Need Help buying equipment?

[Zrab11]

All right.

My Wife has a Cannon Rebel T3 camera and she has been Food Blogging for a 1 and 1/2 years. She has got to the point where she really enjoys it and has quite a few followers. So now she wants to get some upgrades to take better pictures. Here are a few things on her "Want" List.

Macro F/2.8 Lense
Photo Shop Program
Studio Lighting kit

Well I only have a Budget of about 200$ right now so i know i can't begin to get her everything but i think the Lighting Kit is a big want so I want to take care of that. Ive done some research on lighting for FOOD and i see a lot of people using both Softbox's and umbrellas and just want your opinion on what I should get here. Which will help her take better pictures at this time for my budget.

Also is a Tripod and Reflector important at this time as well.

Here is a few products I came up with in my price range? Are this good or should my money be spent somewhere else?

Reflector - Amazon.com: Westcott 301 Photo Basics 40-Inch 5-in-1 Reflector: Camera & Photo
Tripod- Amazon.com: Professional 72-inch TRIPOD FOR All Canon Sony, Nikon, Samsung, Panasonic, Olympus, Kodak, Fuji, Cameras And Camcorders + BP MicroFiber Cleaning Cloth: Camera & Photo
Softbox- Flashpoint Softbox VL5070, 70Watt Fluorescent Light VL5070

She takes pictures of her meals 3 times a day(breakfast,Lunch and Dinner) so that is 21 posts a week and 19 posts are all taken at home so some good equipment that can be used around the house would be great. She will have access to power outlets and be shooting in basically the same area all the time. Except when she is out at restaurants.

So please help me get the best stuff for my wife this christmas! Thanks Please let me know if you need any other info.

 

[gw2424]

I would skip on that tripod for sure, that is one area where it is good to spend more money. Though the best of food photographers use flash, it is usually recommended to keep food photography to natural light. At the end of the day you don't want to spend less than about $100 on a tripod. Though you may get lucky, the reality is that a good tripod could last more than 10 years. I would look at Gitzo, Manfrotto, and Vanguard. Make sure when buying the tripod to include a head for it.

Also if she is doing food photography in a restaurant one of these may be a handy: Amazon.com: Joby GP3 GorillaPod SLR-Zoom Flexible Tripod: Camera & Photo

A Recomendation for a sturdy, great tripod: Amazon.com: Vanguard Alta Pro 263AGH Aluminum Tripod with GH-100 Pistol Grip Ball Head: Camera & Photo

Good Luck,
GW

 

[TCampbell]

The lens she wants is the Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM. But at about $400, that's above your budget so I suppose it'll have to wait.

Good lighting goes a long way to making food look better. I've done both flash and reflected lighting. I don't use "natural" light (always bad for food). You want to be able to control the light and shadows to make the food pop. Sometimes you want reflections on the food to create a "shine"... for example a little shine on a steak will make it appear juicy and moist. Lack of shine will make it look dry and unappetizing. That means a food shot can have a lot either lights or reflectors positioned strategically around the food to create the look.

A good tripod and ballhead will eat up most of your $200 budget (and actually they can cost considerably more than $200). Better tripods have the tripod base component and a separate head... and you can swap or upgrade heads over time. Pan/tilt heads (with the long handle on the head) are better for video. For photography a ball-head is usually preferred.

 

[Zrab11]

Any advice on lighting within my budget?

 

[tirediron]

A Flashpoint monolight & soft-box kit and a nice 40" 5 in 1 reflector will take almost exactly $200.

 

[DRAGNFRAME]

Does she have an off camera flash or just use the one on the camera?

 

[DRAGNFRAME]

A Flashpoint monolight & soft-box kit and a nice 40" 5 in 1 reflector will take almost exactly $200.

Nevermind, I was going to put the same light in a link for that tirediron just did. I just asked the same question and this is the light they recommened to me. I just got the light today looks like its a very nice light for the money.

 

[Mike_E]

This may be the only time I ever recommend continuous lighting but that's what I'd suggest.

If she hasn't already read it then a copy of "Light, Science and Magic" should be the first purchase.

Food doesn't move and doesn't complain so getting warm isn't an issue, what is an issue is to be able to see the effect of the lighting on the product to get it just right. Continuous lighting will do that for her.

Before you dump hundreds of dollars into an Adobe product, look around -hard- at some of the freeware programs, a google search will bring up most of them. Paint shop pro x5 ultimate is also an affordable option.

