The slideshow from my Food Photography: Lights, Props, Action! Class at the 2013 Blog Elevated Conference in Houston, Texas.

1. L I G H T I N G , S T Y L I N G , A N D P H O T O G R A P H Y
F O R B L O G G E R S
W I T H R A C H E L M A T T H E W S O F
A S O U T H E R N F A I R Y T A L E
@ S T H R N F A I R Y T A L E
H T T P : / / A S O U T H E R N F A I R Y T A L E . C O M
# B L O G E L E V A T E D
Lights! Props! Action!

2. Rachel Matthews: A Southern Fairytale
Rachel Matthews is the publisher of A
Southern Fairytale, a food blog and journal of
her happily-ever-after with a cowboy boot
wearin’, Harley ridin’,Texan Prince Charming
and their two 8th generation Texan children.
Since 2008, Rachel has been sharing
her favorite family recipes, stories, and
photographs on her blog, which has received
accolades from Babble, Southern Living, and
Social Luxe to name a few.
She hosts a weekly recipe roundup
called Mouthwatering Mondays and writes for
Babble Voices. When Rachel isn’t writing,
cooking, or taking pictures, you can find her
in a cute pair of boots, belly- laughing with
friends and her family.

3. Lights! Props! Action!
#BlogElevated
• Lighting:
• Know how to find and use your best light
• How to fake it if you have to
• Props:
• Using them
• Finding them
• Storing them
• Inspiration and Resources

4. Lights!
 Find your light source: windows, sliding glass doors, back patio, back-yard, fire
escape
 Time your light sources to find your favorite/best light to set your mood
#BlogElevated

5. Lights!
Use reflectors and light filters: window sheers, poster board, pop-up
reflectors
 Window sheers soften and filter light
 Poster boards and pop up reflectors bounce light and help with shadows
“You’re not shooting the subject, you’re shooting the way the light falls
on the subject.” – Diane Cu from White on Rice
#BlogElevated
ChocolateMooseyblog.com

6. Lights!
Use reflectors and light filters: window sheers, poster board, pop-up reflectors
 Window sheers soften and filter light
 Poster boards and pop up reflectors bounce light and help with shadows
“You’re not shooting the subject, you’re shooting the way the light falls on
the subject.” – Diane Cu from White on Rice
#BlogElevated
Chocolatemooseyblog.com

7. Lights!
Use reflectors and light filters: window sheers, poster board, pop-up
reflectors
 Window sheers soften and filter light
 Poster boards and pop up reflectors bounce light and help with shadows
#BlogElevated

8. Lights!
 Angles: Your angle determines the lighting
 Whether you shoot from above, straight
on, from the right, from the left – this
will determine where the light falls and
what it shadows
#BlogElevated

9. Lights!
#BlogElevated
5:45 PM Upstairs
Yes, this is a
mattress.
FOLLOW the scraping LIGHT!
This is behind the
Scenes of my
Halloween Nutella
Puppy Chow. I
shot it at 5:45 pm.
NO reflectors, I
wanted that
scraping light
across the dish.
Movable ottomans
For The Win!!!! I
stood on the white
chair you see off to
the left.

10. Lights!
#BlogElevated
Light Scraping!
Follow the light!
The blue pops
with the dark
colors of the
puppy chow.
CONTRAST!
No reflectors or
filters used.
ANGLE and
LIGHTS!!!

11. Lights!
 If you must fake it:
 Light boxes
 Natural daylight bulbs
 Clamps and clips from your local
 hardware store
#BlogElevated

12. Props!
 Backdrops and Props
 It’s a lot of fun to shop for props and let your imagination run wild, but keep in mind you
have to store them.
 Use what you already have
 Discover your style
 Know what emotions you want your photographs to evoke in the viewers
 Don’t clutter the pictures or your house!
 Where to find them
 Etsy – Goodwill – Thrift Stores – Garage/Estate Sales – eBay – Décor Steals.com - Home
Goods – Marshall’s – Target – Your attic – Your own home
 Storage
 Closet – bookshelves – dedicated room – display them – know what you have
#BlogElevated

13. Props!
#BlogElevated
Shooting from above and using
simple, but lovely props that you may
already have around the house create
emotion. They pull you in, and they
make you want to attend the
celebration for this cake.
Note the colors, the angles, and the
how Cheryl fills the screen without
cluttering it.
Photo by Cheryl of TidyMom.Net
Malted Chocolate Cake with Toasted
Marshmallow Cream

14. Props!
#BlogElevated
Kristen shot from a more side on
angle, and you see her summer salad
as if you were sitting at the table with
her ready to dive in.
She uses the ingredients from the
salad for simple, but engaging and
eye-catching *props*
Photo by Kristen of Dine and Dish
Summer Harvest Salad by Dine and Dish
Dine and Dish

15. Props!
#BlogElevated
I wanted this ice cream to be a bit
more dramatic. It’s a grown up dish,
so I used simplicity in style, dark
background and light scraping to
create the desired emotion.
Photo by Me
Peach Cobbler Ice Cream with Bourbon Caramel
Sauce by Me
Dine and Dish

16. Inspiration and Resources
 Inspiration
 FoodGawker
 Taste Spotting
 Dwelling Gawker
 Pinterest
 Resources
 Recipe Girl: How To Be a Food Blogger
 Tasty Food Photography e-book by Pinch of Yum
 Food Photography for Bloggers by Matt Armendariz of Matt Bites
 Food Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots by Nicole S. Young
 Quick Guide to Understanding Your DSLR by Kevin and Amanda
 100 tutorials for beginners and professionals by Photo Tuts
 Photographing Food by Taylor Tastes
#BlogElevated

17. Connect with Rachel
asouthernfairytale@gmail.com
SthrnFairytale
SthrnFairytale
SthrnFairytale
http://asouthernfairytale.com
#blogelevated