Here are some very simple and easy-to-use techniques that can help you shoot the real thing? Does it taste good？ Food photos.
1. Start by attracting appetite.
It is true that food pays attention to inner beauty, but before someone invents photos that can be tasted, the quality of food photos is judged by vision. This means that the fruits you choose can't have scars, vegetables can't have rotten leaves, and meat can't be cooked for too long.
2. Don't be afraid of waste
Food photography has nothing to do with dieting. We need a lot of food, even if it is wasted. If you have a big cup, fill it. If there is not enough food, use some stuffing. For example, if you put a tray or teacup into a bowl, it is easy to fill the bowl with food.
Consider using multiples
Repetition of simple elements can produce a sense of richness. The function of a biscuit is very limited, and a pile of biscuits will be more attractive.
Decorate food
Decoration is the lace of the food world. They are not the main characters, but they can add color and hint to the picture. Consider adding a little vanilla, red pepper or even a little scattered pepper to the plate, which will make the meal you see every day look attractive.
Make full use of lighting
Poor lighting can make food look unattractive, especially if you use a flash. In the entertainment circle, you won't see anyone who doesn't use up well, and so do excellent food photographers. But you don't need expensive photographic equipment. Natural light is a good choice. Don't be shy about shooting food outdoors.
Pay attention to the protagonist
Good food photography works prefer shallow depth of field and highlight the subject from the background. Blur the background and emphasize the food you want to shoot.
7. Try to make money with photos
Trying to shoot in portrait and landscape mode can create a different feeling. If you want to upload it to the food website, remember to cut the photo into squares, so take this into account when shooting the composition.
Finally, remember that food is best shared with everyone. Don't just sit in front of the monitor and drool, bake some snacks to share with you.
Technical part
First, the use of light.
1, natural light
It is a very good choice to shoot food with natural light. When I shoot food for fashion magazines and other media, I mostly choose natural light. But try to avoid direct light, because it will cast a dazzling shadow on food. Don't use a flash unless you want your food to look wet and greasy (the camera comes with a flash). But occasionally shooting a barbecue or something, the effect may look cool and fashionable.
Try the scattered soft light coming in through the thin curtains as a backlight or side backlight, and you will find the food is very beautiful.
Step 2 flash
Didn't you just say no flash? Yes, don't use the flash that comes with the machine. The flash here refers to the professional flash.
The lighting arrangement of food photography should show the three-dimensional sense of dishes. The basic lighting is to use a top light with a slight backlight, combined with the main light on the side and the auxiliary light with personality. Soft light covers and honeycomb covers are usually used.
Soft light is the main food for shooting snacks such as bread and cakes; However, greasy food such as braising in soy sauce and frying requires a hard light source to avoid the food being too dull; When shooting cooked vegetables, drinks and other foods with good transparency, we should show its transparency, and then use backlight and contour light, and the effect is very good. Lighting is dead, and people are alive. In the face of different foods, creative use of local light sources will achieve amazing results.
The use of lighting is a complex topic, which can only be briefly explained here. Interested POCOer can try different lighting applications, be familiar with the characteristics of various light sources and use them flexibly.
Second, composition and angle
1, how to highlight the dishes to be expressed
Here, according to the actual situation of netizens, the pictures we posted on the Internet mainly want to highlight the photos of food salivation and appetite, and the sense of temptation is the most important. So simply taking the food and tableware neatly, such a simple perspective, only let us see the food itself, but did not reflect the attractive feeling. Why don't we look for the most critical part of food, such as the most beautiful staple food in a dish, or even beautiful tableware, so that viewers can associate it. If conditions permit, you can also change the container and environment of the dish itself to achieve unexpected results.
2. Use and purpose of shooting angles of 0, 45 and 90.
The shooting angle of food should be grasped according to the characteristics of dishes. Here are some simple instructions:
Western food, snacks, snacks, drinks and other foods with good three-dimensional sense are more suitable for shooting at a relatively flat angle such as 0 to highlight the three-dimensional sense of food.
In China cooking, a large number of dishes are used, or large bowls of soup and cooking dishes are used. In order to show the food in these big plates well, we can shoot at a relatively vertical angle, about 90 degrees. Of course, you can also try some interesting western food to bring different visual effects.
45-degree view is common, but we often use it to cook ordinary dishes, which requires us to mix materials reasonably, use props reasonably and avoid dullness.