Taking beautiful food photos is a skill that modern people who are active on social networks must master. How to make photos of yourself dining to hit the circle of friends every day is a big problem. Jane Chang has been engaged in food photography for more than four years and has photographed more than 2,000 restaurants and has rich experience. Today, let’s follow this professional food photographer to learn how to choose angles when photographing food!

What is the best angle for food photography? There is no standard answer to this question. Different situations have different adaptation angles, but roughly speaking, they can be divided into three types: low angle, 45 degrees, and top view.

When taking food photography, a very important point is observation, such as studying the environment of the scene (choosing a beautiful tabletop and an atmospheric corner) and the light of the scene (how to light it). The next step is to observe the food served on the table. How is it plated? Which side is more beautiful? Features such as its meal shape and container. Depending on the characteristics of the meal, decide what angle to use for shooting.

For those of you who are still in the learning process, including myself, when you first learn, you must take pictures from top to bottom and from left to right, and then compare and select to analyze which angle is most suitable. As shown in the picture below, you can see the height of the pineapples from a lower angle; if you look up about 45 degrees, you can see the sense of space before and after the pile of pineapples; the pineapples viewed from above have a special sense of interest, creating an abstract contrast between geometric shapes or light and shadow. .

First, choose the side of the food that you think looks best toward you, and then turn your perspective to observe the other side that has been ignored. There may be unexpected surprises. Even while taking the photo, you can move the chopsticks on hand slightly to adjust the position of the food and concentrate the fillings on one side of the food to make it look more delicious!

At a 45-degree angle, you can see the complete appearance of the food:

And at a low angle, you can see the thickness of the food and the sense of light penetrating the food:

Let’s take a long dessert as an example. As shown in the picture below, the left side has a lower angle and can see the layers of the dessert, but the audience will lose the perception of the size and length of the food; the right side can better see the overall length, width and height of the dessert, as well as the decorations on it. Both methods have their own advantages and disadvantages. What you have to consider at this time is: What is the key point you want to express? Is it the level or the weight?

1. Low angle

Used to display tall, thick, and clearly layered food, or food photos that can highlight the background environment. For example, common layered plating, exquisitely detailed desserts, etc.

Of course, it is also suitable for drinks and tower-shaped desserts. Low angles can bring in some backgrounds, or even shots from bottom to top at an angle close to 0 degrees.

Incorporating a low angle into the background not only allows you to shoot food, but also adds a sense of atmosphere to the dining environment.

Low-angle shooting has more details and layers in the vertical screen. You can capture dynamic behavior in the vertical direction and take photos of the moment when seasoning is sprinkled.

If it is a mirrored table, you can even take a clear reflection from a low angle. However, be aware that the low-angle shot of Mingmen is a plate with an edge, which will obscure the bottom details of the food.

2. 45 degrees

45 degrees is a quite satisfactory angle. Because of this, it has the widest applicability. It can not only show the three-dimensional sense of food, but also capture the relationship between the main dishes on the table, and also add human elements.

Using a wide-angle lens with a 45-degree angle, not only the food can be displayed, but also part of the tabletop and chairs beside the table, plus the sense of space on the wall, is actually the closest to the human eye's observation habit. A wide-angle lens can accommodate more detail, but the downside is that it may not stay vertical if there are upright objects in the frame, and food or cutlery near the edge of the frame will be distorted.

3. Overhead shot

If you play Instagram, you will often see such a composition. It brings a novel perspective and a certain sense of harmony and neatness. All three-dimensional food plates are abstracted into flat geometric elements.

The interesting thing about looking down is that if you keep it absolutely vertical, the photo can be cut into squares and rotated at will in the later stage, and it will not feel inconsistent at any angle. The only factor that may cause trouble is probably the shadow. Controlling the absolute verticality and controlling the shadow are the keys to composing a bird's eye view.

With focal lengths such as 50mm and 85mm, any slight tilt will cause the picture to become skewed, which will increase the time for correction in post-production. Wide-angle lenses are more tolerant and can accommodate a larger frame, making it easier to crop. However, the disadvantage is that they are prone to edge distortion. Regardless of the focal length, it’s best to keep your exercise level from the start.

The overhead view is perfect for showing a table full of meals, or the feeling of many people dining together. As shown in the picture above, the cups around the table will have perspective distortion due to perspective. In order to avoid this, the cups can be placed in the middle of the picture as much as possible.

It is also a good choice to take photos of the meal preparation process from a bird’s eye view.

If your tableware is beautiful, use a bird's-eye view to highlight it.

Separate blocks of color to achieve an abstract style geometric composition.

Or use the desktop as a canvas, extract the colors and shapes of the food, and combine them for painting.

There is no best angle, only a more suitable angle. Everyone has their own aesthetic habits. The key is to try more and make new progress. When practicing, try to create multiple different angles of the same dish. Say goodbye to a single perspective and you are one step closer to dominating your circle of friends! Hurry up and pick up your camera and give it a try!

Pictures and text source from the Internet~

(If you want to know more about photography, please pay attention to Stander Photography! The editor looks forward to meeting you.

Love life! Love photography! )