a place where my mental health was really challenged.

I actually ended up having a panic attack and I realised this wasn’t the way I wanted to live. I was putting so much pressure on myself and working too hard. Taking any jobs. I wasn’t feeling like I was in control and I had to step back again.

So I went back to sewing pants for two days a week to make ends meet, to also give myself a break. It was a really good job. I worked with some great people and it ended up being really therapeutic which was exactly what I needed.

At the same time, I also felt like a complete failure. When people would ask how photography was going, I had to tell them I’m back working two days a week, sewing pants in order to survive. 

What stood out for me the most in that situation was that I really wanted to make this work. I wanted to give it my best. I changed how I thought about myself and the pressure and expectations I put on myself.

My Perspective Changed Everything

After all the failures and setbacks, I realised that I needed to start working on the things I wanted to work on.

The best part is that people took notice when I worked on things that I was passionate about. Like creating editing courses and writing about my Nikon gear.

Just when I started to make a name for myself, we moved to the other side of the world. I had mixed feelings about this new chapter. I’d worked so hard to get to this point and now I was facing having to start all over again.

This time I wasn’t so scared of the change, because it felt more like a metamorphosis. That I could choose to leave the parts of my business that weren’t working and move forward with the things that I really wanted to do. 

I had done this once and I knew I could do it again. I also started to really trust myself.

This is when my business really started to take off. 

10 Years of Business Setbacks Taught Me

These last 10 years of business have really taught me that there is no success without setbacks or failures. 

There is so much that we cannot control within creativity and within life. The only thing that we can control is getting up every day and trying again.

If you feel like things are hard, you’re probably on the right path.

Building a creative business is the hardest thing that I’ve ever done, but know you’re not alone. I hope you keep trying. 

It’s taken me 10 years to be comfortable enough to share some of the setbacks and failures that I’ve experienced. My hope in doing so is that you won’t give up because maybe you thought my journey was easier or different.

Remember it’s all about the long-term game. Do anything you can to survive. To be less stressed. To be kind to yourself, to trust and believe in yourself.

If you want to improve your mindset, head to my post on My Journey Into Food Photography.

The post Failures and Setbacks: 10 Years of Pursing a Photography Business appeared first on Two Loves Studio.

When we start learning photography, we learn that light is everything and that better light equals better photos.

We can, however, strive so much for more and better light, that we can lose sight of what ‘better’ means.

Low-light food photography can be stunning yet so many photographers are afraid of it. I often get emails saying, “I have no natural light to shoot with”, and it makes me wonder if possibly they have beautiful low light but don’t yet know it!

But if you’re not a lighting whiz, low lighting can seem like an impossible task. Especially when you are faced with low light in the winter months that you can’t control.

In this post, let’s explore some tips for embracing low natural-light photography, especially in the winter months.

If you want to learn more about natural lighting, grab my ebook on natural light – Art of Light.

Table of Content

• Light Source For Brighter Images
• Create Moody Atmosphere
• Low ISO Traps
• Slow Shutter Speed
• Beautiful Low Light Food Photography
• Phone Flashlight to Auto-Focus
• Don’t Clip Your Blacks
• Side Light is Easier in Low Light

Get Closer To The Light Source For Brighter Images

In my ebook Art of Light, I talk about the ‘sweet spot’ to shoot in with natural light.

The distance in which you are from your light source will change the power of your light.

If you need more power, you get closer to the light source.

This works both on the horizontal and vertical planes.

In low light, if you are shooting images that have to be on the brighter side, you will want to be closer to the light source.

To learn more about the dynamics of light and where to find the sweet spot, grab your copy of Art of Light.

Low Light Photography Tip: Light Fall-off Can Be Used To Create Moody Atmosphere

If you want to create a moody atmosphere or chiaroscuro photos, using what’s called ‘light fall-off’ is a great technique when faced with low-light.

RELATED POST: Natural Lighting Food Photo Tips You Need To Know For Chiaroscuro Effect.

Basically, light fall-off is where the light drops off considerably when the distance from the light source is doubled.

Play with distance from the light source by filling your scene with shadows and blacks.

Now that we just talked about getting closer to the source of light for brighter photos, I wanted to take a moment to also call out that it can be nice to get further away too. The fall-off point depends on your distance and size of light source.

This is the technique that I used in this image – and it’s beautiful. Who said that low light isn’t the best for shooting food?

Don’t Fall Into Low ISO Traps

ISO is generally oversimplified. We learn that you should keep your ISO low to reduce noise. While this isn’t incorrect, it paralyses most photographers as it’s not the entire story.

We dare not increase our ISO over 400, or sometimes even 200. This is a trap. Solely focusing on keeping our ISO low and not using it to help us get optimal exposure can introduce other issues into our images like noise or motion blur.

The trap in just trying to limit ISO and not taking into account your exposure triangle to get optimum exposure is that you can introduce even more noise into the image.

If you correctly exposure when using an ISO beyond low or base ISO, you will be better off than shooting at low ISO and relying on exposure compensations in post-production.

Newer cameras have incredible technology to handle low ISO and RAW editing programs like Capture One or Lightroom can help reduce grain caused by ISO.

Shoot A Super Slow Shutter Speed

When I started photography I didn’t really know that I could shoot at a low shutter speed. I needed someone to tell me that it was ok.

If you shoot on a tripod and take steps to reduce camera shake, you can shoot with a very, very slow shutter speed. 1/3 sec for example.

Here are some shots I took with natural light and the slow shutter speed.

Steps to reduce camera shake are:

• Shoot with a steady tripod. Sandbag it to help make it stable.
• Use a remote shutter release or capture on your tethering program to help reduce the impact of pressing the shutter button.
• Use the timer if you don’t have a remote release.
• Try to limit the amount of movement onset if you have bouncy floors when the shot is being taken.
• Play with VR on/off if your lens has this function. Sometimes on a tripod, it can create shake.

If you’re experiencing issues with focus or camera shake, go through these 14 focus troubleshooting tips.

Small Sources Can Creative Beautiful Low Light Food Photography

A lot of photographers dismiss small light sources, but they can be really beautiful. Especially when capturing a winter scene that is moody.

These are some shots that I took with light coming through a small window. This window looked onto a fence and the side of a building. So the ambient light was always dark like this.

Things to remember with smaller windows are that there will be less available light than larger windows.

That is neither good nor bad. What is most powerful though is that it matches the mood and concept you want to shoot.

Tips for utilising smaller light sources are:

• Know your Inverse Square Law and get close to your light source.
• You’ll have less ‘wrap’ so you will have deeper shadows.
• Watch your histograms to make sure you aren’t clipping your blacks/shadows.
• Use the exposure triangle to exposure for your desired mood.

Use Your Phone Flashlight to Help Auto-Focus

If you rely on autofocus or you like to use autofocus, it can be hard for your lens to autofocus in low light.

A quick solution is to use a flashlight to help you focus on the area in your image that you desire to be the focal point. Since you likely have your phone on you, it’s quick and easy to use this feature on your iPhone.

Read this post about the 4 iPhone Features You Didn’t Know Could Improve Your Photography.

Low Light Food Photography Tip: Don’t Clip Your Blacks

Clipping your blacks refers to shooting underexposed to the extent that you lose data in your RAW files. Here you’ve underexposed so much that you don’t any information in your black tones.

The problem here is that you can’t manipulate these areas in post-production.

Personally, I don’t mind having deep shadows or black areas, but I want to preserve the detail in my shots so that I have full ability to edit my images in programs like Capture One or Lightroom.

In my masterclass, Lightroom Magic, I teach how to read your Histogram and how to avoid clipping.

My best advice is to make sure you are capturing the optimum exposure for your concept/mood/creative direction and avoid unintentional clipping where possible.

Shooting With Side Light is Easier in Low Light

In food photography, you are most likely going to be shooting backlight or side-light. Both are beautiful types of lighting.

Backlighting works best when there is more available light. As your subject is in between the camera and the light source, you may find that your shots are naturally darker. You either need to modify your lighting or change your exposure using the exposure triangle.

This can be challenging if you are doing low-light food photography.

If you’re finding it too dark, use the light from the side to light your scene.

Don’t be afraid of low light photography. It can actually be so beautiful that once you start shooting it, you’ll wonder why you didn’t start earlier!

Expand your skills in lighting, by visiting the following posts –

• Natural Lighting Food Photo Tips You Need To Know For Chiaroscuro Effect
• 14 Ways to Improve Your Food Photos With Tack Sharp Images
• Simple Tools to Shape Natural Light: Behind The Scenes Look

The post 8 Powerful Tips For Embracing Low Light Food Photography. appeared first on Two Loves Studio.

Let’s talk about modifiers or more specifically soft modifiers for food photography to help you take incredible photos that are good enough to eat.

I’m going to explore the six modifiers that I use in my photography and share a little insight into how and when I would use them for my food photos.

Now I don’t want you to get too caught up on the specific brands that I’m using, because some of them are secondhand and may not be available anymore.

In this post, I will link to the modifiers that I am using. Starting from the smallest and working all the way up to the largest. The ones I use to create moody light, but also bright light and lastly I’ll finish with my favourite modifiers. 

Your only job is to find the specific modifier that you need for your type of light or the brand of light that you shoot with! 

6 Soft Lighting Modifiers for Food Photography

In this post, we are looking at the following 6 soft modifiers:

1. Micro Box
2. Small Octa 2’
3. Soft Box 2’ x 3’
4. Strip Box 1’ x 4’
5. Diffuser 4’ x 6’
6. Large Octa 69”

Focus on The Size and The Shape of Your Modifier

Your focus should be on the size and shape of the modifier. It’s important to focus on the size, shape and type of light that you get out of your soft modifier. The reasons will vary depending on:

1. The size of your food
2. The size of the scene that you are lighting
3. The position of your light and the distance from your subject

Soft Modifier 1: Micro Box

The first modifier is a micro box and it’s a really small, softbox. That’s going to go on something like a speed light that you are going to use as an off-camera flash.

While I haven’t used this for some time, I do have a little bit of a soft spot for it. I think it can create something really dramatic and moody, just like I have done here in this chocolate cake shot. 

What I like about this modifier is it has a lot of fall off so it allows me to create something really low-key. It helps if we have highlights and shine within our food to highlight those textures.

One of the things I loved about using this with my speed light in the beginning was I could just hand-hold it and I could actually move it around the food and see what I was creating. It helped open a lot up for me.

Soft Modifier 2:  Small Octa 2’ (60cm)

The second modifier is called an Octa box. This soft modifier is a step up from the micro box we just covered. While it’s still on the smaller side, the great thing about this one is I can use it with my strobe light. It is approximately 2ft wide (or 60cms) and it’s round in shape. 

