Sarah- I SO know what you mean. At this time of year I have a narrow, two-hour window in the middle of the day to take photos, so dinners rarely get photographed. I also hate using the flash on my camera, so I almost never do.

I sometimes “cheat” and re-style the leftovers after the fact, when there’s better light out. I’ve also heard that there are special lights you can buy, which mimic daylight and are designed for photographers. Apparently they aren’t that expensive so I’ve been meaning to look into them. Daylight really is best, though- so I try to get stuff cooked during the days I’m at home (obviously difficult when you work full-time, or from outside your home) and a LOT during the weekends.

Do you re-touch your pics at all? I use Photoshop to re-size and sometimes re-colour my photos, and it can help a washed-out picture regain some of its life (if you had to use the flash on something). It’s not that difficult to learn, but is obviously *really* expensive, unless you know someone who has it. There are other, less pricey and less complicated programs out there too, though.

My camera is actually just a little old point-and-shoot, from the Nikon Coolpix range. It’s at least 4 or 5 years old and I’d love to replace it at some point, since I really enjoy photography. It won’t be this Christmas for me, but I’m definitely hoping that a digital SLR is in my future! :)