October 8, 2023 Blog Beginner Camera For Food Photography

Quite a number of people who are just trying to venture into food Photography have asked for my opinion on what camera to start their journey. As much as there are plenty of choices to make; in this guide, we will talk about various aspect of a camera to help you make a better decision as to which camera would suit your Photography needs.

At the beginning stage of my food documentary process, I used a Samsung smartphone majorly because that was what I had on me at the moment and you know what they says about starting with what you have with you.

I’m not going to tell you to use your phone or not use it especially when its time to progress after getting a hang of smartphone Photography and you have the means to purchase a better quality entry level camera, but if you don’t have the means yet, please do utilise your smart phone to the fullest.

An entry level camera is usually inexpensive, not so overwhelming and complicated so it’s usually the best first toy to play with when starting out.

Thing is, I’m not going to suggest a brand for you as each brand has its different outcome and feel, I have tried various camera from canon to Fujifilm to Sony and I have figured out what I like in some of these brands that work well for me or that im more comfortable with. I will tell you things you should look out for that would help cushion the blow and if you have more questions, I’d be happy to answer them in the comment section.

CAMERA

When I first placed my hands on a camera, I had no clue as to what I was doing. I used to collect my friends DSLR camera and by the time I returned it to her; she would call me and make a fuss about how I messed up her settings. No lie here, I knew nothing. I was gambling through ” what does this button do”

So this guide will definitely help you avoid mistakes that I made when I was starting out.

We’ll talk about the basics and a little bit about some photography terms on

1. How a camera works
2. Buying your first camera

KEY 1 : HOW A CAMERA WORKS

Virtually every year or so, new technology companies brings out new gears and it keeps getting better and that can be daunting to keep up with.

We have mainly three types of camera : Compact, DSLR and Mirrorless camera

The compact which is also know as a point and shoot. These are old fashioned and somewhat outdated cameras especially for people who want to be Professional Photographers but are still appreciated by some photographers who photograph certain niche like street Photography. This camera is easy and straight to the point, it’s disadvantage for me and other photographers is the lack of versatility, quality and full control of settings.

DSLR, one of the professional and traditional cameras that has stood the test of time. This camera sadly is slowly going out of style due to newer and improved versions like the Mirrorless camera. The DSLR which is a great entry level camera is built in a way that the mirror inside the camera body  is behind the lens which reflects light up and into the viewfinder (the little peephole you put your eye through to see your frame and set).

The DSLR is significantly heavier than a Mirrorless but they have more in common as they both offer use of interchangeable lenses, they both capture high quality images, control of exposure, focus point and more.

Mirrorless cameras are lightweight and have faster burst mode and better features especially if you would like to make videos as well.

SENSE THE SENSORS 

 Full-frame and Crop Frame sensor

In Both the DSLR and Mirrorless camera, there is either an APS-C sensor(crop sensor) or a full frame sensor. It is vital in your decision making to fully understand these two types of sensor as they will significantly impact the way your final image would look like.

“Different camera bodies have different crop factors,” says photographer Whitney Whitehouse. “Canon has a 1.6x crop sensor, while Nikon, Sony, Sigma, and Pentax have a multiplier of 1.5x, and Panasonic and Olympus are 2x.”

This is how your camera is sensitive to light. Simply put; the higher your ISO the brighter your image gets but there’s a trade by batter situation where the higher and brighter your image gets due to bumping up your ISO, the more grainy your image looks. Your image gets pixelisation and noisy and as a food Photographer, that’s not really appealing.

They are represented in 100, 125, 160, 200 and goes as high as millions.

Aperture

This is a physical ring that allows light to pass through it and into your sensor. The thing I love most about aperture is it is the master mind to helping you achieve creative looks and feel to your image as it controls light and depth of field also known as bokeh.

They are represented in f-stops/fractions. For example, a small number like f 1.2, f 2.8 will result in a wider opening of the ring which will allow more light enter your camera sensor. The flip side of this is that you’ll b able to see just a fraction/portion of your subject while the back and rest will be blurred out.

If your aperture is on a larger number like f8, f16 your opening ring would be smaller and less light would be able to enter your camera sensor. You will be able to see more thing and there would be less of bokeh the larger the number gets.

The photo on with the light bulb is a good example of selective focus using a shallow aperture (numbers like f 1.8, f 2.8). By focusing only on the front light, it is obvious that the light in front is the star of the show and what I want to communicate to my viewers.

Shutter Speed

Think of the shutter as a window that is directly infant of your sensor, the opening and closing of that window allows light from the aperture ring expose the sensor to capture a frame/image.

The shutter speed tells you how long the window is opened for. When your shutter is on a higher number, the window will open for a short amount of time allowing little light to enter quickly and when left opened for long(a slow shutter number) more light enters through the window.

It is responsible for freezing motion and helps with stability. Shutter speed can be used creatively, by reducing the speed you can create beautiful motion blurs.

It is measured in second for example 1/10, 1/25, 1/50,1/100, 1/250 etc.

KEY 1 : BUYING YOUR FIRST CAMERA

What camera features should I look for?

It’s probably been months since you have been thinking of this career path which also involves getting the right gear and equipments as a beginner. Perhaps, you have been saving and making ends meet somehow because you want quality equipments.

First, I think you should come to a conclusions what you really want to use the camera for. Is it for a part time/hobby thing or you want to go pro full time?

Then you can start researching for camera bodies and features that would suit your Photography needs.

Some features you as a beginner should look for are

1. Sensor size
2. In-built stabilisation
3. Shooting modes
4. Lens availability
5. Quick continuous shooting speeds
6. Connectivity
7. Ergonomics – how the camera feels in your hands

After all this what next?

The camera doesn’t make the photos, you as a creative does. It’s more about the Photographer and their unique perspective of seeing things; seeing the ordinary in an extraordinary manner and having visual in your head as to what you want to do with that subject. A good camera helps but it doesn’t tech you the most important things like having an eye for composition, light, color, and contrast. You can achieve beautiful outcomes regardless of what camera sits on your hand.