This modifier is primarily used in portrait photography, but I like to incorporate it in my food photography to light food portraits. I like to be able to use this when I need the background to transition into dark shadows. 

Soft Modifier 3: Soft Box 2’ x 3’ (60cm x 90cm)

The classic softbox is a very common starter artificial light modifier and a great all-rounder. Commonly it’s 2ft by 3ft (or 60cm by 90cm ). Having that extra foot in height can really help if you have an average-sized food photography scene. 

I use it for my moody work where I need to light a little bit of a larger scene and where I need a little less fall-off. When shooting this Empress 75 cocktail, including the cocktail shaker I needed to light a little bit of the background.

Using the classic softbox helped me get a little more light on my scene than the previous Octa box would.

Soft Modifier 4: Strip Box 1’ x 4’ (30cm x 120cm)

The next one we’re gonna look at is what’s called a strip box. The one I have is 1ft by 4ft (or 30cm by 120cm). So it’s a tall and thin modifier. 

Now, technically area-wise, it’s actually smaller than the classic softbox, but because it’s such a tall modifier, it can be larger to work with, so keep that in mind for your shooting space. It’s also important to note, it’s larger to store.

One reason I love this modifier is it gives me a bit of a creative edge as not many people use it. I like that I can achieve different looks for my shoots because of its height. It also allows me to create both bright and moody work. 

If I use it in a tall sense, I can create more light across the scene or I can flip it to be horizontal and create something that feels different.

In this macro rhubarb shot, I’ve used the modify in a tall sense to create light across the scene and feel really bright. There’s light coming from the top of the scene and can spread over my scene in a different way than the others that I’ve previously shared.

Also, I can use it in a moody sense with this apple shot, and having it in that tall fashion is creating more light across the table. I actually used a grid to help me get those moodier shadows. Then I can use it to tilt it at an angle. So it’s not quite horizontal and it’s not quite tall.

It allows me to create something that’s very dramatic that has a lot of shadows and is just lighting the foreground.

Top Pick Soft Modifiers For Food Photography 5: Diffuser 4’ x 6’ (120cm x 180cm)

This is my absolute favourite soft modifier that I use in like 80% of my photography and is something we actually use for natural light is a large diffuser that is 4ft by 6ft (or 120cm by 180cm).

I tend to use this to create beautiful, bright work that replicates natural window light. You can see in these shots that I have used this large modifier setup to light the biggest scene. This creates lots of beautiful light and shadows.

If you’d like to see how I use this modifier and how I set up a scene, check out my go-to artificial light setup video.

Soft Modifier 6: Large Octa 69” (175cm)

The last one is a super large Octa box. It is 69” across (also 175cm). Now this is not something I use all the time, but I keep it with for when I’m on location or I’m working in studios and I need to light a really large scene or set. 

When I do photography in my little studio at my house, it is way too big to use. I can’t even fit it in the room! So if I need to light something at home, I will use a smaller modifier. But if you are thinking of doing a lot of studio work and are shooting large table scenes to light, this is something worth considering.

Being a minimalist when it comes to gear and wanting the best bang for my buck, my two favourites are the strip box and the 4’ x 6’diffuser. I love these two the most because they allow me to create both bright and moody work. They’re really easy to store and set up and allow me to create different scenes. 

I know lighting gear is really personal to each of us, and I would love to know what your go-to soft modifiers are for food phtography.  Let me know in the comments below.

If you’re interested in checking out more of my gear and how I use it, check out these posts:

Food Photography Equipment: The Gear You Need

Simple One Light Photography Setup: Moody Black Forest Cupcake

VIDEO: Simple (Yet Beautiful) Artificial Light for Food Photography

The post The Best 6 Soft Light Modifiers For Food Photography appeared first on Two Loves Studio.

This post may contain affiliate links from products and services we love and trust.

Retouching in Photoshop is an essential skill food photographers will want to add to their workflow to both perfect their images and remove unwanted items, objects or blemishes.

In fact, if you shoot beverages at all, retouching is crucial in putting composites together. This post is full of before and after retouching examples so you can just how powerful retouching photos is!

If you’re curious as to why I recommend learning to retouch photos, read on my friend.

Retouching Photos: What is it?

When it comes to post-production, some photographers can be confused about the difference between RAW editing and retouching. While they both fall into the post-production category, they are indeed different and used for different purposes.

RAW editing prepares our image with basic edits like contrast and exposure adjustment, as well as, colour correction. This process happens in software like Capture One Pro or Lightroom.

Retouching, on the other hand, is the process of removing blemishes and objects, compositing and manipulating or altering a photo. We need software like Photoshop for full control over the process to retouch photos.

Create Perfect Yolks by Retouching in Photoshop.

When to Use Photoshop in Our Editing Workflow

Retouching comes at the end of our editing process. We edit a photo in our RAW editor, (aka Capture One Pro or Lightroom), then once we’re made all the necessary exposure, contrast and colour adjustments, we then take our photo into Photoshop to retouch.

RAW editors like Capture One Pro and Lightroom integrate with Photoshop so you can seamlessly take your finished RAW file into Photoshop, complete the necessary retouching on layers and save the file (and layers — super important) back into your RAW editor.

This is important if you want to be able to make any changes to the retouched file without starting from scratch.

Use Photoshop for Complex Removals

5 Common Ways We Retouch in Photoshop for Food Photography

Photoshop is one of the most powerful creative tools we have access to as photographers and it’s natural to feel overwhelmed by the software — there is so much to know and do!

This is definitely how I first felt. It was like you needed a university degree just to open the program. While it is powerful, there are some (anything-but-basic) basic ways we can use this in our food photography.

5 common ways we retouch photos in photoshop for food photography are:

1. Reflection and object removal
2. Compositing, (where you composite two or more photos together into one)
3. Cleaning techniques like blemish removals and riding of unwanted distractions
4. Straightening and shaping objects
5. Enhancing and altering colour and light (known as Dodging & Burning)

I teach these simple techniques in my Retouching Food Photography Masterclass. Where you’ll master retouching in minutes, not hours!

Use Photoshop to change the colour of anything!

Retouching Photos is an Important Skill to Make Your Work Look Professional

As you progress and grow as a photographer, you will get to a point where you’re looking to take your images to the next level and perfect them.

Many pro-level photographers will have an element of retouching to their work. Especially if you’re shooting anything beverage related or with glassware in the frame. It’s very useful to have retouching skills because you will encounter clients asking you to ‘remove that fork’ from the image. Or ‘can you extend this background, please’. Or perhaps you can see your reflection in a spoon!

Easily Extend Backgrounds in Photoshop

Learn How to Retouch with Retouching Food Photography Masterclass

Early in my career, I had a chance to be featured in a magazine — my first time! The client came back to me and said they needed more space for text and I needed to remove a few objects.

This was going to be in a magazine and I had zero skills to make this happen. My husband and I pulled an all-nighter, spending countless hours on YouTube trying to figure it out. It was messy.

Don’t make the same mistake I did. I teaching a retouching course to empower photographers to learn the top 10 Ways to Use Photoshop to Retouch Food Photography. I know first-hand how stressful it is to not be able to deliver the work the client needs, and guess what? Photoshop is much easier than you think!

The Skills you’ll walk away with are:

• Navigate Photoshop, understand layers and masking
• Brush and Tool settings
• How to remove objects, blemishes and extend backgrounds (a must-have skill!)
• Composite multiple images, essential for any beverage work
• Straighten objects and lines. Shape objects as desired
• Change the colour of anything
• Dodge and Burn to enhance contrast, light and diminish blemishes

Take a peek at what you’ll learn in Retouching Food Photography.

Use Photoshop to Remove Reflections

When Should You Learn Retouching Photo Skills?

Good question! My honest answer is that you’ll need these skills and from experience is far less stressful to know these skills before a deadline, than to become a frantic mess trying to learn them a deliver assets at the same time.

If you’re able to edit in a RAW editor like Capture One Pro or Lightroom, shoot RAW files, are able to compose a scene and have done at least one paid client commission — you’re ready!

Unsure if this skill is something you should invest in? Ask me! I am always here for real talk.

Photoshop is Actually Easy, I Promise!

I’ve taught hundreds of photographers how to use Photoshop and retouch photos like a pro.

The common thing I hear is that ‘Photoshop isn’t scary at all’ and ‘I’d wished I’d learned this sooner’.

Retouching is one of my favourite skills. It’s amazing the creative control you can have with a little Photoshop magic (and know-how!). Which retouching skill are you most excited about?

The post How to Retouch Photos Easily For Photographers in Photoshop appeared first on Two Loves Studio.

This post is sponsored in partnership with V-Flat World. All opinions are my own.

Food photography set up can range from simple to complex and professional. But you don’t need a huge amount of gear to make beautiful photos.

Having a working setup will help you to focus on being creative, styling your food and capturing that story.

Let’s dive into a step-by-step process for creating a food photography set up.

Step-by-Step Food Photography Set Up

For a quick overview, here are the 7 steps to create your food photography set up.

1. Use a table to create your photography scene
2. Position your table near a light source
3. Set up a tripod and camera at your desired angle
4. Position food photography backdrops to make an ‘L’ frame
5. Style your scene with props + test food
6. Use lighting modifiers to shape light
7. BONUS: Tether by connecting your camera to your computer

To learn more about each one and see our step-by-step setup with images, keep reading!

Basic Gear You Need For a Food Photography Setup

• Table, apple boxes, crates etc where you can set up a scene
• Camera, lens and tripod
• Backdrops and props
• Lighting diffuser and bounce foam boards
• Computer and tether cable (if tethering)

Step 1: Use a table to create your photography scene

If you have access to a table, desk or similar it’s the best platform to position your food photography set up. Other things you can use are apple boxes or crates as long as they are stable.

Don’t tell anyone, but I did once use a small Ikea stool! Not recommended as it’s not stable and but sometimes we have to use what works.

Using a table to set up your scene is better than using the floor (in most cases) because:

• You need to be at a certain height for good lighting (in most cases)
• It allows you to shoot a range of angles
• Doesn’t strain your back

Step 2: Position your table near a light source

There is a sweet spot next to the window that you will want to use. The light is more powerful the closer you are to your light source (or window) due to the Inverse Square Law.

You’ll want to position your table anywhere between touching the window frame to 1-2m ( 3-6ft ) away.

Ideally, the light will be coming in sideways and not from above – as you’d find with basement windows.

Step 3: Set up a tripod and camera at your desired angle

Because we are photographing food, which is a still-life subject, it’s very handy to use a tripod so your hands are free to style and make composition changes.

Choose your desired angle for the shot and set up your tripod.

