Are you looking for some practical tips to improve your food photography techniques? Then you are at the right place.
Food photography has opened the door to many, like food bloggers, Instagrammers, social media marketers, product photographers, and more. But, when it comes to taking mouthwatering photos of your food, you have to be creative enough.
Therefore, as a food photographer, here we’ll share seven tips to improve your food photography techniques seriously. So, are you ready to start playing with the colors of your food & create your style to shoot a perfect photo? Then let’s dive into this guide.
Table of Contents
7 Tips to Seriously Improve Your Food Photography Techniques :
Your food photography may come out exactly how you set up the photo in your mind. To capture the exact image you want, you should follow the below seven tips:
1) Natural light
Natural light is always best for your food photography. It would be best if you avoided those built-in flashlights on your camera & lamps. Often flashlights change the natural color of your food. That’s why it’s best to shoot your photo in sunlight, as it can maintain the natural look of your image.
Another way is clicking photos in front of one-directional and pointed light. These are always better than the lights that come from every direction. So try to shoot in front of a window that allows entering the sunlight from one direction. This way, you can use a white or black reflector to control the shadow.
2) Angles
You can take pictures of your food from different angles like straight-on angle, overhead angle, 45-degree angle, and so on. But it would be best if you considered the food’s shape when you choose an angle. You can not shoot a bowl of soup straight on an angle because all you will see is the soup bowl.
If you want to capture the entire arrangement, you must shoot from overhead. A burger or stacks of pancakes can shoot from a straight-on angle to capture the texture of the food. So shooting from right angles is most important for your food photography.
3) Props & Styling
Props & styling can make your food photography amazingly perfect. Without props, you will have a flat plate of food in the middle of the table. Thus, to make it fun, visually appealing, and provide texture, you must add some props as we all know people eat with their eyes first.
Unique knives, vintage-looking frocks, a white or gray color napkin, and slightly used kitchen towels will work great to show the viewers that you made the food by hand in your kitchen. Additionally, shallow white bowls, plants & flowers, pouring glasses, tiny bottles, etc., can be used as props.
For styling, use less food on the plate, complete the food with drips, spills & other imperfections. A little messiness can be good, also choose simple crockery and tableware, which will make the food photo unique.
4) Background
Before shooting, you need to set up your background. You may want to move your dish slightly if the location is weird, like a sink full of dirty dishes. Also, you need to consider the color of your food bowl, plate, or dish.
White, gray, or wooden bowls are preferable for your colorful food. So if you want to shoot the best photo of your food, you must improve your background.
5) Use a Tripod
Using a tripod <– Affiliate link 🙂 is an excellent idea for a food photographer. It helps to shoot from overhead and also provides stability. When you are ready with your setup for food photography, putting down & picking up your phone camera is quite annoying.
While with a tripod, you can have extra time to style and compose your food which is very important to improve your food photography.
6) Surround the Object
To improve your food photography techniques, you should know how to design the space around the food itself. You may use garnishes, side dishes, or sauces to make the photo look perfect.
7) Editing
Like you would not eat a raw meal, you should not publish a raw photo. These include unprocessed JPG files too. So, edit your images to bring them to life, adjust the brightness and contrast, and any other edits that your photography requires.
Common Food Photography Mistakes to Avoid
Some common mistakes can make your entire food photography go in vain. So, avoid the following ones when you are doing your food photography:
- The first mistake is to take pictures of a food dish that looks too empty. It’s essential to add a side dish or another dish that includes protein or protein-rich foods.
- Another one is when photographing food, people avoid using too much white in the frame, filling the frame with food, and taking care to place the dish in its natural lighting.
- Overexposed or harsh lighting is not recommended for food photography because it makes the food appear unappealing. This is usually done to make the food photo look more appealing, but it distorts the colors and makes the photographer’s true intentions unclear.
- It would be best not to overuse high-contrast coloring in your photos. Have a variety of colors to make a picture more visually appealing.
- A recent study found that distractions in food photography can cause consumers to see less value in the depicted food. For example, a pile of french fries next to an open bag of ketchup would distract from the fries and make it seem like the food is older or not fresh. Distracting elements in a photo are also more likely to cause people to underestimate calories.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it’s time to stop settling for poor food photography. Use these tips to improve your skills now! Allow yourself to perfect your skills by taking photos of various items, meals, and ingredients. Practice makes perfect; with these tips, you’re on the path to mastering the art of food photography!
