1. TECHmunch Tampa
April 21, 2012
Presented by Susan Filson

2. Anyone can learn to make beautiful pictures. All it takes
is the desire to learn and a willingness to invest your time.
You don’t need to have a fancy, expensive DSLR or a lot
of pricey equipment, either. If you know how to use it, you
can get great shots using a pocket-sized Point & Shoot
camera.
I am not a formally trained photographer. But, with the
help of some good resources and generous friends who
are pros, I have learned a lot about how to make a picture
pop. And, I’m still learning every day.
My hope is that I can pass some helpful tips on to you!

3. Making Shortcake taken with a Canon S90

4. Whipped Butter taken with a Canon S90

5. Heirloom tomatoes at the Portland Farmers Market taken with a Panasonic GF1

6. Artichokes at the Portland Farmers Market taken with a Panasonic GF1

8. Tip # 1: Buttons! Buttons!
What the heck are all of those BUTTONS?
• Learn how to use your
camera.
• Read the instruction
manual!
• Find a good camera-
specific “How To” book
and read it too.
• If you don’t know what
your camera can do, you
wont know how to
make it do what you
want!
• Practice! Practice!
Practice! It’s free!

9. Tip #2: A picture paints a thousand
words. Tell your story!
• What mood do you want
your pictures to convey?
What feelings do you want
them to evoke?
• Use tools like Evernote &
Pinterest to create an
“Inspiration Board”.
• Draw on your own
memories & experiences
when searching for ideas.
• Tell your story!

12.  Always use natural light
whenever possible.
 Play around with light by
physically moving around
your subject to see how the
light plays off it from
different angles.
 Use the “clock formula” to try
out different ways to light
your subject.
 Bounce your light to control
shadows and create
interesting effects.

13.  Use the number
positions on the clock as
a guide for setting up the
light source for your
photos.
 Practice directing the
light flow from various
positions, ie 3:00, 9:00 or
12:00.
 Note how changing the
direction of the light flow
can completely change
the feel of your pictures.

15. Light coming in from 9:00

16. Light coming in from 3:00

17. Light coming in from 10:00 & 11:00

18.  White plates & bowls make
food stand out.
 Avoid serving vessels with
busy patterns. They
compete with the food.
 A fork , spoon or knife
placed casually in a shot
gives the impression that
the food is about to be, or
has just been eaten.
 Layering linens and
stacking plates adds
texture and dimension.

19.  Scrapbooking paper
 Ceramic floor tiles
 Salvaged wood paneling and doors
 Fabric remnants
 Scenic posters mounted on foamboard
 Antique kitchen gadgets, bottles and jars
 Old baskets, buckets and fruit crates
 Human hands

21.  Homegoods (www.homegoods.com)
 Target (www.target.com)
 Shop Sweet Lulu (www.shopsweetlulu.com)
 Bake it Pretty (www.bakeitpretty.com)
 Classic Hostess (www.classichostess.com)
 Craft Stores
 Thrift Shops
 Garage Sales
 Architectural salvage yards

22.  When staging a shoot, try
setting up a whole
vignette or “scene” to
set a mood & make your
food more “real”.
 Add props like
utensils, napkins, drinks
& vases.
 Drips, spills & half-eaten
plates make the viewer
want to “dig in”.
 Place ingredients used in
your recipe, like fruits or
herbs in the shot.
 Don’t overdo it. Less is
sometimes more.

25.  Keep a little food
styling toolbox handy
with tools to make
your food “picture
perfect”.
 Fill it with things like
tweezers, toothpicks, q
-tips and a small spray
bottle filled with water.

26.  Compose your shots
to bring your viewers’
eyes to what you want
them to see first.
 Understand the Rule
of Thirds, but don’t let
it “rule” you.
 A sharp eye is the best
composition tool.
 Cropping is your
friend.

27.  Composition technique
used by the pros
 Grid divides a photo
evenly into thirds
 Place main elements of
photo where “power
points” are to create
more balanced shots and
engage the viewer
 Rules are made to
broken

29. BEFORE AFTER

30.  Learn to shoot in manual
mode.
 Learn to shoot in manual
mode.
 Learn to shoot in manual
mode.
 Learn to shoot in manual
mode.
 Learn to shoot in manual
mode.

31. PROS CONS
 RAW files are the  RAW files are huge! They
complete (lossless) data can easily gobble up a ton
from a camera’s sensor. of space on your memory
What you see is what you card and hard drive.
get. JPEG files are  Special software is needed
partially processed in your to open RAW files on your
camera. computer.
 You can make  RAW files must be
endless, non-destructive converted to another file
edits and tweaks to an format like JPEG before
image. you can use them on your
 RAW gives you more blog.
control.

32.  Unless you are a seasoned
professional, most of your photos will need
some kind of editing.
 There are many post-processing options
available, at various price points and levels
of difficulty. There are also several free
applications on the web.
 Finding the right one for you and learning
how to use it can take your photos from
“OW” to “WOW”!

33. BEFORE AFTER

34.  Photoshop
 Photoshop Elements
 Lightroom
 Picassa
 Aviary
 PicMonkey
 Picfull
 Picnik

35.  Instagram
 Aviary
 Filterstorm (can process in
RAW format)
 Photoshop Express
 Photo Pad
 Art Studio