I recently asked about 50 bloggers to give me an opinion on the following question:

Which part of photography was the most difficult for you to learn or master?

Honestly I didn’t expect the answers that I received! 24 people met the deadline and here are their answers. Sign up here to be part of the next roundup!

Learning to shoot in low light conditions has always been difficult to me. Increasing the ISO feels like cheating, but 1600-3200 is often the only way I can get great pictures! Ian Leaf, @IanLeaf

lighting. Liz Cleland, @westnewyorker

Setting up food/products in a well lit area of my home while making it look natural and not staged. Linda Kinsman, @ismilefirst

Lighting!! Kristi Gilbert, @therobotmommy

lighting, I am still learning. Miranda, @myrabev

I photograph food and I also photograph my son and my husband. But I find photographing food harder and the most difficult part about it for me is the styling. I’ve been trying my best to master it though. Erlinda Reese, @Lynndeeee

Aperture was the hardest for me to wrap my head around. I actually still struggle with it! I find myself going back to automatic sometimes. Jen Rattie, @craftymomof3

The lighting. Not having glares etc. Lisa C. aka Lisa-Queen of Random, @Lisa2900

Lighting. My house has such poor lighting. Tina, @LIChevyMetsGrrl

Lighting! My kitchen makes for a poor photography studio because all of my photos have a yellow tone. Not good for a food blogger! It took lots of practice to learn how to shoot and edit photos to look the way I wanted them to. Ashley Hill, @thehillhangout

Glare and I sometimes still have trouble. Cassandra McCann , @star95011

Trying to get the lighting right Jamie Knupp, @Cluelessmomma

food Tara Pittman, @momknowsbest15

getting enough light in a dark place w/o flash Judy Antell, @wheelsandeats

Getting the right lighting is crucial, and I would recommend natural light if at all possible. Also experiment with different angles, and take tons of photos. Then on the computer, narrow down the best ones. Teresa Britton, @MomsWhoSave

Definitely lighting! I am still learning! Kim Delatorre, @shopwithmemama

It’s hard to choose just one thing, because great photography depends on mastering and balancing a whole symphony of details. Beyond the basic challenge of learning how my camera really worked, I’d say composition was my biggest personal challenge – and the area in which I’m most proud of my growth over the years. It took me a long time to learn that less can be more and that contrasting colors can breath life into otherwise dull photographs. Mary Helen Leonard, @Marymakesgood

Getting the best angle to photograph. Patty, @pizzalogger

I struggled most with learning to shoot manually on my camera. Rose Atwater, @rosebakes

Outside or surrounding props around the food or plate. Deborah Dennert, @debbzs

understanding how to balance exposure, ISO, WB, etc. all together Jess Holmes, @WildishJess

Editing photos is my weakness. I have Photoshop and a premium version of PicMonkey, yet during the editing stage my photos still don’t turn out as good as I would like. Victoria, @wahmjourney91

I would have to say that food photography was the most difficult for me. I share food pictures all of the time, across both business and personal social networks. I didn’t realize that taking a picture from above, of the same paper plates we eat off of wouldn’t cut it. So, I started buying mismatched plates, bowls, platters, and China sets with missing pieces so I could make my pictures pop just a little. I also learned that taking a picture from the side or level with the plate would really capture the natural beauty of the food. It’s ok if a cherry tomato rolled away or a drop of gravy is running down the plate or the fork knocked the rice off of the perfect mound. It’s more natural this way and not staged. Brandy Oliver, @busymommylist

Learning nw equipment is always toughest for me. It takes practice and repetition. Mike Munter, @mike_munter

Thank you to all of the participants. To be part of the next roundup, subscribe here!