sfr/PIPs: Any food photographers on here?

[cransplash]

I am still getting used to my Nikon D60 camera. We were at a bday party yesterday, and I took a picture of the cake. It was kind of dimly lit in the area where the cake was sitting. 

The 1st picture is one without flash, and seems yellowish in color and somewhat blurry. The 2nd picture is with flash (and looks overexposed). Can someone tell me how I can achieve a good balance between the 2?

Pic #1: 

Pic #2: 

[redheadbaker]

Did you manually set the white balance and ISO settings?

[cransplash]

Feb 3, 2013 18:21:01 GMT -5 redheadbaker said:

Did you manually set the white balance and ISO settings?

No, I had it on no flash.... What could I have done with the white balance and ISO settings?

[redheadbaker]

The white balance adjusts the color "temperature" for the quality of the light (incandescent light vs. sunlight).

The ISO adjusts the sensitivity to the amount of light. Default is usually 100. For dim light, you can use 200 or 400, for nighttime, 800. The higher the ISO, the more quality is sacrificed, but at 200 or 400, it's not noticeable. For nighttime photos, there's a noticeable grain on the photo.

[cransplash]

Feb 3, 2013 18:35:42 GMT -5 redheadbaker said:

The white balance adjusts the color "temperature" for the quality of the light (incandescent light vs. sunlight).

The ISO adjusts the sensitivity to the amount of light. Default is usually 100. For dim light, you can use 200 or 400, for nighttime, 800. The higher the ISO, the more quality is sacrificed, but at 200 or 400, it's not noticeable. For nighttime photos, there's a noticeable grain on the photo.

Oh thank you!

What should I put my white balance to?

[redheadbaker]

Feb 3, 2013 18:44:31 GMT -5 cransplash said:

Feb 3, 2013 18:35:42 GMT -5 redheadbaker said:

The white balance adjusts the color "temperature" for the quality of the light (incandescent light vs. sunlight).

The ISO adjusts the sensitivity to the amount of light. Default is usually 100. For dim light, you can use 200 or 400, for nighttime, 800. The higher the ISO, the more quality is sacrificed, but at 200 or 400, it's not noticeable. For nighttime photos, there's a noticeable grain on the photo.

Oh thank you!

What should I put my white balance to?

I have a Nikon D40, and it gives you a handful of options. Just choose the one most similar to your situation (indoor incandescent light, indoor fluorescent light, sunlight, etc.). 

[cransplash]

Feb 3, 2013 21:12:10 GMT -5 redheadbaker said:

Feb 3, 2013 18:44:31 GMT -5 cransplash said:

Oh thank you!

What should I put my white balance to?

I have a Nikon D40, and it gives you a handful of options. Just choose the one most similar to your situation (indoor incandescent light, indoor fluorescent light, sunlight, etc.). 

Huhm no kidding! I use a D60- I'll have to look to see which settings I can use. Thank you, RHB!