How to photograph food

1. Preparation

To find inspiration for photographing food, you can read more cooking-related books and magazines and carefully observe the food. The lighting and shooting angle of the photo. Whether you plan to use photos to document a family cooking recipe or add a few beautiful photos of fruit to your portfolio, think carefully about what visual elements are needed and find the necessary props, such as knives and forks , plates and tablecloth. White plates and finely textured tablecloths often make great backdrops because their understatement accentuates the deliciousness of the food.

Food loses its visual appeal if it sits in the air for too long, so set the table before shooting. Arrange your props, lights, and camera (including focus, exposure, and other settings), and use alternative plates or pictures to temporarily fill the food's spots. When the food is actually served, take photos of how delicious it looks as soon as possible, especially when family and friends are still waiting to feast.

Food looks most appetizing when it's fresh, especially when sprinkled with condiments, such as the salads photographed by Eric Wolfinger. He used natural side light coming through a door to create a Zen feel, and then used post-production software to create a vignetting effect to add to the mood of the image.

2. Specific pictures

Those basic ingredients that have not been cooked usually can still maintain their original shape after being left for a period of time. For food photography, they are ideal subjects for elementary practice. . As you practice photographing whole eggs in the shell, fresh fruits and vegetables, and other foods in a stable state, you can slowly explore and try shooting in different lights and angles.

Angle has always been important in photography, especially when photographing food. You can first climb up a ladder and take a bird's-eye view, then take another shot from table level. If you're up for a more challenging shoot, try bringing an assistant or at least using the self-timer that comes with your camera. Sauces or other viscous liquids poured onto entrees often make for mouth-watering photos, especially when backlit. Similarly, melting and dripping ice cream on a cone will add movement and interest to the image.

3. Tips

1. Focus

Use manual focus to guide the audience's eyes and highlight the color and texture of the food. Think carefully about depth of field and choose a clear focus point in the picture so that there is a clear transition between it and the softly blurred background. If you want the entire scene to be clear, even clearer than shooting at an aperture value of f/22, you can try using focus stacking. Take multiple photos at different focus points and then merge them together in post-processing.

2. High dynamic range imaging

When photographing high-contrast food, such as chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream, it is easy to lose details in the shadows and highlights. Bracketing is used to take multiple photos at different exposure values, and then combine them together in image processing software later to enhance the tone and image quality.

3. Light

When photographing food, natural light coming from the window is the simplest and best light. Plates with food can be placed near a window so that the food is covered in indirect sunlight. If the light coming through the window is direct, try blocking it with a thin layer of fabric or closing white curtains.

4. White balance

If the final image makes people unappetizing, then there is no point in photographing delicious food. Use manual or custom white balance settings to more realistically reproduce the colors of your food.

5. Lens

Fixed-focus macro lenses are ideal for photographing food, such as 100mm or 50mm fast fixed-focus macro lenses. The 100mm lens allows you to shoot when there is a long distance between the camera and the food, which is especially useful when climbing up a ladder to get an overhead shot. Use a fast lens with a maximum aperture of f/2.8 or larger for greater depth of field and more flexible shutter speed control.

6. Soft box or soft umbrella

Whether you use an external flash or a studio light (continuous flash or strobe), you can use a soft box or soft umbrella. and other light control devices to diffuse the light.