If shooting overhead, you need a tripod that has an overhead arm extension to help you capture flay lays.

Step 4: Position food photography backdrops to make an ‘L’ frame

Food photography backdrops are an important part of getting the look. They are also a key part of the food photography set up process.

A backdrop can be the base of a photo when shooting overhead, or you will need both a base and a board in the background to create an ‘L frame’.

The first step is to lay a background flat on your table and then use a board standing up to create the backdrop.

When you’re starting out and don’t have a lot of gear, use backgrounds that come with ‘feet’ or stands so they can easily stand on the table without falling off.

Dou Boards from V-Flat World are a great option. High-quality, double-sided vinyl backgrounds that come with easy-to-fit stands.

To learn more about Duo Boards check out this post.

Step 5: Style your scene with props + test food

Once you’ve got your backgrounds set up, it’s time to style your scene.

Add any props and test food to your scene and start to visualise what this looks like in a photograph by looking through your camera and taking some test shots.

This is why you need a tripod and sturdy backgrounds because you want to have your hands free to style and make changes.

It’s a good idea to use test food because your hero food needs to look fresh and making changes can take some time.

Step 6: Use lighting modifiers to shape light

Once you start to build a composition that you are happy with, it’s time to make sure you’re happy with your lighting before you add the hero food.

Now is the time when you can make modifications to your light using lighting tools like foam boards, diffusers etc. Or position your artificial light differently.

At any time during your food photography set up, you can look at adjusting the lighting.

If you’re using natural light, you will find it might change often and you need to make continual settings adjustments or changes to your modifiers.

BONUS: Tether by connecting your camera to your computer

Tethering is when we connect our camera to our computer so that we can see the photos we are taking in real time!

This is beneficial as we can make changes in real-time which allows us to improve our photos (in less time) and make sure we aren’t making silly mistakes.

This is more of an intermediate to advanced skill. If you’re interested in learning more about tethering – check out 7 Reasons Why Tethering Helps You Take Better Photos.

This post may contain affiliate links from products and services we love and trust.

The post Step-by-Step: How to Create a Food Photography Set up in 6 Steps appeared first on Two Loves Studio.

Looking for simple ways to ensure your lines are straight in your still life images or food photography?

It’s usually far easier to straighten lines whilst shooting the image, so I always take a few extra steps to make sure my lines are straight in camera.

Especially if you’re shooting a large volume of images that need to be processed.

However, it’s not always simple to get every line straight. When dealing with both horizontal and verticle lines, slightly warped backgrounds and tall props with lines we sometimes need to rely on post-production to assist.

Let’s look in this article at some easy ways to ensure our lines are straight, (if that’s what you desire)!

Think – What Lines are Straight in a Food Photo?

For food photographers or still life photographers, we should be looking at the following lines in our images:

• Tables, table tops or table scenes.
• Restaurants interiors, bars and service areas, doors, windows etc.
• Liquor bottles, glass pitchers, tall glasses, cocktail shakers.
• Sides of a layer cake.
• Upright backgrounds with horizontal lines.

Some of these lines will be fixable in appearing straight to the camera, while others require a lens, camera position or editing to help make them straight.

Tips for Creating Straight Lines in a Photo

Here’s a quick overview of ways to get lines straight in your photos:

1. Shooting with a narrow lens to reduce perspective distortion.
2. Use Sticky-tac or similar to alter props or backgrounds to appear straight in camera.
3. Use grids or guides in your camera.
4. Tether with live view and use guides to straight lines.
5. Edit lines using Lightroom‘s Transform Tool.
6. Edit lines using Photoshops‘s Warp Tool.
7. Edit lines using Capture One‘s Keystone Tool.

To learn more about each of the above, keep reading!

Shoot with Narrow Lenses to Reduce Distortion

If you have access to a number of lens options, it’s a good idea to see if you can use a narrow lens to reduce perspective distortion.

Perspective distortion happens when you use a wide-angle lens and try to get close to your subject. The size of your subject will look disproportionally large compared to the background and this can cause lines in your images to feel like they are ‘falling over’.

Simply using a narrow lens and positioning the camera further away from the subject can help you to get ‘straighter’ lines.

Adjust Lines Using Sticky-Tac Etc

I am always striving to create straight lines in the camera where possible. Sometimes all you need is to prop up a bottle, a glass or other tall prop with a stack of small coins, sticky tac, the end of a spoon, a wooden skewer – anything rally!

Photography is all about problem-solving, so use what works!

Use Grids or Guides in Your Camera

Most newer cameras come with some kind of grid that you can use either in the viewfinder or live view to use to guide your camera’s position.

Find this in your camera’s settings, and use it to help you try to get the most important lines straight in your photo.

TIP – Use a Geared Head to Make Small Camera Adjustments

I’ve found that using a Geared Head on my tripod for food photography helps me to make small incremental adjustments to the position of my camera to ensure my lines are as straight as they can be.

View more of the gear I use as a professional food photographer.

Tether in Capture One & Use Guides to Straighten Lines

One of my favourite ways to make sure I have straight lines in photography is to use the Guides feature in Capture One. When I am tethering, I can add as many guides in any position I need to see if lines of props, backgrounds etc are straight.

I teach how to utilise this function in my Capture One Magic course. Check it out.

Edit Lines to be Straight Using Lightroom’s Transform Tool

If you use Lightroom, sometimes we can’t quite get all the horizontal and vertical lines straight, so we need a little help.

Lightroom’s Transform Tool can assist. With a click, you can automatically straighten the most prominent lines, and then use the sliders to make any tweaks as needed.

Ready to learn more about how to edit in Lightroom? Check out my Lightroom Magic masterclass.

Edit Straight Lines Using Capture One’s Keystone Tool

For more advanced post-production, if you use Capture One, you can use the Keystone Tool to straighten both horizontal and vertical lines simultaneously or independently.

Create Straight Lines Using Photoshop’s Warp Tool

Need more precise control over just one area in your photo? Then you can use the Transform or Warp Tool in Photoshop to straighten any lines locally.

Say, for example, everything looked straight except for a liquor bottle. You can keep the rest of the image as is, and just focus on straightening the bottle.

I’ll show you how to build skills like this quickly and easily in Photoshop. Check out my Retouching Food Photography course.

To learn more about my online editing courses for food photographers, check them out here.

The post Learn These Easy Tips for Straight Lines in Photography appeared first on Two Loves Studio.

My favourite sweet food is chocolate. To me, dessert and chocolate are synonymous. If it’s not on a dessert menu, I’ll probably skip it.

Chocolate Photography is something every food photographer will encounter, from cupcakes to macarons, to milkshakes with toppings and petit fours.

Chocolate seems easy to photograph, but it can have a mind of its own. From looking dull and picking up all the fingerprints and dust on set, to being extremely challenging to photograph.

Here are six simple and practical tips I’ve learned over the years to make your chocolate go from dull to drool-worthy!

Tip 1: Think — What Texture is Your Chocolate?

Before we dive into the rest of the tips for chocolate food photography, I think this is the most important. What type of texture is your chocolate?

Chocolate can be thick, light, tempered, crunchy, soft, moist, flaky…and so on.

Each type of chocolate might command a different approach when it comes to photographing. Lighting and editing for texture is the most important thing you can do to make your chocolate mouth-watering.

Use soft light and soft editing for soft and moist chocolate feelings.

For crunchy or flaky chocolate, play with shadows and go heavier on your clarity edits.

Tip 2: Use lighting that will create specular highlights

When we think of chocolate, we mostly go straight to the source. Cue thoughts (and tastes!) of those deliciously decadent chocolate fountains, oozing with melted chocolate.

Can you visualise it yet? Good. Now think about all the beautiful specular highlights that chocolate picks up. It helps to tell the viewer how the chocolate would feel in our mouth on our first bite.

Use lighting that captures specular highlights. Play with the size of your light source and distance to the light source to achieve this. For more natural lighting tips, check out my Art of Light ebook.

Tip 3: Use a Steamer to Create Shine in Chocolate Photography

This tip will help you achieve the above, as not all chocolate will naturally shine.

Have you ever bought cooking chocolate and found it had this white or grey covering on the outside? It’s not very sexy for food photos and there is an easy way to get rid of it.

You simply need to heat the chocolate slightly with a heat gun or steam from an iron. (Tip: I’ve also used a hairdryer on low). My food stylist friend Gaye McLeod, uses a clothes steamer – brilliant!

Just before you’re ready to take the photo, gently use the steamer to warm the chocolate and give it that nice shine ready for capture.

Tip 4: Avoid Handling Chocolate with Your Fingers

I see this all the time on social media — chocolate that has fingerprints on it! I’ve been there too. This is why it’s important to have a styling kit.

Try to use delicate tongs or tweezers (if possible) to place chocolate on set. Silicone gloves can work, but if you get marks on your chocolate there are two options.

1. You can use Photoshop, (learn how here), to remove blemishes or
2. You can use the tip above with the clothes steamer.

Tip 5: Balance Editing Adjustments for Texture of Chocolate

As we’ve discussed, chocolate can have many different types of textures. Once you’ve thought about what texture your chocolate photography dish has, you can easily work out how to bring out that texture in editing.

Balance your Texture and Clarity adjustments (in Lightroom) or Clarity and Structure adjustments in (Capture One) to bring out your desired texture. Smooth chocolate might need more minor adjustments than a gritty rich chocolate cookie.

You might even find that you have two different types of chocolate textures in the same food.

To learn more about how to edit like a pro in Lightroom or Capture One, take a look at my signature editing classes.

Tip 6: Colour Correct Your Chocolate Photography- Brown is Made up of Many Colours!

You might at first glance think that chocolate is brown, but it’s actually made up of a few colours. Mostly reds, oranges and yellows. Sometimes even greens.

You’ll need to bring your A-game when it comes to colour correcting chocolate to bring out its rich and decadent colours.

I teach you how to do this exactly with chocolate in my Capture One Magic masterclass.

Are you hungry now thinking about all this chocolate? I sure am.

I’d love to know which of these tips you’re eager to try on your next chocolate photoshoot. Drop me a comment below and let me know.

Brush up your photography skills by checking out what courses are on offer to elevate your next photoshoot.

The post 6 Practical Tips to Capture Delicious Chocolate Food Photography  appeared first on Two Loves Studio.

Have you ever said to yourself, my pictures just aren’t sharp enough? What am I doing wrong? You feel like you’ve tried a bunch of stuff, but you still can’t seem to get sharp images?

We’ll let’s explore some tips to help you troubleshoot why your images aren’t in focus.

All of these are things I’ve experienced either myself or through teaching others. SO let’s take a look at the tips you can troubleshoot to get sharp images.

