5 Food Photography Tips
First and foremost, a great food picture should bring out the food’s best qualities and showcase its deliciousness. You want to enhance all of the colors and textures of the dish and avoid muting or hiding them. That means avoiding artificial light, blurry snapshots, and unappealing angles. You know you did something wrong if your mouth doesn’t water when you edit your pictures. Here are a few tips to step up your food photography game to get the perfect shot.
Shoot in natural light
Lighting is key when you’re shooting anything, but it’s even more important when you’re dealing with food. If you use artificial light, like camera flash or lamps, your pictures will get a bad color cast that will make the picture come out poorly. Having a table positioned near a window lets you have the perfect set up for natural light. This being said, be conscious of when the light is too bright, otherwise the contrast of shadows can overwhelm the picture. The best type of light is actually overcast because the light is diffused. The indirect light is perfect for creating the flawless lighting for your pictures.
Edit your pictures
A lot of the time, the light isn’t perfect and the colors aren’t popping in your shot. Editing is so important to bring your pictures to the next level. Always up your contrast, sharpen the photo, and tweak the coloring of the picture to make sure that the subject is highlighted. Some apps on your phone you can use are Snapseed, Afterlight, VSCO, and Adobe Express. If you’re looking to get more into your photography, some software that will give you professional-level edits are Corel, Adobe Lightroom or Elements, and Capture One Pro. Just a fair warning, these come with a price tag.
Create a theme for your page - consistency is key
Not only do colors have a huge impact on how your shot comes out, but having a consistently colored feed or website can elevate your brand. It is also helpful keep a consistent color theme to make your pictures flow together.
Take photos from different angles
Just like people, food has a “good side” and not every plate looks good from the same angle. If you’re shooting a pie of pizza, it’ll look better from the top, but a burger is going to look best from the side. Try moving the plate around and taking photos of the same dish from different angles - you can always pick your favorite later.
Purposeful placement
The way that you compose your photo has a huge impact on how the final image will come out. The scene as a whole and how each product and element is placed should be thought out. Nothing is worse than a messy plate and a cluttered background. If a the silverware or drinks don’t add to the photo, just remove them!
