This is an awesome guest post from Stef of MEL365.com for everyone who loves taking food pictures while traveling. Not only does he share insights on which cameras pair well with food photography and travel but also general tips to make sure you’re capturing the food and moment just right. Enjoy!

Two years ago I watched an interview of the Australian Minister of Tourism. The more I was listening to him the more I was surprised about his future goal: he wanted Australia, my home country, to be the multicultural food destination in the world.

I always thought we were all about surfing, beaches, kangaroos and outback!

A surprise? Not really, the journey of taste is becoming such an integral part of the travel experience. Open Instagram on any travel influencer feed and you soon realise how food photography is becoming an integral part of the visual story.

Food photography in a studio is not as complicated, if you have a good experience with artificial lighting. You can decide how to light your subject, create your background, move your dishes.

This may not be that easy in a trip.

Whenever I travel, and I blog my experience, I like to add few photos of local dishes and, when possible, of people cooking them.

There are a few things I have learnt over the years of travelling. Here are a list of tips, suggestions and facts useful to know.

Camera size matters

The smaller you go the better it is. You do not want to intimidate the locals moving around the tables with a chunky DSLR camera.

The same applies when you go to a market or you make photo of street food stalls. The more professional you look the more unconfident and unnatural will be the photo.

I will list later my top 3 cameras for food photography when travelling. This is another article with a longer list and more technical information you may need.

As a quick tip I would try to stay on a small mirrorless camera

Lighting for food photography: use natural light

Avoid harsh light, from a flash, for two important reasons:

1. The photos will look flat as you eliminate most of the shadows and, where still there, they will be very dark, missing out on a nice mid-tone range in your image.
2. You want to avoid any artificial light in a restaurant or on someone’s face. It’s just a no go when travelling

Try instead to stay close to a window, to have a bit of side light, or even better sit outside the restaurant but avoid direct sun on the food, especially around lunch time.

Ideally, try to have a seat in the shade (better if overcast). You can use a small inflatable 20-30cm light reflector, or even the menu (if on white paper), to add a bit of light on the side.

Familiarise with the camera setting

You should know your camera setting otherwise you may miss the moment. I would avoid reading the camera manual in a restaurant.

The good news is that you can practice at home.

The exposure of the photo is based on 3 important pillars:

• Shutter speed
• Aperture
• ISO

When shooting a dish you can use a shutter speed of 1/60sec, or even lower at 1/30sec, if your camera/lens has image stabilization.

If there is not much light I would use the biggest aperture you have in your lens (the small F-Stop number).

If you have an interchangeable lens camera I would suggest to buy a prime with an aperture of F/2.8 or less. Here you can find some good travel lenses based on your camera brand.

If you still do not have enough light in your camera (the photo is dark) then you need to pump up the ISO value.

Watch out because high values of ISO unfortunately introduce noise in your image.

As an exercise, take a couple of lemons on a dish and put them close to a window. Try different settings and also light reflection techniques till you have the best texture in the lemon peel.

Blurry background

You have two possible techniques to blur your background, you can use both of them at the same time if needed:

• Use the widest aperture that you have (the smallest F-Stop)
• Get your lens as close to the subject as possible (without creating distortion)

Why do you want a blurry background?

Simply because you want only your subject sharp so that the attention of the eyes go straight on it.

The important thing is that you focus your lens on your subject otherwise you end up with a full blurry photo. Again, practice makes perfect

Shoot and eat

It seems pretty obvious however I still see photos of half finished dishes with comments like “Amazing…”.

This is something you may want to avoid because the design of the dish is more important than the taste in the media world. People can look at your photo and almost eat the dish with the own eyes, they can’t smell it on Instagram or any social (that would be a great feature to have!).

You can add more photos later to show the ingredients and maybe create a story (because you have visited the cheese factory the day before, or the organic vegetable garden etc).

Markets

A must visit in any trip is the local market. That is where you will most probably find the ingredients used for your dish at the restaurant.

Any city, town and village has a interesting food market, especially if you are in Asia, Africa or South America.

Lots of colours that create an amazing contrast.

I like to add also the people working at the stalls, maybe after a chat and their approval. Buying something is an easy way to break the ice.

I find even more interesting the fish and meat markets. Some of them are just a unique experience however you may have to wake up very early in the morning.

When I have a trip I usually check on the net the opening hours of the markets in the places I visit, if any. Once in town I ask at the hotel, to the taxi driver or the first restaurant I visit for new tips that, in the past, have honestly changed dramatically my trip.

Behind the scenes

The beauty of food photography when travelling is that you may be able to experience the lot, from the ingredients (at the market) to the food ready on your dish (at the street stall or restaurant).

There is still one corner we have not touched, the behind the scene, the busy kitchen.