Table of Content

1. Shutter speed is too low to handhold
2. Your shutter speed is really low
3. Your tripod isn’t stable enough
4. Reduce camera shake
5. Autofocus selecting the incorrect point
6. Contrast for the lens to autofocus
7. Dealing with moving subjects
8. Shooting too shallow depth of field
9. Shoot too small an aperture
10. Lens front/back focusing
11. Poor quality lenses
12. Not adjusting the diopter
13. Think differently when shooting with a macro lens
14. Clean your lens

Tack Sharp Images Tip #1: Shutter speed is too low to handhold

This is the biggest area for me in terms of images not turning out to be tack sharp. Where your limits to hand-holding certain shutter speeds lie is a bit of a personal thing.

Shooting for so many years, I know that my limit sits around 1/125. Anything lower than this and I know that I am playing with fire.

SOLUTION: Capture multiple shots using ‘CH’, (continuous high).

If I need to shoot lower due to lighting conditions, say around 1/80 then I use ‘CH” continuous high to capture a few shots and hope that I am steady enough to get one shot out of three.

Knowing where your shutter speed limit lies will assist you in getting tack-sharp images every time.

Get Sharp Images Tip #2: Your shutter speed is really low…

As in two low for the amount of light or what you’re trying to capture.

Funny thing is that I didn’t even really know that shooting this low was a thing when I first started. But seeing a professional shoot it on set with their studio stand opened my eyes to what’s possible.

When your shutter speed is super low, it means that the camera’s shutter is open for longer and capturing blur comes into play. This may not be a huge issue with still-life photography that doesn’t move, but it doesn’t mean you can forget about it all together.

SOLUTION: You MUST shoot on a tripod and your set-up needs to be completely and utterly stable.

When I am shooting at really low shutter speeds, I take extra precautions (as outlined in the next couple of points) to make sure my setup is rock solid.

Tip #3: Your tripod isn’t stable enough.

If your tripod isn’t solid as a rock, then you open yourself up to vibration or camera shake that can cause blurry images. I’ve learned that good technique and best practices are the way to go time and time again to eliminate this issue and just get back to composing and creating.

This is especially important when shooting at low shutter speeds.

SOLUTION: Use a weight to steady your tripod.

Depending on how I have my tripod setup, I will use a photography sandbag or weight to steady it. In lieu of not having this option, you can load up a grocery bag with books or cans.

HINT: If you have your weight hanging from your tripod, any movement to the weight can also cause vibration and camera shake. Ensure your weight is still before taking a shot.

Tip #4: Reduce camera shake

Camera shake as I have found out over the years of shooting can be attributed to a number of things like unstable tripod, shooting at low shutter speeds and even having shaky hands.

To capture tack sharp images, you want to basically eliminate any camera shake.

SOLUTION: Use your self-timer or remote shutter release.

Where possible, when I am shooting in low light and I need to eliminate any chance of camera shake, I will use either a remote shutter release option in the following order. When tethering, I use my computer to release the shutter.

This would be my go-to option. If I am not tethering then I will either use the self-timer or a remote. This ensures that I am not touching the camera and allowing shake to occur.

Tack Sharp Images Tip #5: Autofocus is selecting the incorrect point of focus

Autofocus is a great feature, but it can cause you some headaches if you have it set on auto area focus. With auto area focus, you’re letting the camera choose what it thinks you want in focus.

This can obviously be an issue as the camera can’t know what you want to be in focus and will often choose the incorrect subject, leaving your focal subject lacking tack sharp images.

SOLUTION: Use single point focus.

I use autofocus to focus on the subject I tell the camera to.

I do this by using single-point focus. I will move the single focus point to be on the subject I desire before I focus. This will ensure that I am the one who is control of deciding which subject and where in the frame will be focused on.

If you’re not sure where to put your focus point, read more about the best focal point here.

HINT: The single point of focus is most accurate when it is the in the middle, if you’re having trouble getting your subject in focus, I ensure my single point is in the middle. I focus on the subject, then reframe for composition before releasing the shutter.

Tack Sharp Images Tip #6: There isn’t enough contrast for the lens to autofocus on

There have been many shoots when I couldn’t work out why my shots seemed to be blurry, and it came down to two things, low light and there not being enough contrast on the subject or area I was focusing on.

This can happen with both tonal and colour contrast. The most obvious is when you’re focusing on negative space in your scene on a white background.

SOLUTION: Use your lens cap to focus on then turn off auto focus to prevent any refocus.

Many times when shooting for magazines or editorials with text requirements, you may have negative space that is in the middle of your image that your camera wants to focus on.

In this example, I had to style ingredients around the edge of the frame for text requirements. To get around the camera not focusing, I put my lens cap into the scene, focused on it, then switched off autofocus before taking the shot.

I also use my hubby’s technique of creating a focus target that I put into my scene to focus on, before removing and shooting.

Tip #7: Dealing with moving subjects such as pouring liquids or restaurant scenes

There are times in my career when I have had to capture moving subjects. The worst time was shooting a kids’ cookbook, where I was dealing with kids and animals.

I remember thinking to myself, I like food because it does what it’s told and doesn’t move! Regardless, that shoot made me realise that I am not savvy with moving subjects and continuous focus.

Too many shots were out of focus and blurry, which seemed like such a waste.

SOLUTION: Shoot on continuous AF.

A simple technique is to set your camera settings to continuous autofocus when capturing moving subjects within food like pouring liquids or capturing chefs cooking in restaurants.

Using this in conjunction with single point focus (where you are in control of selecting the focal subject) with allow you to keep focusing on your subject as it moves.

Read more about the types of autofocus here in this guide.

Tip #8: Shooting too shallow depth of field

I remember getting my weddings photos back and thinking that a bunch of them were out of focus, when in fact they were shot with the 58mm Nikkor f/1.4G.

A lens notorious for being super duper shallow. That silky smooth shallow depth of field is what gets a lot of us into photography and excited to shoot with a DSLR.

But shooting on a really high aperture can make our images look out of focus. Especially if you miss focus even just slightly.

SOLUTION: Capture a range of apertures to be on the safe side.

When I started shooting for clients and was still finding my feet, I would shoot a couple of different apertures so I had a range of images with varying depths of field.

It was like an insurance policy against images looking out of focus when they actually, in fact, were just shallow.

Over time you will get better at knowing which apertures work best at what angles.

REALTED POST: The Best Tips For Getting Sharp Food Photos

Tip #9: Shoot too small an aperture

Sometimes when we are facing blurry image issues, we think that the solution is to shoot at a really small aperture, (like f/18 or f/22), so we significantly increase the depth of field.

Smaller apertures increase the impact of diffraction. Diffraction is the ‘bending of light’ or interference of light waves with one another.

This bending prevents the light from focusing and the more unfocused light reaches the sensor, the softer the image.

SOLUTION: Capture a range of apertures to be on the safe side.

And if possible stick to higher apertures and adjust your settings.

Get Sharp Image Tip #10: Your lens could be front/back focusing

I was shooting exclusively with my 100mm macro for quite a few shoots when I started to notice that I wasn’t getting tack-sharp images using my single-point focus.

My settings and stability of my set-up weren’t ideal for sharp images. I decide to shoot a range of angles and noticed that this was only occurring for overhead shots.

This led me to do some tests and I found that the lens was forward focusing.

SOLUTION: Ensure your lens is calibrated.

After calibrating my lens, I noticed that it was significantly better at focusing on the selected area. I still didn’t think it was 100% fixed, so when shooting with this lens, I play around with the single-point focus on my chosen subject until I find that sweet spot of focus perfection.

I find this only occurs with this lens, so knowing how your lens is and should be performing will help you better troubleshoot the issue.

Tip #11: Shooting with a poor-quality lens

Lenses are super important when it comes to producing quality photography and tack sharp images.

Most of us will start off with a kit lens as professional lenses are investments. A lot of us will be swayed by zoom lenses that incorporate a range of focal lengths in a bid to save some money.

Zoom lenses can be less sharp than professional primes, and entry level lenses aren’t always good quality.

SOLUTION: Try to avoid shooting at either extremes of the aperture range.

Entry-level kit lenses and some zoom lenses won’t be at their prime focus at all aperture ranges, especially not at the extreme end of the range.

This will depend on the lens, but the 18mm – 55mm won’t be as sharp at f/3.5 as it will be for say f/5.6. Knowing your lens and where its sweet spot in terms of the aperture will help you to get sharp images.

And in the meantime, save up for a professional prime lens to add to your kit.

Read the lenses I recommend for taking beautiful images of food.

Tip #12: Not adjusting the diopter correctly

At one of my workshops, I was helping a student to master manual mode and she was having trouble with focusing. As she was using manual focus, she was focusing but her images were coming out blurry.

When I took a look at her camera, I noticed that they were blurry regardless of what we were doing. The giveaway was that they were blurry through the viewfinder.

SOLUTION: Scroll your diopter wheel until the viewfinder looks perfectly in focus.

The diopter allows you to make adjustments to the focus on view in the viewfinder to suit your vision. This doesn’t change the imaging sensor but will help you if you’re using manual focus.

You want to make sure you have adjusted this setting correctly so you can see exactly how the image will look in the viewfinder.

Tip #13: You need to think differently about shooting with a macro lens

If you’re shooting with a macro lens, it is going to act a little differently to your other lenses. I have seen students when they first get their hands on a macro lens feels like there is something wrong with the lens as it appears to take shots that are out of focus, or blurry.

SOLUTION: Change your angle and plane of focus to get your subject in sharp images.

Macro lenses are going to be a little shallower than your average prime, at similar apertures. If you feel like you’re not getting enough of your subject in focus, then you will need to change angles so that your plane of focus spans your subject differently.

HINT: Shoot at a smaller aperture than you normally would with a prime. Like f/5.6.

Tack Sharp Images Tip #14: Clean your lens!

It might sound simple, but make sure your lenses are clean!

A dirty front element on your lens is a sure guarantee to have inaccurate focus. Taking all of these steps and keeping them in mind is a big step to eliminating blurry and ensuring you get tack-sharp images every time!

If you struggle to take tack-sharp images of your food photography, then I want to hear from you! Let’s troubleshoot through these tips and get your images to be crisp!

Leave me a comment below outlining your struggles with getting sharp images.

The post 14 Ways to Improve Your Food Photos With Tack Sharp Images appeared first on Two Loves Studio.

Let’s talk about perpetual licencing! Now, if you have traded your photography services for money, you’ve likely had a conversation with clients or colleagues about licencing your photos. As a photographer, we take photos for clients, but we as the artist own the copyright of those images. Generally, clients will then ‘license’ images from us in order to be able to use them, (unless it’s used privately).

