It appears that Martha Stewart really is human, after all. Like the rest of us, she has flaws. Besides that whole "obstruction of justice" thing, it appears she has an addiction to Twitter — and extremely poor photography skills.
And it's not a good thing.
This week, the masses (OK, maybe just the masses on the Internet) were stunned to get a peek at Martha's Twitter feed. The media mogul has been filling her feed with photos of many recent dinners, which her followers said resembled everything from "cat vomit" to "congealed rubber bands."
Her photos were retweeted hundreds of times and mocked mercilessly across the social media sphere.
Apparently unfazed by the criticism, Stewart is continuing to post photos that don't live up to her perfectionist persona. She even offered a recipe for her "lumpy Russian dressing that aroused so much emnity."
Martha clearly doesn't want help. But you may.
Here are some tips on how to take better food photos than the style maven.
1. Do not — under any circumstances — use the flash on your phone to photograph food. It produces jarring reflections, creates dark shadows and will change the color of the food.
2. The best food images are shot in natural light. If you can't eat before taking a picture of your restaurant meal, ask for a table near windows and. ...
3. Photograph only breakfast and lunch from October to May. (Those amazing dinners will have to wait for the light to return.)
4. Try different angles. Shoot straight down, from the side. Try closeups, and backoffs.
5. Do a little styling of your own. Lay a fork across the edge of the plate. Slide a vase of flowers closer, or fold the napkin in an appealing way.
6. Pay attention to the background. If your dinner date is wearing a Zubaz-style sweatshirt, don't have him in background.
7. Don't shoot using only the Twitter app. Take four to five images on the "camera" setting on your phone, then experiment with other photo apps.
8. Be sure to wipe the lens of your camera phone before you shoot. The oil and grease from your fingers can easily get on the lens and give your photos a weird, out-of-focus glow effect.
9. When using Instagram, choose a warmer filter. Valencia and Mayfair tend to work well.
10. Play with the focus. Zoom in to make your food in focus and the background blurry. That will help draw attention to the most appealing element in the photo.