My experience is that if you visit the restaurant outside peak time and ask about access to the kitchen you will be more likely to be invited with open arms, especially if you mention the reason (blog, Instagram etc)

In case of street food it is obviously much easier.

Also have a check for the local festivals. I found one, in my last trip to Bali, where I had access to the full “food chain”, just awesome.

And honestly, in the worst case scenarios they just answer that is not possible, not a big deal isn’t it.

Best camera for food photography when travelling

As I previously said, the smaller the better. If you have an interchangeable lens camera then use a small prime (in the focal length range of 28 to 50mm).

The one I am really in love is the Fujifilm X70. This is a super small camera with fixed lens that you can use for both food photography as well as landscape or street photography.

I can’t recommend it enough. Amazing sharp photos with an exceptional lens to create easily a blurry background.

The only drawback is that your legs are the only zoom capability.

The Panasonic GX850/GX800 is one of the smallest mirrorless in the market. It comes with a 12-32mm lens that is perfect for travelling and for food photography too.

It performs not as good as the Fujifilm X70 however it is cheaper and it is an interchangeable lens camera.

If you are after a compact camera then the Sony DSC-RX100 IV is what you are looking for. The fantastic optics made by Zeiss are sure to satisfy your needs. Keep in mind that there is now the RX100 V in the market however, in my opinion, it does not provide any particular benefit for food and travel photography, unless you are after some heavy action sport (thanks to the greater burst shooting)

Now that you’ve gotten lots of helpful hints on which camera to pick up and a few tutorials on how to take better food photos get out there and start snapping!

Looking for more tips? Check out this post on how to take better food travel photos and food photography tips from Amber of With Husband in Tow!

Author Bio:

Stef has lived and worked all over the world, but now calls Melbourne home. He successfully runs MEL365.com, a travel photography website that focuses on visual stories from Australia and around the globe. His cycling and travel photography work has been published in magazines and websites internationally

One thing I commonly hear from people is how they would like to travel more, but they don’t know how to save the money to do so. When money is tight, finding ways to hold on to some of it can definitely be a challenge. Fortunately, “challenging” does not mean “impossible.” It just means that you might have to think creatively and be willing to make some changes in how you think about money.

I hope that the following ideas will inspire you to think about changes you can make in your own life. That trip you are dreaming about may be closer than you think!

Read through to the end where I break down how using these tips, you could save $1,500 for a week in Mexico!

Take a Good Look at Your Budget

If you have never worked out a budget, now is the time. The first thing to do is to get solid about the money you have coming in each month, and the expenses you are paying. Once you have everything written down so you can see it in black and white, you can start figuring out ways to save.

When you have an idea of your general home budget, then consider what budget you need to set for your travels. The amount you set as a target will vary depending on your destination and preferred travel style.

Set up a Travel Savings Account

Before you start setting aside money for travel, make sure you have the right systems in place. Having a designated travel savings account is critical. The easiest way is to create an additional account with your current financial institution. Many let you create the account online with just a few clicks. I highly recommend that you have the ability to transfer between your accounts and set up automatic transfers. This will make saving even easier.

Some banks even have services that help you save money. For example, you might find a service that rounds up all your purchases to the next dollar, automatically transferring those pennies into savings. This is the modern day version of the change jar! It may seem like a small thing, but those pennies add up.

Start Saving

With the right systems in place, it’s now time to start making and moving money!

Save Money On Utilities

Turn the lights off when you leave a room. Turn appliances off when they are not in use. Even better, unplug them unless there is a very good reason to leave something plugged in. Turn the thermostat a little lower in the winter or a little higher in the summer and dress accordingly. Even a degree or two of difference can save you some money each month. Compare your last month’s bill to the new month’s bill. Subtract the difference and move that money into your travel account.

If you pay for cable TV and Internet, consider canceling the TV and watching your shows on the Internet. Many shows are available for free online on TV Network websites. Services like Hulu make it easy to watch most of your favorite shows for less than $10 a month. You might also consider if you can downgrade your current plan. Immediately move the difference into a travel savings account. Set up an automatic transfer of this amount monthly.

Look at all the regular bills you pay and try to find creative ways to lower your costs. Look for competitively priced cell phone plans, ways you can reduce your water usage, and things you can do to make your home more energy efficient.

Whenever you find a way to lower a bill, instead of spending that money elsewhere – SAVE IT. Even if you lower a bill by only $5, put the $5 you would have spent into savings. Those few dollars here and there add up. If you have 5 utility bills a month and you can save $10 each month, that’s an additional $50 into your travel account.