On occasion, you may be asked to provide a perpetual licence. In this post, I want to explore what a perpetual licence is and how to talk to your client about it.

Here’s a quick overview and Table of Contents for this article:

• What is a perpetual licence
• Find out what a client really needs
• Initial communiation example via email
• Examples of how to talk to clients based on their needs
• What to charge for perpetual licencing
• The most important thing to remember about licencing

What is a Perpetual Licence?

Firstly, let’s start off by understanding what a perpetual licence is in the context of photography.

A perpetual license is a licence to use images indefinitely. This type of licence covers the timeframe of image use. How they are used can change within the license.

An exclusive worldwide perpetual licence would allow a client to have exclusive use of your images, (others can’t use the images), and they can use them worldwide indefinitely.

You can also have a regional-based perpetual print licence. Meaning that a client could print the image in say North America indefinitely.

The main takeaway is that perpetual equals ongoing or indefinitely. Being able to use images indefinitely means the images are now more valuable as they will generate more income for a client over time.

Perpetual licenses should cost more money than a one-time or one year license.

Find Out What the Client *Really* Needs. They Don’t Always Need a Perpetual Licence.

Whilst some clients will demand a perpetual licence and aren’t flexible on this, I have found 9 times out of 10 having a conversation with the client about their true needs and concerns can open up a lot.

I kindly as the client to share their licencing needs with me and why they feel they need a perpetual licence. You’d be surprised by their answers.

Here are the most common reasons a client might request a perpetual licence. Clients:

1. Are worried you will licence their images to other clients or competitors.
2. Feel it’s the best investment to be able to use the images forever.
3. Want flexibility and don’t want to have to look up the usage of the images every time they need them.
4. Think this is the best licence for them as they aren’t sure what other options are.

The reason we want to have a conversation with the client is that if any of the above are revealed, you can find solutions for what they need and educate them on pricing for what they really need.

Communication Example to Client

To help you with your communication with your client, here is an example I’ve used in my business when talking to a client. Although I can’t walk you through each example of what the client might come back with, I can help you get started.

Here is a sample of an email I’ve sent to a client on the wording for perpetual licencing discussions. Feel free to use this in your own words.

Educating Your Client on Perpetual Licencing Options

After you have a conversation with a client and hopefully we get some answers from them, if you come across any of the above factors, I’ve got some examples of how I would approach it with clients.

Let’s take a look at each one below.

If Your Client is Worried About Licences For Competitors.

A client doesn’t need a perpetual licence or to even ‘own’ the images to address this. If your conversation has revealed that they are worried about licencing to competitors, you can simply include something in your contract that you won’t sell to direct competitors.

I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice, but something along these lines would be what you are trying to communicate in your contract. Please seek legal advice for wording in your contract.

“The Photographer agrees not to licence images to direct competitors of the client without express written permission from the client. Direct competitors can be determined by the client”.

If Your Client Thinks the Best Investment is to Use the Images Forever.

Clients often think that they will want to be able to use an image forever but that’s rarely the case. I will often communicate to clients that photos really have a lifespan of 3-5 years.

I’ll also ask them to think about if they will really be using the same image of their product in 5 years? The answer is likely no. In a fast-paced world, we really want to be refreshing our images more than this. Of course, there are occasions where a photo will be well used beyond this timeframe.

I communicate to clients that I don’t want them to have to spend more money than is necessary. My best advice to clients is that if they want to use an image beyond 5 years, they can also purchase an extended licence after 5 years to keep using an image. This will be less costly the next time as they aren’t paying creative fees and often licence renewals can be discounted for being renewed.

Why pay perpetual licencing for all images now, when you might only use one longer than five years? Talk to your clients and share with them that you have their best interests and ROI in mind.

If a Client Wants Flexibilty With Their Licence.

Perpetual licencing does in a way give a client flexibility but only in timeframe, not usage. A perpetual licence doesn’t automatically give clients the rights to use an image in every way possible.

If a client wants the flexibility to use an image on their website, social media, in emails, online marketing and print for tradeshows, they need a broad licence covering these usages. Not solely a perpetual licence.

This is why asking questions, being in communication and educating clients on licencing is important.

A Client is Unsure What the Best Licencing Option For them is.

You can really tailor a licence to be as specific as it needs to be for a client. Asking them what they really need and what’s important to them will often allow you to tailor a licence that suits them.

Often, clients will feel heard and supported. The more you engage the client and appear to care about their needs the more receptive they are. Remember that you are the expert here and your job is to help them navigate this aspect of creative photography.

One thing to keep in mind is that when the licence expires, it doesn’t mean the client needs to remove images previously used. For example, the client doesn’t need to remove the images from a blog post that was created during the licencing period once the period expires.

How Much to Charge For a Perpetual Licence

There are so many factors that go into this that there isn’t an industry standard or formula as creative projects aren’t a one-size-fits-all situation.

A perpetual licence can be anywhere between 50% to 1,000% the creative fee. That’s because if the creative fee is low, the percentage would be higher. If the creative fee is high, the percentage will be lower.

For those working with a small business whose budget is smaller, I would be pushing them towards a 5-year licence to help them out budget-wise. If they have little budget you can look at 50%-100% of your creative fee and start there. Ask yourself if that feels reasonable, too low or too high.

What’s Most Important is Charging Something & Educating Clients.

Licencing is never an easy conversation and a lot of new photographers shy away from this. This hurts everyone in the industry. The most important thing I think is to educate clients on perpetual licencing and charging something. Over time, you will get better at your licencing packages and talking to clients about usage. This will benefit the industry.

For those starting out, if you’re dealing with a large, well-known company or client push harder for getting paid the correct amount of licencing. Small businesses just don’t have the budget so I am more flexible with them and often include a very simple licence that covers a lot of usages.

Have you ever had experience talking to clients about perpetual licencing? Do you have a formula or percentage that you charge? I’d love to know your comments below!

If this post on photography licencing sparked your interest, be sure to read more on licencing tips here.

The post How to Talk to Photography Clients About Perpetual Licencing appeared first on Two Loves Studio.

Is licencing your least favourite topic to talk to clients about? I’m over here raising my hand too. After a decade and more of being a photographer, I’ve learned a trick or two when it comes to licencing your photos.

Let’s dive into some tips and tricks to help you manage your client’s licencing expectations. I’m going to lay out the tips quickly here for you, read on if you want to know more!

Tips on How to Licence Your Photos

• Use the term ‘usage’ over licencing.
• Talk about what happens to existing vs new image use.
• Editorial and advertorial licencing are different. Advertorial licencing costs more.
• Have a line item for licencing on your invoices.
• Search online for large brand media kits to see what they are charging for an advertorial.
• Include a licencing package for small businesses in the creative fee.

Now, let’s dive into each one of these a little more.

Use the Term Usage Rather Than Licencing

Some clients despise licencing which I totally get because it’s not my favourite thing either. If your client is especially sensitive to this topic, sometimes using the verbiage ‘usage’ over ‘licencing’ helps when discussing photography usage agreements. You can use this in your written communication and invoicing to clients.

Remind Clients Expired Usage Agreements Doesn’t Equal Existing Content Removal

Once a licencing agreement expires, your client doesn’t have to take down all content in which the images appeared. It only applied to new content. This can also be outlined in your photography usage agreements.

For clients new to this concept, reassure them that they don’t need to remove those old blog posts, social media posts or even discontinue selling an existing ebook. This can really put the client’s mind at ease.

The Difference Between an Editorial and an Advertorial Matters

When it comes to food photography, an editorial and an advertorial are different even though they might look similar in a magazine.

Shooting an image for an editorial piece might just involve you taking a photo of a recipe. The food will usually appear without a brand or product being placed in the shot. The focus isn’t on a particular product but maybe a seasonal recipe.

An advertorial on the other hand is marketing a product or brand and there will be product placement.

The brand is paying for the promotion.

With this type of imagery, you can charge more as the client is taking out an ad in return for sales.

Have a Separate Line Item for Licencing on Your Invoices For Large Clients & Agencies

Larger clients are used to licencing, including commercial work and agencies, like to see usage and licencing as a separate line item on invoices. This helps clients understand the creative and production costs separately from licencing.

If you have to make any adjustments, it’s better to change a usage line item than your creative fee as you’re doing the same amount of work regardless.

Free Course

Take Better Photos in 7 Days

SIGN UP!

Find Magazine Advertising Stats & Rates in Their Media Kits

If your client wants to use an image you shot to feature in a magazine as an advertorial, it’s a high chance they are paying $10,000 to $50,000 (sometimes even more) to appear. If that’s the case, your licence fee should be charged accordingly. 10% of the advertising rate can be a good place to start.

To find out what the potential rates are and the circulation or audience size, try to Google ‘<magazine name> media kit <current year>’. This has worked for me numerous times.

If you can’t find current rates, use the specs for circulation and audience size to help you calculate.

Think About Including Basic Usage in Your Creative Fee For Small Businesses.

For small business clients, it can be really helpful to include some basic uses in your creative fee. Licencing is hard for small businesses to pay and rarely are small businesses making huge amounts of money off the images you take for them. Things like social media, website and email marketing can be easily included.

Hope you found this post on photography usage agreements, helpful for your next shoot! Let me know in the comments below.

The post Photography Usage Agreements: Tips on How to Licence Your Photos appeared first on Two Loves Studio.

This post may contain affiliate links from products and services we love and trust.

It’s extremely frustrating (and a total shame) to spend hours styling a scene with expensive equipment, only to find out that your shots are ‘soft’ or out of focus.

Our job as a photographer is to make sure that our photos are in focus — tack-sharp focus!

Yet, focus is not always a simple solution. There are many things that come into play to get a sharp food photo and many things that can get wrong when we take a blurry photo.

I’d love to empower you with some tricks up your sleeve to get those mouth-watering tack-sharp photos. Here are the tips we’ll cover in this article to:

1. Reduce camera shake
2. Try auto-focus and manual-focus
3. Use single-point focus
4. Focus in live view when tethering
5. Zoom in on your camera to focus
6. Use tools like capture one’s focus mask
7. Take into account the plane of focus
8. Artificial light makes photos appear sharper

But first, let’s cover what makes a photo ‘blurry’.

What Makes a Photo Blurry or Out of Focus

When we take a photo and it’s out of focus, we often refer to this in the photography world as being ‘soft’. This can make the focus seem a little ‘off’ or the focus in an unintended place. 

We can also have a photo that is ‘blurry’, where there is a camera shake that makes the focus area blurry. Here’s a little rundown of what can make a photo out of focus:

• Focusing on an unintended area in your photo.
• Macro lenses miss the area you wanted to focus on due to the plane of focus.
• There is camera shake due to an external force.
• Your camera settings allow for camera shake or movement when hand-holding.
• The LCD screen on the back of the camera isn’t sufficient to show if the area is in focus.

