Monthly Archives: May 2017

How to Take the Ultimate Instagram Food Photo

Posted on May 31, 2017 by

instagram food photoThere are many reasons to love Instagram, and for us, finding food inspiration is at the top of the list. But taking an amazing food photo isn’t as easy as it looks. Whether you’re sharing your latest recipe creation or trying to spread the word on a new restaurant in town, posting a gorgeous image is essential.

 

If you want to know exactly how to take like-worthy Instagram food photos, keep reading. These food photography tips are sure to get your posts more love. 


Want to know how to take like-worthy Instagram food photos? Click for top tricks

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Lighting is everything

 

There’s nothing appetizing about a dark, grainy food pic. To set the stage for the best shot, find a source of natural light by setting up by a window or taking things outdoors. If the day is too bright, place a sheer curtain over the window, or find some shade to diffuse the light.

 

Whenever possible, steer clear of artificial light. Try to take food pics during daylight hours and avoid using the flash at all costs. 

 

Get thoughtful about set up

 

After lighting, the composition is the next important factor in capturing a mouth-watering image. Play around with utensil placement, the dish’s ingredients, or anything else you want to include in the shot. You can also add flowers and pretty linens in the frame to bring food photos to life. Don’t be afraid to get messy either— take a bite of the cookie, leave a forkful of pasta on a plate and leave that sprinkling of crumbs on the plate. These small, messy details can sometimes take your food photo to the next level.

 

Ask for help

 

Turn your dining companions into your partners in crime. Have them hold or display their drinks while you take the shot for added movement.

 

Don’t have enough light? Ask friends to use their iPhone light to illuminate the dish so you can turn your flash off.

 

Use a camera instead of your iPhone

 

If you’re serious about elevating your food photography, you may want to think about using a camera instead of your iPhone for Instagram. Most professional food bloggers fill their feed with images taken with a digital camera. The manual settings give you more control over lighting. Plus, you’ll end up with a high-res image.

 

But keep in mind, you’ll need to upload the photo to your computer and email it to yourself in order to post on Instagram.   

 

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10 Photo Tips For Using Lighting to Improve Your Photography

Posted on May 30, 2017 by

ScanMyPhotos Photography Tutorial Series: How To Use Light To Enhance Your Pictures



1. Explore the light. Learn to read where the light is coming from by looking at shadows – notice if the shadows are hard-edged or soft-edged. A general rule for beautiful images is to plan your photo shoot for early morning or late afternoon light because softer shadows equate to less contrast in your scene and more flattering light for your subject. If you must shoot images at high noon, move your subject under the shade of a tree or building.


2. Turn off your flash. It’s easier to capture subtle nuances of natural light in your scene if you turn off your on-camera flash.

3. Take beautiful pictures in the middle of a bright, sunny day by placing your subject in a shaded area near direct sunlight, for example, an open doorway or under the shade of a building or tree.

4. Use the rules of composition. The rule of thirds can help you create more compelling photographs. Envision a tic-tac-toe board on your viewfinder and place something of interest at one or more of these intersections.

5. Choose an interesting frame for your image, for example, an arched trellis, a unique doorway, or overhanging tree branch.


6. Think about using color to create a compelling image. From vibrant contrasts of primary colors to the Zenlike mood of harmonious blues and greens, color can determine the emotional content of a photograph.

7. Control the light. Create a more attractive image by bouncing or diffusing the available light. Bouncing light brightens up faces, gets rid of shadows and creates a catch-light in your subject’s eyes. Diffusing the light softens harsh light falling upon your subject. You can buy a reflector or diffuser at a camera store, but you can also use common household items. Aluminum foil wrapped around a baking sheet, a car dashboard reflector, or a white foam core board can be used to reflect light. Translucent fabric, sheer shower curtains, or plastic bags can be used to diffuse the light.


8. Mix it up! Tell a story with your images by varying the distance and angle from your subject. Consider a wide-angle shot of an area, a mid-range shot, and a detailed close-up to give your viewer an informed perspective.


9. Give yourself ROOM to ZOOM. To eliminate distracting elements and provide a flattering perspective – stand back and give yourself room to zoom into your subject and fill the frame.




10. Consider the direction of the light falling upon your subject. Front light can look flat but diminishes lumps, bumps, and wrinkles. Sidelight creates dimension and form. Backlight can create a silhouette or a rim of light around your subject. Top light isn’t flattering and should be avoided.


 

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6 Tips on How to Get Your Family Photos Digitally Organized

Posted on May 27, 2017 by

digitally organizeAs a loved one ages and the need to downsize the family home becomes apparent, it’s heartbreaking for family members to try to figure out what to do. Our loved ones’ homes are often filled with precious memories and items that need to be handled accordingly.

