This bento has chicken nuggets and mac and cheese with salami stars! But, oh no! The photo I took is poor, even though I tried putting it in the sunlight. Any tips for taking better bento photos? To read more about this bento, visit my DeviantArt post about it: Bento 19.
Your lighting looks fine, I think it’s a matter of you having shaky hands, something that I did all the time. I solved this by getting a tripod and a wireless remote for my camera, but I don’t know what you have!
I’m sure getting a tripod probably would help with shaky pictures, I’m sure that was the problem I had. :p
I’m not sure I could get a wireless remote for my camera, but I know that it has an option to take a photo about five seconds after you push the button. So I think I’ll look into getting a little tripod.
hey sammigene, excellent bento! in terms of taking bentos, trial and error has taught me that if you aren’t blessed with beautiful natural lighting, then you have to “fake it ’til you make it” — meaning artificial lights. you could treat yourself to an external flash for your camera (and if you’re using a nikon i have further recommendations), but that’s definitely an investment you should think about before rushing to shell out for. in the meantime try using a desk lamp or a white cardboard box to reflect light back onto the set-up… be creative (i once tried using a light-colored umbrella, and i’ve also tried holding a honking big flashlight in one hand, shining it on the bento while i hold the food in the other… not such hot ideas, but maybe you have others!). but the point is that your camera can’t properly “read” the food’s colors if it’s not lit properly.
anyway, sorry for that tangent… i’m just a huge flash convert ever since getting the SB for my nikon. your bento is still great though, and hey, the most important thing is how it tastes (or how it looks in person), not the photograph
I never really thought about reflecting the lighting. I might try doing that if I have to take a picture when it’s gloomy or dark. Thanks for the tips!
If you use a DSLR (or eventually get one), always take your photos in RAW format. Most of my photos look dark and I touch them up with Photoshop. With RAW you can change a terrible photo into something that more resembles what you have in front of you.
I’m not exactly sure what a DSLR camera is, but I don’t believe I have one. Kind of expensive for me to get right now, but I’ll keep that in mind if I end up getting one.
found a cool tutorial (via epicute) on building your own lightbox… if you’re feeling handy and industrious, this might help!!
http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-make-a-inexpensive-light-tent
and i agree with pikko re: tripod (duh, i should have realized that might be the problem, too) — you don’t need to buy anything, sometimes i use a stack of books (on top of a table) or the back of a chair. again, be creative!