The Greatest Instrument for Food Photographers. EVER.

People, this little device will revolutionize food photography for us dilettantes who don't do this for a true living, just the love of it.

Let me tease you a bit on the buildup to this fantastic development. Bottom line, I shelled out a fair sum of money on a camera I ended up not being thrilled with. The HP photosmart R960 is a competent camera, but it wasn't the best for my needs as a compact, all purpose, low-light camera.

I handed that down to Nayan and bought a Canon SD630 before going to Providence last night (more on that in another article). The SD630 is near the top of Canon's line of ultra-thin camera lines. Each year they seem to cram more functionality in a smaller profile. I wanted something that would allow me to turn off all the automation and utilize my own poor judgment and meager talent.

Based on Bel Air Camera's unimpeachable reputation, I literally walked in 15 minutes before closing, gave the dude my criteria, and he promptly tossed me the 630.

We took a couple of test shots and I was sold. Of course, what appears on the 3" screen and what transfers to computer are two different things. Everything, frankly, looks good on a 3" screen, except porn. But I'll leave that for the iPod engineers to solve.

This article isn't about the camera, actually. Canon products are ubiquitous throughout the amateur food photography world, so they are a solid choice. I had no doubt it would serve me well.

What is a sticking point (which started me on this fool's errant) is a steady shot in low light with minimal noise (or grain).



Enter Joby's Gorillapod. This is the thing that will revolutionize macro-shot, no-flash, low-light, food photography for the amateur...like our stalwart confederacy of Los Angeles Food Bloggers.



Looks like a toy? Sure. But this thing will flex into unbelievable positions that even Jenna Jameson would be hard pressed to do. It's tiny, light, durable and eminently portable. I don't even know what eminently portable means, but the Gorilla is it.

I'll never have to hold a flashless, shaky camera in a fine dining establishment again. What I will have to do is answer an endless stream of questions, because everyone wants to be a part of this weird contraption's infamy.

The Gorillapod is $22 at Best Buy. In addition to being a tripod, it can also be configured to be stable on rugged terrain, wrap around posts and poles or, as someone noted in another blog, wrapped around a chick's ankle for hot first person amateur porn action.