 

This is what best-selling author and nationally syndicated home design columnist Marni Jameson had to face. Her new book, Downsizing The Family Home: What to Save, What to Let Go, offers incredible insight into the process she learned while clearing out her parents homestead and getting the home sold in less than a month.

 

Yet, she admitted in her recent article that she was remiss to address what she did with her parent’s boxes of photos. After talking Diana Uricchio, owner of OXO Digital Organizing, Jameson came up with a list of digital organization tips that will help any photo preservation project go smoothly.


6 Tips on How to Get Your Family Photos Digitally Organized

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While the digital organization tips she provided in the article were for both photos and documents, we wanted to focus on just the photo aspect (which is a heck of a project on its own!).

 

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Tales From The Pictures We Saved – Episode 11: Who’s Been Framed?

Posted on May 26, 2017 by

framedWelcome to this week’s episode of Tales From the Pictures We Saved. 


 

We’ve spent the past 26 years helping our customers preserve tens of millions of happy memories, milestones, achievements, and events—all of which have incredible stories behind each and every photo.


And now we’re eager to share these stories with you.


In this week’s episode, one ScanMyPhotos customer faced a daunting task so she could honor her late sister’s legacy.


Preview: Old print photos usually end up in an unorganized pile inside a box or plastic bin. While this storing method is not recommended, it can certainly be easier to prep these photos for a scanning project than pulling apart framed pictures and praying the original copy doesn’t stick to the glass.

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#GetItDone: 5 Photo Projects to Finally Finish

Posted on May 24, 2017 by

photo projectsThere’s nothing like crossing items off your to-do list. The sweet feeling of accomplishment that comes when all the boxes are checked is incredibly liberating.

 

To help you get there, the editors at Real Simple have dedicated this June to getting things done, challenging readers to share their completed projects on social with #GetItDone. They even mentioned ScanMyPhotos on page 127 in the June issue and offered some great photo organizing tips. 

 

The gang here at ScanMyPhotos is also eager to help you cross those photo projects off your list! So, if you’re ready to enjoy the summer by getting those lingering tasks completed, check out these five photo projects that you’ll want to take care of this June.

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ScanMyPhotos CEO Interview at the Internet Retailer Conference #IRCE17

Posted on May 21, 2017 by

The story behind how digitizing pictures became a business


Each year, 10,000 e-commerce businesses attend the Internet Retailer Conference (IRCE) in Chicago. ScanMyPhotos.com CEO, Mitch Goldstone presented and addressed IRCE with this topic in June. During the conference, Mr. Goldstone was interviewed and shared insights on marketing and customer service experiences.


HOW TO EFFECTIVELY PROMOTE YOUR E-COMMERCE BUSINESS WITHOUT SPENDING MONEY (via Marketing Shepra)



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Turning 2,300 Framed Pictures Into Lasting Memories

Posted on May 18, 2017 by
framed pictures

Nora, about age 11, coming down the stairs

Old print photos usually end up in an unorganized pile inside a box or plastic bin. While this storing method is not recommended, it can certainly be easier to prep these photos for a scanning project than pulling apart framed pictures and praying the original copy doesn’t stick to the glass.

 

ScanMyPhotos customer, Christine Cowart, found herself faced with such a challenge and ended up removing over 2,000 pictures from their frames—and several from photo albums—to get them scanned and digitized for her niece.

 

“My older sister, Nora, passed away suddenly last year. She was 70 at the time and had lost her husband in an auto accident years before. They left behind their only child, my niece who’s now 48. After her mother passed, my neice decided to move back to her childhood home, but the walls were covered with framed photos. A good portion of the photos were poorly framed pictures that were taped to the glass, but the memories were important to preserve.”

 

So Christine offered to help her grieving niece by collecting all those framed pictures, removing them from each frame, organizing and identifying every photo, and then sending them to ScanMyPhotos to digitize.

 

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Use a Negative Scanning Service to Protect Against Negative Deterioration

Posted on May 14, 2017 by

Negative scanningMuch like photos, your 35mm negatives will not last forever. Do you know how long negatives last? What will you do when they deteriorate? Negative scanning is the quickest and easiest way to preserve those memories for today and tomorrow.

Why is Negative Scanning Important?

 

The long and short of it, your negatives are your originals. There is no further backup whereas if a photo gets destroyed, you may still have a negative to fall back on for a reprint, assuming you can find it, but if your negatives are damaged or destroyed, that is it, game over.

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