Never go cheap in photography but always remember that shopping wisely is not being cheap.

 

[tirediron]

...Food doesn't move and doesn't complain so getting warm isn't an issue, what is an issue is to be able to see the effect of the lighting on the product to get it just right. Continuous lighting will do that for her...

I'd be careful of this; many types of food will not react well to getting too warm, for instance green salads, most dishes with a cold sauce, desserts, and many others will not look right when they get too warm. I agree that being able to "see" the light is a great benefit, especially for a beginner, but the modelling lights will help with that.

Continuous lighting will work just fine for food IF it's good quality, and cool continuous lighting, and that's not likely to come in under your $200 budget.

 

[Zrab11]

Just on camera flash. Is it important to get her an off camera flash?

 

[tirediron]

Just on camera flash. Is it important to get her an off camera flash?

Critical! Very rarely is the direction of the camera relative to the subject the best one for lighting. Being able to supply and control lighting from different directions and positions is one of the most critical elements in making high-quality photographs. You don't need to spend a lot of money to do it, but you do need to be able to do it.

 

[nycphotography]

...Food doesn't move and doesn't complain so getting warm isn't an issue, what is an issue is to be able to see the effect of the lighting on the product to get it just right. Continuous lighting will do that for her...

I'd be careful of this; many types of food will not react well to getting too warm, for instance green salads, most dishes with a cold sauce, desserts, and many others will not look right when they get too warm. I agree that being able to "see" the light is a great benefit, especially for a beginner, but the modelling lights will help with that.

Continuous lighting will work just fine for food IF it's good quality, and cool continuous lighting, and that's not likely to come in under your $200 budget.

And food does get cold too...the sizzle turns to slimy grease seemingly all at once.

But food isn't "big". you don't have to light a large area. So a couple speedlights w/ cheap light stands, some sheets of foamcore, and speedlight gel kit, and some scrim fabric (like white ripstop) might give a lot more flexibilty and utility (for the money) than one monolight will.

I'd make sure one of the speedlights is TTL... it can be used on camera, but swiveled and bounced off the ceiling or bounce cards (the foamcore). the other can be any old manual speedlight, but it should have as many stops of manual adjustment as possible.

 

[nycphotography]

there are off camera TTL triggers... but they're not cheap. an off camera non ttl triggers is like $40.

you may want to start out using bounce for ttl.

 

[Zrab11]

...Food doesn't move and doesn't complain so getting warm isn't an issue, what is an issue is to be able to see the effect of the lighting on the product to get it just right. Continuous lighting will do that for her...

I'd be careful of this; many types of food will not react well to getting too warm, for instance green salads, most dishes with a cold sauce, desserts, and many others will not look right when they get too warm. I agree that being able to "see" the light is a great benefit, especially for a beginner, but the modelling lights will help with that.

Continuous lighting will work just fine for food IF it's good quality, and cool continuous lighting, and that's not likely to come in under your $200 budget.

And food does get cold too...the sizzle turns to slimy grease seemingly all at once.

But food isn't "big". you don't have to light a large area. So a couple speedlights w/ cheap light stands, some sheets of foamcore, and speedlight gel kit, and some scrim fabric (like white ripstop) might give a lot more flexibilty and utility (for the money) than one monolight will.

I'd make sure one of the speedlights is TTL... it can be used on camera, but swiveled and bounced off the ceiling or bounce cards (the foamcore). the other can be any old manual speedlight, but it should have as many stops of manual adjustment as possible.

Where do you get all the items suggested. I don't want to buy a CRAP product. Any help on where to get the items you all suggested would be much obliged.

 

[Zrab11]

BTW I just bought a Tripod and the Book "Light,Science and Magic..

So i am still looking to get some good lighting for my wife and only spend about 150$

What are the most important things now?

A TTL trigger? If i get a TTL Trigger will i also have to buy a separate flash as the only flash she has right now is built INTO her camera.
A Soft Box or umbrella
A Reflector ("Tiredion" already mentioned a good one for 40$ but not buying it yet until I make sure that is the next most important thing to get)

I think the Soft box of umbrella are the most important thing but would like to get as much good product for my money i can.

I hope i don't sound to dumb when asking these many questions. Just trying to make the wife happy for christmas. Please let me know were you can get the product as well when you recommend it. Thanks so much everyone.