Save Money On Groceries

One of the best ways to save money for travel is by cutting your grocery costs. Food costs can be drastically reduced by shopping sales, using coupons, buying less expensive cuts of meat, introducing more meatless meals, and shopping farmer’s markets. Some tips to keep in mind:

• Keep your eyes open for “Manager’s Specials” in the meat, dairy, and produce departments. You can find incredible discounts this way.
• If you go to a farmer’s market, try to show up later in the day. The later you are there, the more willing vendors are to give you a price break on produce.
• Check supermarket fliers for “Loss Leaders” – sale prices so low the store is likely taking a loss on the product just to get you in the door. Stock up on those items whenever possible.

You also might try a different grocery store. The prices for the same or similar items can be drastically different just depending on the store. You’ll need to compare your receipts with your new shopping plan to the old one to figure out an amount you’re saving. Remember to then transfer the money you save into your Travel Savings Account!

Eat at Home Instead of Outside

If going out to eat is part of your regular routine, eliminate it or cut back. Take the money that you normally would spend going out for lunch or dinner and add it to the travel fund.

Pay Yourself First From Now On

When you earn money, pay yourself first. Send 10% of your income directly to your savings account. (5% if your budget won’t allow 10%). It may seem like a scary thing to do, but try it. You might be surprised at how easy it is to adjust, and your Travel Savings will thank you.

Save Money Through Your Taxes

Sometimes, the easiest way to save money is through your taxes. You can even change your deductions so that your employer takes more money out of your pay, increasing your tax refund at the end of the year. If you have a difficult time saving much money in other ways, income tax might be your best bet. And just look at some of these great trips you can take with your income tax return!

Ideas to Make Money

You can save money and then you can make money. You’ll probably want to do a combination of both to make the most money as quickly as possible. Today, there are more ways than ever to make extra money!

Clean Your House

One of the fastest ways to make money is to get rid of things you already own. Go through your house and sort out any items you’re not using anymore. You might want to tackle one room at a time so that the project doesn’t become too overwhelming. Have an old fashioned garage sale or sell directly through some of the following ways.  Once your items are sold add the money to your travel savings account.

• Pawnshops – electronics, larger items, and more expensive items
• Craigslist – large items that you want to sell locally
• Ebay – smaller items that can be shipped easily and may have a higher value
• Amazon.com Sellers – books, electronics, DVDs
• Gazelle – old cell phones

Sell Gold or Silver

Chances are you’ve seen the “buy gold” TV commercials but have you ever considered it? Even if you don’t have a treasure trove of jewelry laying around, you may have a few things that could create some instant income. Broken jewelry has a value, as you’re selling it for a scrap value. Gather up these items and take them to a reputable, local agency that buys gold or silver.

Make Those Returns

If you’re like me it takes you forever to return unwanted items to the store. When you’re cleaning out your house it’s the perfect time to gather all those returns and bring them back. Instead of pocketing the money (that you’ve already spent) immediately put it into your travel savings. You won’t miss the money and it will be like a little bonus in your account.

Side Jobs

Everyone has a skill that they can make extra money on. If you do one extra side job, even one time a week you’ll see a quick increase in your savings. Some ideas include;

• taking a part-time seasonal job
• cutting grass or doing yard work
• cleaning homes of friends, family or neighbors
• babysitting or animal-sitting
• running errands for people in your community
• driving with a service like Uber or Lyft
• offering consulting services

Overtime

If you’re already working in a traditional job, why not see what options exist for overtime work. You won’t have the free time but you will be making extra cash to add to your travel fund. If you work shiftwork pay attention and start taking added work. Let your colleagues know you’re looking for extra hours and you might be surprised how many come to you first when they’re looking to offload work.

Selling blood or donating plasma

It’s long been one of the ways to make fast cash; selling blood and plasma. If you’re approved you can donate a few times a month and make cash on the spot. Deposit it right away so you’re not tempted to spend it!

Rent out a Room

In the sharing economy one way to save money is to rent an apartment when traveling. But, did you know you can make pretty good money renting out extra space you have? You’ll want to check with local ordinances before listing your property. Airbnb is an easy to use platform for anyone just starting out, check it out by visiting the Airbnb website. You can have your payments for stays direct deposited to your travel account.

The Mexico Vacation Travel Fund

Can using these strategies really save you enough for a vacation? In 6 months you can save enough money for your trip by doing the following.

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I made this as easy as possible, and in many cases you won’t need to earn additional money at all. You can of course shift some things; maybe you don’t go out to eat, instead you could focus on selling more items to make up that difference or reduce your at home food costs. For overtime, I calculated working 1 extra overtime shift a month at $15 an hour, you could work more or take on a side gig instead if overtime isn’t an option.

If you have aspirations to travel, don’t let budget constraints stand in your way. You can save and earn extra money with a little creative thinking. You can also come up with some great ways to save money for travel not on this list; Don’t be afraid to think outside the box!