4 Amazing Tips to Make Your Food Photography Better
Ah, the world of food photography. Food blogging has become a full-blown popular industry, from Gordon Ramsay-esque critics to daredevil Youtubers looking for the next culinary experiment.
As long as we eat food, people will be fascinated by it. The world needs food photography just like it needs artists, doctors, and lawyers. We need someone who knows their way around a camera and their way around a New York Style pizza. If you’ve ever chosen a meal at a restaurant based on the picture in the menu, then you know the power of this particular artform.
If you are a photographer reading this blog post, first things first, God bless you. You’re doing the world a favor. And that’s why I’m going to do you a favor right back, by providing you with 4 tips to make your food photography better.
4- Take Photos Under Natural Sunlight
If you’re a photographer of any sort, then you already know how hard it can be to capture the perfect amount of light. While food may seem like an easy subject to shoot, lighting is still crucial, and of course, complicated. With food photography, the right light can be the difference between your viewers saying “yum” or “yuck”.
Now, one way you can capture the right light is to take advantage of the natural sunlight you have at your disposal. For instance, if you’re a photographer in beautiful and sunny Los Angeles, then make use of that warm and bright Californian sunlight to really make the cuisine pop. Natural light at times can be your best friend, so make use of that friendship.
3- Choose the Right Angle
Variety is not only the spice of life–it can also spruce up your photos. Now, we all know that the most common angle in food photography is that aerial eagle vision shot from above. While there’s always room for this classic vantage point, sometimes it helps to get a little playful.
Get a little feisty and experiment! Sometimes, a side angle shot is not only visually dynamic, but can help show off your food’s layers in a fresh perspective.
Of course, don’t forsake the basics. Sometimes a birds-eye view really captures all the layers of your subject, so make sure to show off all that your dish has to offer.
And on that note, a final word of advice, choose your angles wisely.
2- Give Your Food a Supporting Cast
You ever realize how food often looks so much better with the things around it? That’s not a coincidence. Chefs do this all the time, where they will fill their plate with complimentary vegetables or garnish, just to bolster the presentation of the dish. Brand photography for products does this especially well. The photographer will situate the product in real-life scenery so that the customer can get an idea of how or where to use that product.
So as a food photographer, you want to run that exact same play for your images. If you’re taking a picture of a cupcake, try placing mugs of coffee or tea around it, because everybody loves something warm to drink with their cupcakes. Cups, jars, spices, and likeminded objects all help accentuate the dish, making it more appealing to the foodie observing it. Use your imagination and play around with the best products that match your subject, and the image you’re trying to portray.
1- Mind the Colors
Choosing the right props and supporting case to your main food item is a great tactic to add more life to your photo. But, if you’re not careful, that supporting cast, or prop, may end up stealing the show. You want to choose background objects that are in line and align with the color of your food item. Try picking neutral colors or colors that contrast your main food item. If you’re taking a picture of a meatball sub, you may want to put it against a dark or black background, so the red tomato sauce in the subs really pops up, and gets the customer drooling for more.
Say Cheese
So there you have it: 4 amazing tips to make your food photography even better! Play around with most of these tips that you read here, and try to add your own creative flair to the mix. Remember, you are the unsung hero in the fast and satisfying life of food blogging. What you do behind the scenes puts into action a series of events that start from your images, and stretches all the way to a paid bill and a satisfied customer.