These are the most common things that can happen — seems simple right? While these are simple, there are so many things that can cause them it often takes a little bit of detective work at first to figure out what the cause might be.

Reduce Camera Shake for Sharp Photos

Camera shake is probably the most common reason our photos are blurry and out of focus.

When we talk about camera shake, it refers to any movement the camera experiences as the photo is being taken. If we have a slow shutter speed, the shutter is open for longer and subject to the effects of camera shake than a fast shutter speed.

You can experience camera shake at faster shutter speeds, but it’s more frequent with slower shutter speeds (which we mostly shoot in still life photography and food photography, especially if you’re using natural light).

Ways to reduce camera shake include:

• Use a sturdy tripod and sandbags (or similar) to secure it
• Take the photo via a remote control or using your computer if you tether
• Avoid walking around while taking the shot if you have bouncy floors
• Increase your shutter speed (and other settings) if hand-holding
• Artificial light will help you reduce camera shake due to the speed of the flash

Auto Focus vs Manual Focus

It’s useful to be able to use both Auto-Focus and Manual-Focus on occasions where the photo isn’t blurry, but the lens is ‘missing focus’.

Most of the time I use Auto-Focus in combination with Live View to ensure I am focusing on the area I want. With macro lenses and small areas, sometimes we will need to switch to manual focus.

If your lens isn’t selecting the correct area, switch to manual focus and turn that focus ring old school!

If you’re interested in learning how to set up Back Button Focus, check out the post.

Try Single Point Focus

There are many types of focus options in cameras these days and many are designed to suit specific niches. For still life and food photography, my favourite focus mode is Single Point Focus.

This gives me a little square that I can move around on my camera, (or tethering software like Capture One), to ensure that I am controlling where the focus is. Other modes might not give you the specific areas or control that we need as food photographers.

Focus in Live View

It really helps when you want to focus on the edge of a garnish to be able to see that area of the photo in a larger format. If you use Lightroom or Capture One to tether, then I recommend opening Live View to see the area on your computer and then focus.

When the area is small or delicate, like the edge of a glass, I always use Live View to zoom in and focus before I take the photo.

It’s a complete gamechanger to tether and you can make sure you get those shots in focus right then and there. Check out this post on why I recommend tethering.

Sharp Focus Top Tip: Zoom in on Your Camera to Focus

If you’re in a situation where you can’t tether and you aren’t selecting the exact area you want to focus on, it helps to zoom in on your camera and then focus.

By doing this, you are putting the entire area you want to focus on into the view of the camera, and it’ll select that area to focus on much better than if it was competing with other areas.

Use Tools Like Capture One’s Focus Mask

If you tether, (and I hope you’re excited to dive more into tethering), you have some more options to help you focus at your fingertips.

When I tether in Capture One, I have access to what’s called a Focus Mask. The Focus Mask gives us a quick visualisation and confirmation of the focus accuracy and sharpness in a photo.

The Focus Mask will display areas that are sharply in focus.

This is great for using when tethering if you are far from the computer. It helps you to get a reference of how and what you are focusing on.

Troubleshooting Tips for Focus Issues

If you’re experiencing a blurry or soft photo, I have an article 14 Tips to Troubleshoot Focus I highly recommend going through.

Some unexpected things that can cause focus issues I haven’t covered in this article are:

• You need sufficient contrast on the area you’re focusing on in order for autofocus to work correctly.
• Aperture greatly affects what’s in focus. You can get focus issues with too high or too low apertures.
• The lens might be front/back focusing causing issues even with manual focus.
• Your kit lens won’t be as sharp as a pro lens. The appearance of focus can be affected.
• The lens might need cleaning or the diopter on the camera adjusting.

The focus troubleshooting post is an accumulation of years of experience with focus issues and has helped a lot of photographers take tack-sharp photos. Make sure to check it out.

Plane of Focus Matters for What Will be in Focus

If you’re new to photography or new to using a macro lens, you might be wondering why it’s so darn hard to get a photo that feels in focus!

When it comes to macro photography, we have to be mindful that the Plane of Focus will affect the areas that appear in focus in our photo.

The Plane of Focus is essentially an area of focus that is parallel to our camera’s sensor, whose effects are exacerbated in macro photography. As you play with angles with a macro lens, the Plane of Focus will affect what’s in focus and what’s not.

To learn more about this important aspect of focus, check out the article Secret of Macro Photography: Plane of Focus.

Using Artificial Light Will Make Your Photos ‘Sharper’

One of the things I love about using artificial light is that the speed of the light is so fast, that combined with a fast shutter speed on your camera, our photos ‘feel’ sharper.

Fast settings make for sharp photos — let’s think of it that way.

This might not be the reason to switch from natural light to artificial light, but it’s important to know. If you use both artificial and natural light, then you need to be mindful that when using natural light you have to be vigilant about your camera settings and reducing camera shake.

However, you can still ‘miss focus’ with artificial light. You’ll just likely eliminate the ‘blurriness’ of photos with artificial light.

The Best Place to Focus is on Key Details of Your Hero Subject

Now that we have covered a bunch of tips and things to think about when it comes to focusing, you might be wondering what the best place is to focus on?

I recommend focusing on your hero subject. The subject that’s most important to your food story. Within the foreground to mid-ground of the photo, and selecting the most important detail within that subject.

However, I do recommend exploring! Your photo might look wonderful with something in the background in focus and the foreground blurry. My best advice is to take a range of photos with different focal points so you can have a selection after the shoot.

I hope you found this article helpful. I’m curious to know which tip you’ll be focusing on (pun intended) on your next shoot?

Let me know in the comments below. If you’re experiencing focusing issues, let’s chat. Maybe I can help.

The post The Best Tips For Getting Sharp Food Photos appeared first on Two Loves Studio.

This post may contain affiliate links from products and services we love and trust.

Learning not only how to tether, but how to implement a creative workflow with tethering, was a huge game-changer in my work.

So much so, that I create a mini-course on how to save time and be more creative with tethering. It’s called Tethered Flow, make sure to check it out.

I saw huge improvements in the quality and creativity of my work and I’ll share the reasons why it’s such an important skill in your photography journey.

So what is tethering? If you’re unsure what tethering is, let’s cover that first. If you’re familiar, feel free to skip down to the meaty part of the post.

What is Tethering? It’s Seeing Photos on the Computer During a Shoot in Real-time.

Quite literally, during a tethered session, we are ‘tethered’ to a computer.

We connect our camera to our computer via a cable and view images in teaching software like Capture One Pro, Lightroom, Canon EOS or NX Tether.

Both your camera and computer need to be compatible with software and cables to do so, but with a few simple pieces of gear for under $100 you can easily get started.

RELATED: Tethering Troubleshooting Tips

The goal of tethering is to be able to view the images as they are captured during a shoot. For compositional changes and creative feedback to work towards a common goal – getting those hero shots!

Reasons why we tether:

1. Visualise the concept with test shots
2. Save time with setup file structure & location from the get-go
3. Clients can see the shoot unfold and the images come to life
4. Improves your images: composition & lighting changes in real-time
5. Save time by editing & selecting images as you go
6. It’s easier to check focus, straight lines & mistakes
7. Tethering allows you to work as a team

To read more about each, click the above to jump straight to that section.

Visualise the Concept with Test Shots

Testing backgrounds, props, lighting, and test food is an important part of a successful shoot. It’s a waste of time and resources to spend 2 hrs shooting to a memory card, only to get to the computer later and realise the background didn’t look as good as it did on a tiny screen.

When tethering, you can see the potential of the photo in real-time and make changes before you jump into the real part of the shoot.

Save Time With Setup File Structure & Location From the Get-go

When you tether, you can select the final destination of your images. Create a folder system for storing your images and select a name for the shoot. This will also name your images from the start.

The RAW file names are quite meaningless straight off a memory card, this will save you both time now and in the future when you need to find images.

Clients Can See the Shoot Unfold and the Images Come to Life

This is a must when you are working with clients on set! They want to see and approve the creativity as it happens. This saves any shocks at the end when you’re all packed up and can’t make the small changes they’re requesting.

Clients love to be part of the process and in fact, some clients will demand it. Being able to tether not only makes the process easier but makes for a more professional experience.

Improves Your Images: Composition & Lighting Changes in Real-Time.

This is a game-changer and I really don’t ever photograph now without tethering. In fact, I hate not tethering.

My lighting and composition game was strengthened when I could test our new ideas in real-time. Change and refind them to be the best they could be and in line with my style.

There is nothing worse than getting those files onto the computer hours later and not being able to change the position of a prop, or the camera angle to be more flattering.

Save Time by Editing & Selecting Images as You Go

Another huge reason to tether, and one thing I teach my students about is it won’t just improve your editing it’ll save time too.

Did you know that in programs like Capture One Pro and Lightroom that you can edit an image, and have your edits sync to the next incoming photo(s)? This allows us to make colour correction changes, like White Balance, contrast edits, and more importantly, exposure changes via our camera settings.

Save yourself additional time but starring, flagging, or colour coding images as you go. When the shoot is over, you’ll have a selection of images that you’ve flagged as potential heroes.

It’s Easier to Check Focus, Straight Lines & Mistakes

We’ve all been there and it’s extremely frustrating. You’ve got a million things to check, compose and style the food all at once.

It’s easy to miss something unintended poking into the scene. Or maybe you didn’t realise subjects overlapping was distracting. Is that shot in focus? Could you really tell on the back of the LCD screen?

Tethering allows us to do focus checks, identify, correct and remove potential mistakes and straighten lines.

Getting it right in real-time is such a wonderful opportunity that tethering opens up.

Tethering Allows You to Work as a Team

Do you have to work in a team? With clients? Or perhaps stylists?

It is so much easier for everyone to see the shoot unfolding on a computer screen than huddling around a tiny camera screen.

Many minds make great photos, and being able to collaborate with a team while tethering only strengthens the composition and story of the image.

If you’re not tethering yet, unsure of tethering but ready to up-level your skills, make sure to check out my mini-course on Tethering — Tethered Flow.

Enhance your creative workflow and perfect your images with tethering.

For further reading: Check out the below for more articles about tethering:

3 Simple Troubleshooting Tips for Tethering with Lightroom & Capture One

The post 7 Reasons Why Tethering Helps You Take Better Photos appeared first on Two Loves Studio.

This post may contain affiliate links from products and services we love and trust.

Rather than solely relying on the existing windows in my home and natural light. By using an artificial lighted faux window, I can create something more rustic at any time of the day.

