Three meals a day, repeated for many years. When you are eating, have you ever thought about taking pictures of the food on the table with your mobile phone? Here are the tips I shared on mobile phone food shooting. Let's take a look.

1. The distance from top to bottom is 45 degrees

, and the food is photographed from top to bottom at a 45-degree angle, which usually best shows the natural texture and delicacy of the food (ex. The bright caramel leather of braised pig scalp oil, the dark sauce shining in the light, the golden crispy surface of fried shrimp …)

Most mainstream food newspapers and magazines often use this angle, so that the food is photographed in the middle of the picture. The mistake won't be too big (but for me, some things are not suitable for this kind of shooting, such as a bowl of brown soup, which will not be seen for a while, but will be misunderstood as a bowl of mottled kitchen waste. Therefore, food with clear cooking methods and materials is more suitable for this angle), but compared with other composition methods, it will be a bit boring to look at it at a 45-degree angle, which is a safety card in the safety card.

2. Shooting from directly above the dining table

I think this shooting method is quite difficult, because many factors have to be considered. Basically, the table is used as a canvas, and then food, tableware, light and shadow are used to compose a pleasing scene. Therefore, photographers must have certain aesthetic skills and know how to use the elements at hand to shoot successfully. This kind of photo is usually not for the viewer to have "it looks delicious!" The idea of ",but to give a kind of" so beautiful! I really want to go to this store to order these things! "The mind.

but not all food is suitable for this shot. If there are two plates of meat dumplings on the table, if you shoot them down from the top, they will look like two small things with no characteristics, significance and beauty. But flat, large-area food is quite suitable, such as pizza covered with ingredients, or a bowl of yogurt mixed with all kinds of fruits, which will feel very colorful from the top.

in addition, this method is also suitable for presenting Before and After effects. Sometimes I feel that the scene of messy cups and plates after dinner has a different aesthetic feeling, and then I will shoot it vertically.

3. shoot horizontally

shoot horizontally, which is suitable for stacked and layered foods, such as layered muffins, tiramisu, or mixed drinks with distinct layers.

It is important to note that if the shooting background is too messy (a whole restaurant is in the background, or a pile of sundries on the table), this photo will look very unfocused.

4. Interact with people

I like this kind of shooting method very much, because by linking food with people's actions, it will create a story after the photo and a lively sense of interaction, and it will also create a sense of time flow, so that food is no longer like being frozen in a static space. For example, taking a picture of ordinary Japanese-style tea-soaked rice is better than taking a picture of the process and moment when hot soup is poured on white rice, which looks more interesting and delicious. Or instead of making a complete pie, it is better to cut off one or two pieces and put them aside, and the pie with missing corners will look more vivid and interesting.

if you can cook at home, sometimes it is more interesting to shoot semi-finished products and process notes than finished products. For example, it seems boring to shoot a dish of Mapo tofu alone, but when cooking this dish, you will need a lot of materials, such as green onions, red meat and white tofu. It will be more interesting to line up these materials, deconstruct the food and record them with a lens.

In addition, I like to put my friends' or family's hands into the picture (like the moment when my friends cut the cake with a small silver fork). For me, this kind of photo is not only beautiful, but also has the value of commemorating and recording events.

5. Side shot of the dining table

Taking a side shot from the dining table seems to turn the food into a supporting role. However, the environment and atmosphere around the dining table set off the preciousness, uniqueness and delicacy of the food. This kind of shooting is often seen in Kinfolk magazine or the blog of food writer Ye Yilan.

This kind of shooting method attaches great importance to the environment around you. Imagine a picture with several plates of food on a small table in a seaside restaurant with a light blue sea as the background. The food looks more fresh and full of a rich "atmosphere" unconsciously.

In some restaurants, the lights will be hung directly above the dining table. At this time, no matter what angle you shoot, a black shadow of your hand and mobile phone will be projected into the picture. In order to avoid this situation, I will turn to the side-shooting technique of the dining table.

6. Use props flexibly and creatively

Using props will increase the interest of the picture. The silver knife and fork at hand, beautifully colored napkins, crystal clear goblets, your mobile phone, watches and accessories, and even the business card of this store (many restaurants or cafes now make beautiful business cards) can all become your tools.

Many Japanese bento artists often use some homemade props to make cartoons and artistic bentos, and transform them from ordinary to extraordinary.

7. Color matching

Although I have a weakness in color, I may have a weak observation of color, but I still want to remind everyone that color matching is an important point that is easily overlooked. If you look left and right, if you have the idea that "this photo feels so orange …", it means that the color scheme of the picture may be unbalanced. If the same color food is crowded together on a dish, or the color contrast on the dining table is unbalanced, the picture will not look beautiful.

there is a color matching skill, that is, study the color wheel. Usually, the colors directly opposite to a color on the color wheel will be contrasting colors, and the two contrasting colors will look more balanced and beautiful together.

8. Post-APP

Everyone has different styles in the post-APP. My most commonly used app is the famous VSCOcam. Next time, I will write another article to share my experience in researching and using the filter of this app.

9. Others

I think natural light is the best light source to make photos look best, so if I have a window seat when I go out to eat, I must move there immediately. There are many professional food photographers who use artificial natural light or reflective plates to create natural effects, but it is more convenient for us to choose a good seat for fun!

In addition, it is suggested not to be too greedy and want to put everything in one picture. Sometimes, when a large table is heated, the scene looks very imposing, but if everything is squeezed together, it will only look messy and unfocused. It is better to find a better angle to shoot.

There is also a traditional nine-grid composition method, that is, nine grids formed by three lines horizontally and three lines vertically. When you take a photo, imagine that the picture is cut by these nine grids. You can put the protagonist of the photo on the nodes or lines crossing the lines, which can create unexpected effects more than putting food in the middle of the grids in a proper way!

when shooting food, you should also pay attention to prime time. For example, the milk on the cappuccino will start to collapse and sink after soaking for a long time, and it will look ugly if you shoot it again at this time. Therefore, you have to be quick and accurate when taking pictures!

finally, getting along with friends and family is always more important than uploading an Instagram photo. Therefore, I will definitely restrain myself from taking pictures for two minutes at most, so as not to hinder my friends' eating, and I can also train my quick judgment in taking pictures.

Professional photographers have more skills, such as carrying a spray on food to make it look fresh, or putting a steaming basin behind the food to make the food look hot from the front ... These more "advanced" methods will not be discussed here, because I think it is very valuable to have experimental spirit. Sometimes you have to take your eyes off professional photographers or masters to see a wider world.