Guest Blogger | Mandy's Recipe Box

Have you ever thought about starting a blog? Mandy from Mandy's Recipe Box is an amazing food blogger and it is filled with delicious recipes and pictures. She will be sharing some great tips on how to get great food photos!

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Hello! I am Mandy from Mandy's Recipe Box. I am happy to be here on Leslie's blog to talk about food blogging. Leslie's husband and my husband are cousins and it's always fun to see each other at family get-together's. I love her photography and gotta get her to take my family's photos this year! Now, let me tell you a little about myself...

I have been married to my farm boy for 12 years and we have 3 great kids ages 10, 8, 4, and one due in February. I grew up in Ogden, UT and met and married Lance in 2000. We moved to the middle of nowhere, Idaho and I have been converted to country girl. The nearest store is 30 miles away so I have to be well stocked in the kitchen and my food room. There's no making a quick trip for some vanilla extract where I live, especially in the winter!

I started my food blog in 2009 because I wanted to share my favorite recipes and love of food with whoever wanted to read about it. I have learned so much on taking great photos of food since I started. Here's an example...

This was how my photos looked at the beginning. Not so awesome.

Here's how they look now...

Much better, I believe. Here's what I've learned.

1. Always take photos in natural light when possible. I never use a flash. There are lots of tools you can use, such as light boxes and a light scoop, but I just use good old fashioned natural light. I have my kitchen table with french doors to the right of it. Then I put a large white poster board to the left of my food to reflect the light back on the food, eliminating shadows.

2. I use a Canon Rebel T2i with a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens. I use it for all my food photos. I used to have a regular point and shoot camera which is what I used in the old style photos above. It was fine, and I know lots of bloggers who only use a point and shoot camera rather than a DSLR camera. But I also take my kids' photos and photos for other people so I wanted to upgrade to something nicer.

3. I use the internet for tips. Sites like The Pioneer Woman and Kevin and Amanda have great tutuorials. Check them out.

4. I look to other bloggers for photo ideas. Some of my favorites are Chef-in-Training, Life as a Lofthouse, and Something Swanky. These are just a smidgen of bloggers whose photos I admire. It's ok to use other blogs to get ideas for your own. Just make it your own. Don't be a copycat. Be your own unique self.

5. I use Picmonkey for my editing. It's great and simple to use and suits me just fine. 

Other than that, I just experiment and do what feels good.

I get my ideas from family recipes, favorite cookbooks, and other bloggers. I also love finding something I love at a restaurant and re-creating it at home. I hope you have learned something useful! I'd love to hear from you so please visit me on facebook, pinterest, or drop me a note at mandybird208{at}gmail{dot}com.

Thanks for having me, Leslie!