Shopping for props is one of my favorite things to do (aside from taking pictures). Browsing local antique stores is a great way to find hidden treasures. Thoughtfully chosen props create depth and visual interest that can help strengthen the story you are trying to convey.

I am going to walk you through how I’ve used this window as a tool for storytelling when styling this scene of fresh-baked mini cherry pies.

Gear List:

• Canon 6D Mark II
• 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM Lens
• Vanguard Alta Pro Tripod
• Godox AD200 Pro Pocket Flash at Full Power
• Large Soft Box Modifier with Diffusion & Grid
• Tabletop V-Fat

One treasure I found while antiquing was an old rustic window with peeling dirty white paint and intact glass panels…. simply perfection!

Adding this window to my prop collection allows for more versatility in the types of scenes I can create.

Step 1: Secure The Window Before Artificially Lighting

Usually, I will either prop the window up against something sturdy or will physically hold it in place while shooting with a remote. This time, however, I wanted to make life easier, so I put together a quick DIY stand to hold the window securely in place.

To make this DIY stand:

• I grabbed precut wood and a few brackets from a home improvement store and screwed them in place.
• Choosing this bracketing method creates ease of storage and the option of standing the window vertically, or horizontally.
• Depending on the window you use and its weight you may be able to secure it using different methods or even hang it from a c-stand using clamps. 

Step 2: Artificially Light the Faux Window and the Scene

Let’s set our scene starting with our lighted faux window!

To light this scene, I used a Godox AD200 Pro Pocket Flash at full power paired. A large 28” x 39” softbox, double diffused and gridded to soften and direct the light through the window and to prevent extra light from spilling outside of the window.

Then I placed a few plants between the window and the light to simulate a yard or garden scene outside. Finally, I worked on the main composition with the pies.

I had 3 mini pies and knew I wanted to vary the heights of each. I used a pedestal, a stack of 4 small plates as well as one plate to hold one slice of pie. Including a bowl of cherry pie filling and a bowl of ice cream was essential to add visual interest. I also included utensils, a linen napkin, and crumbs to help the viewer imagine themselves in the scene.

Quick tip: The larger the light source, the softer the quality of light. 

I added the tabletop v-flat, with the silver side placed opposite the window and light to reflect light back into the scene to ensure the pie slice was well lit as that was the hero of the image.

Once I was happy with the arrangement of all the elements, I then added a few scoops of vanilla ice cream and drizzled some cherry sauce on top!

Step 3: You’ve Lighted the Faux Window – Take the shot!

My camera settings were, ISO 100, Shutter Speed 1/125, Aperture F/7.1; I did vary the aperture and shutter speed a bit before landing on these settings but kept ISO at 100 and the light at full power.

My camera was placed on a tripod and angled towards the light. Using a remote trigger, I captured a variety of shots, both portrait and landscape as well as closeups of the hero.

Nicole wrote this post. Thank you Nicole for sharing your tips on artificially lighting a faux window scene. Grab Nicole’s Bite-Sized Guide for Better Food Photography here!

 Nicole J. Leverett

Photographer & Visual Artist

Nicole is a multi-faceted graphic designer turned photographer, passionate about creating captivating images and teaching others how to do the same!

New Jersey native, wife, dog mom, bonus mom, daughter, sister obsessed with good food, a good workout and good images. Come say Hi on Instagram or STAY N FOCUS.

The post How to Create an Artificially Lighted Faux Window Scene appeared first on Two Loves Studio.

This post may contain affiliate links from products and services we love and trust.

Moody Martinis just taste (and look) better.

For this moody martini shot, I wanted to imitate a dark, cloudy day with just a little bit of light coming through a window. This isn’t exactly hard to do since living in the Pacific Northwest it’s fairly cloudy 9 months out of the year.

However dark, cloudy window light isn’t always the best lighting for capturing drinks and making small details stand out, so I opted to create the look I wanted in my garage studio using a couple of strobe lights.

Read on to find out how to create your very own, moody martini shots!

Gear Used:

• Sony a7R IV with a Sony 90mm macro lens
• Godox X-Pro Wireless trigger with 2x Godox ad1200 Pro strobes
• Glow-EZ 31×47” soft box
• Westcott Optical Spot/Snoot by Lindsay Adler w/ “Window Blinds” gobo insert
• Erickson Surfaces

Shaping the Light for a Moody Martini Shot

First, I used an optical snoot on one of my strobes with a metal insert (or “gobo”) that shapes the light to look like it’s showing through window blinds.

That part is pretty easy, however, using this light alone was far too dark and shadowy and obscured the details of the Martini.

I placed a second strobe behind the subject in a large softbox and flagged it off slightly with a black poster board. This strobe provided more light to illuminate the glass and the details of the moody martini drink and make it stand out from the grey surface.

Emphasize Moody Drink Texture with Backlight

Backlighting is always really flattering for capturing most cocktails, as it helps emphasize the drink’s texture (such as the droplets on the glass, and lemon oil on the surface).

When used properly, backlighting can also give a cocktail a subtle “glow” that really makes the drink pop and look extra inviting.

Flagging off this backlight with a poster board added a bit more drama and shadow vs. if the strobe wasn’t flagged off at all. Also, adding in more shadow allowed the “window blind” effect from the snoot to appear more pronounced when both lights were used together for the final image.

I went for a nearly monochromatic look. The gold cocktail pick and dull green olive really are the only other colors in the image. I was able to capture a ton of detail using a 90mm macro lens. Thanks to the 1200 watt strobes, I kept my ISO at 100 and stop down my aperture to f/16.

Use Depth of Field for Your Moody Martini Shots

Depth of field can be nice in cocktail imagery. However, I can’t stand drink images where just the rim of the glass is crisp. The focus falls off too quickly due to a low aperture, blurring the rest of the drink.

With drink photography, I’m generally looking for ways to:

• Stop down my aperture to get a broader focus area with more details in perfect focus.
• Shooting at f/16 kept my entire cocktail looking incredibly crisp and sharp.

Although it’s a darker, moodier image, the moody martini itself is still really striking

Like the majority of my work, this is a relatively minimalist image. No other props or styling elements were used to frame the subject.

I try to use light and texture to make the drink I’m photographing look as dynamic and interesting as possible. Even with a drink as simple and familiar as a Moody Martini.

Jordan wrote this post. Thank you, Jordan for sharing your tips on moody martini shots using artificial light. Interested to find out more from Jordan, join the Cocktail Camera Pro Enrolment waitlist here!

 Jordan Hughes

Photographer + Educator

Jordan Hughes is a full-time creative in the food and beverage industry. He works as a photographer, recipe developer and media consultant for respected brands, bars and restaurant groups. Founder + Educator at Cocktail Camera.

Come say hi on Instagram.

The post Pro Lighting Gear: Imitate Dark Window Light to Photograph Moody Martinis appeared first on Two Loves Studio.

This post may contain affiliate links from products and services we love and trust.

How to avoid reflections in photography is something we all want to know. One of the most often asked questions I receive is “how do I manage reflections when shooting drinks?”.

Today I’ll walk you through this virgin amaretto sour photoshoot. Along with sharing key strategies I employ that help simplify the challenges I face when photographing reflective glassware.

I primarily work with artificial light because of the control and consistency it offers. This particular photoshoot took place at 4 pm in late February, being in the northern hemisphere, meant a 6 pm sunset. I didn’t feel rushed, however, because I wasn’t relying on window light to illuminate my scene.

So let’s dive in!

Lighting Gear Used in This Tutorial

• Godox AD600 Pro
• 31’’ x 47’’ Glow EZ lock softbox 
• Rosco Cinegel #3000 Filter
• Tough Rolux 48’’ x 25’
• C-stand
• Foam Boards & Clamps

I love Godox AD600 Pro-light for its ability to run either on battery power or an AC plug (for continued power), allowing me to shoot all day. It’s also powerful enough for nearly all food and product photography I do at 600WS.

Avoid Reflections in Photography by Selecting the Right Modifier

The magic when working with artificial light isn’t the light itself. It’s all about the modifier. The tool we use to shape and modify the light to get the look we desire. 

There are endless options depending on what your aesthetic preferences are for lighting drinks. There’s no universal standard, only personal preferences and tastes.

I love soft light that reflects a clean straight line in the glassware and a nice subtle gradient fall off both in the highlights reflected in the glassware as well as the shadows in the overall scene.

To achieve this look, I utilise:

1. A large rectangular softbox. In this case, a 31’’ x 47’’ Glow EZ lock softbox attached to my light via a bowens mount.
2. As well as a large sheet of full-stop diffusion paper. I used this Rosco Cinegel #3000 Filter, Tough Rolux 48’’ x 25’ hung from the boom arm of a c-stand.

The softbox is large so it provides soft, yet defined directional light to project onto our scene.  But the addition of the paper is the secret weapon that helps to further soften the light. It also helps to smooth out the reflections.  

Sometimes when working with softboxes and nylon diffusion material there can be small wrinkles or creases in them. When photographing highly reflective objects, these wrinkles will be visible. 

I once photographed super shiny chocolate candies for a chocolatier. All I could see in the reflections were the wrinkles in the scrim I was using. I avoid that issue altogether by using paper diffusion.

By Blocking Light You Can Avoid Reflections in Photography

One additional tool I used in this lighting setup was a strip of black foam core, positioned at the right rear of the scene. This helped to block the light entering at the back of the scene and created a shadowy effect in the background. 

I prop up my foam core with a-clamps from the hardware store.  You can purchase black foam core at craft and office supply stores. Then simply cut it down to the size you desire.

Positioning the Light: Angle The Light For Thinner Reflections

Notice how I have positioned the light relative to the diffusion paper in this setup.  Do you see how I have angled the light?  It’s not placed parallel to the paper.  

You certainly could place it in a more parallel fashion. However, by placing it on this angle, it spreads the light so that more intense light is falling towards the rear of the scene and the rear edge of the subject. 

Then as the light falls off as it stretches to the edge of the diffusion paper near the front of the scene, it similarly falls off in the reflected highlights, creating a soft gradient of light. You can especially see this effect in the bottles in the background. 

This positioning also creates a thinner reflection on the glassware as opposed to a wider band, which you see reflected as a thin strip on the right front of the hero glass. 

Dramatically impact the look of your scene.

Subtle adjustments in the position of the light can dramatically impact the look of your scene. In addition, the little thin reflection on the left front of the glass, that’s actually the reflection from the jigger placed in the foreground. 

To eliminate that reflection, aside from removing the jigger which I think adds a nice atmosphere to the scene, it could be easily removed in Photoshop.

Choosing The Right Glassware Helps us to Control Highlights

When trying to avoid reflections in photography, lighting is the primary key to controlled highlights in any beverage scene. The glassware we pick will also have an impact. When I have the choice, I will choose a glass that’s easier to photograph and minimize reflections.

I started this shoot with an elegant, thin-walled old fashioned glass, appropriate for a drink like this virgin amaretto sour. 

Once I poured the drink and added the garnish, the scene felt a little too simple and boring to me. I took this as an opportunity to try different glasses. 

Next was an old fashioned glass with some texture, but still, I wasn’t in love with the shot. 

I wondered if something with a stem might better fit the mood of the scene and create the visual interest I was craving? 

My grandmother’s antique glassware was just what the shot needed in my mind! 

Also, notice, how the light interacts differently with the straight old-fashioned glass versus the textured old-fashioned versus the stemmed glass?  Whenever there is texture or variation in the surface of the glass, it will break up the highlights and minimize the issue of reflection.  

Granted, our lighting flattered the straight glass. If, however, you find yourself in a situation where the highlights in your current selection are giving you fits, and you have the flexibility to choose a different glass, opt for something with texture to make your shoot easier.

Next time someone asks you, “how to avoid reflections in photography when shooting drinks?” you can tell them it’s all a matter of lighting and glassware. 

Joanie Simon wrote this post. Thank you Joanie for sharing your tips on reflection in beverage photography.

 Joanie Simon

Commercial & Editorial Food Photographer

Creator of the popular educational platform The Bite Shot, which is a fun, vibrant, global community of photographers who love food and photography. Her signature online course, Artificial Academy, is a place for people with no prior lighting experience to learn to use artificial light for natural-looking and dynamic results.

You can enjoy additional education from Joanie on YouTube and at The Bite Shot.

The post Must Know: How to Avoid Reflections in Beverage Photography appeared first on Two Loves Studio.

Curious about Photoshop composite ideas and how you can use them as a food photographer? We’ve got you covered! There are a number of ways you can use composites and once you get a few ideas, I hope that you’ll use them often like I do.

Before I share some composite ideas, I want to make sure you know what a composite is and why we use it in food photography.

A Composite Combines Images & Helps us be Creative

Firstly, a composite is a process of combining two or more images in Photoshop to create one final image. This process allows us to both be creative and have control over the final look of our image. It helps us to problem solve certain issues that are hard to capture in one single image. I.e. reflections, lighting or styling constraints.

Now that you know what a composite is, let’s take a look at some Photoshop composite ideas.

Photoshop Composite Ideas

There are quite a large number of ways we can use Photoshop to composite images of food. Let’s take a look at some Photoshop composite ideas you can use on your next food shoot! In a nutshell, here are five quick ways you can use Photoshop to create composites in food photography:

1. Food Gathering
2. Depth of Field & Focus Stacking
3. Perfect Lighting
4. Liquor Bottle & Beverages
5. Complex Removals

To learn more about how to capture assets in-camera to create composites and how to put them together in Photoshop in minutes, check out my Retouching Food Photography masterclass.

1 – Photoshop Composite Ideas: A Food Gathering But Your Shooting Solo

A common Photoshop composite idea for food photographers is the ability to create a food gather scene when you’re working solo. That’s right, you only need yourself to be able to do this.

It works by setting up your self-timer and taking a number of photos with your hands in different places. You can then composite a few images together to make it look like there was a gathering of people.

2 – Depth of Field Composites & Focus Stacking

While some cameras have focus stacking capabilities built-in, sometimes you might want more control over depth of field and what’s in focus vs what has a nice blur.

You can use photoshop composites to selectively brush in areas you want to be in focus and areas you don’t. I often do this for client work when shooting beverages at 45-degree angles. I like to use my 105mm macro lens, capture both subjects in focus and have a nice bokeh. In this case, I will use Photoshop as I like the control it gives me.

3 – Perfect Lighting With Photoshop Composites

We all know that photography is about lighting and we are always striving for the perfect lighting. What some people don’t know is that with certain subjects and photoshoots, a single image can be made up of multiple images with different light. Another Photoshop composite idea is to craft the desired lighting in a photo.

You can change your lighting and take a number of shots and composite them together in Photoshop. Although we ideally want to get the perfect lighting in-camera, sometimes it’s just not possible.

4 – Liquor Bottle & Beverage Composites

A lot of beverage photography is done using composites. This is an example where getting the perfect lighting for liquor bottles is only possible with composites. In order to manage reflections and illuminate the bottles in a way that highlights the colour of the liquid and entices the buyer to purchase.

Bottle composites can sometimes be up to 10 shots combined, especially at the commercial level.

In my Photoshop masterclass, Retouching Food Photography, I can teach you how to composite a bottle shot for the perfect commercial look with minimal reflections.

5 – Composites Are Used in Complex Removals

Have you ever had something large and hard to remove from a photo? One way to get around this is to composite two or more images together. Just take this shot for example. I was shooting for a restaurant when an orange car pulled up outside the window just as I was pouring salted caramel onto the dessert.

The best way to remove this was two composite two shots together. Pretty neat huh!

If you’re ready to learn how to start composting and get creative, check out my Photoshop Retouching Food Photography masterclass.

The post 5 Incredibly Useful Photoshop Composite Ideas For Food Photographers appeared first on Two Loves Studio.

I was honoured to be able to co-host a training on color with Capture One and David Grover. We focused on Appetising vs Correct Color in food photography, diving into some of the tools that we can use in Capture One to correct and enhance colour.

Correct color in food photography comes down to how food should look to make it appetising.

Press play to watch!

Food photography is bursting with colour. Our job as photographers is to capture and edit colour to be appetising. In this training, we’ll explore appetising vs ‘correct colour’ as we search for the best edits to enhance colours in food.

From bold to desaturated colours, we’ll uncover how to edit the colour ranges in a number of colour foods. From stewed rhubarb to chocolate cake. Learn which tools to use to edit food photography, as well as different workflows and ways to think about editing colour.

Tips for Editing Correct Color in Food Photography in Capture One

When you edit color in food photography, there are few key things to think about. Our human brains are very astute at figuring out what colors food should be. At a primal level, it helps us to eat the right, safe and ripe food vs the poisonous or food that has been spoiled.

Here are some tips from the training when it comes to colour:

• Bold colours need to be managed separately using different tools.
• Colours in food don’t have to be saturated to be beautiful. Sometimes we need to desaturate colours.
• Colours work together, there is rarely a pure colour when it comes to food.
• We see a lot of ‘analogous’ colours in food, and so we often have to edit colours sitting next to each other on the colour wheel.
• Exposure and contrast affect colours, I work on appetising colours at the end of my workflow

Chocolate is a Color & Needs Mulitple Color Corrections

Most photographers struggle to photograph and edit chocolate because we often think of it as a brown food. While it is, it’s also made up of hues from red to orange, yellow and sometimes even green.

Next time you need to edit chocolate, think about if you can see these colors in your photo and use the Color Editor – Basic Tool to alter (or enhance) the presence of the chocolate color.

Desaturating Colors Can be Beautiful

A lot of us think about color as being bright and bold. Food is often so colorful that we can forget that we don’t always have to desaturate a color for it to have an impact. I tend to think about color in terms of what draws the eye.

Sometimes too much color or a vast range of colors can feel confusing and overwhelming. Selectively saturating and desaturating is how we show the viewer what’s the most important element in our image or food story.

Just take a look at these White Wine Poached Pear shots. They are both beautiful for different reasons. One is more saturated and one is desatured. Can you notice texture differently in these shots?

Did you enjoy this training? Interested in learning more about Capture One? Join my Capture One Magic Masterclass today.

For more training and tips on Capture One, check out these posts.

18 Top Tips New Capture One Pro Users Need to Know.

Lightroom vs Capture One: Important Differences You Need to Know

Switching From Lightroom to Capture One: When & Who Should

The post Free Class: Appetising vs Correct Color Food Photography in Capture One appeared first on Two Loves Studio.

This post may contain affiliate links from products and services we love and trust.

Drinks have all kinds of different textures in photography. It’s our job to communicate what the drink might feel like when it hit our mouths and it’s one of the main reasons I love photographing them.

Backlight can help emphasise texture with clear (or almost clear) liquids that have pulp, bubbles or another ingredient that needs to be highlighted. ⁠⁠Whereas the glass you use can emphasise or hide texture.

Your camera angle is another important element to either elevate or eliminate drink texture in photography.

Be sure to ask yourself, is the shape, colour or pattern of the glass hindering or helping texture? Play around with a variety of angles to find the angle that will exaggerate the best texture.

Let’s dive into the nine ways we can feel and see the textures in our photography.

When it comes to shooting drinks my top drink tip is to focus on highlighting liquid texture.

1 – Frozen Drink Texture in Photography

Add height and swirls to frozen cocktails with a small spoon to help the viewer understand the texture. With white frozen drinks, use shadows to enhance the textures.

2 – Thick Drink Textures

One of my favourite textures in photography when shooting drinks is the thick winter style of a hot chocolate. From the colour of the milk to the thick layer of foam. All of the textures give a feeling of heavy comfort.

3 – Pulpy: Provides a Unique Textural Feeling

Pulpy drinks, like a Lychee Frose, has a different feeling texturally to other thick drinks. Highlighting flecks of the fruit help reveal its pulpy texture.

4 – Impressive Creamy Textures in Photography

The billowiness of this Ramos Fizz can be seen as the cream is shaken to almost resemble meringue. Capturing the foam spilling over the glass with sidelight reveals the thick creaminess of this cocktail.

5 – Silky Textures: A Must Have

Chilled whiskey on the rocks is the ultimate silky smooth drink. Highlighting an ultra-smooth feeling, it feels and looks light as air.

6 – Icy Textures in Photography

Ice feels different from frozen. It’s grainer and crunchier. Crushed ice helps add a different feel to a frozen drink. Using clarity in editing helps enhance this texture.

7 – Smooth

Backlight shine helps give a cocktail a smooth feeling. This is especially important for clear spirit-based cocktails like a martini.

8 – Bubbly

Bubbles help cocktails feel alive! It adds such a fun and unique texture to drinks. Make sure to capture it freshly poured with a fast shutter speed to freeze motion.  

9️ – Drink Texture Show Stopper: Foamy⁠⁠

Foamy drinks are the show stoppers. Using sidelight can help to reveal the bubbles or foam. Capture the foam separating as the cocktail sits (within the first two minutes) for even more interesting textures. 

Is there a drink texture in photography I missed? Let me know what other textures you could capture in your drink shots in the comments below.

If you enjoyed this post on Texture in Drink Photos, make sure you also check out How to Layer Drinks. And for more ways to style photogenic drinks, be sure to grab my e-guide.

The post Texture In Photography: 9 Ways to Photograph Texture in Drinks appeared first on Two Loves Studio.