Whether you cook a delicious meal at home or go to a restaurant to have dinner with everyone on the weekend, it is indispensable to take photos of the food to leave a memory. But many times the photos you take may not be saved or posted on Moments? Because you took them
?Is it like this? But is this what others took? Although I pursue a documentary style, I still don’t want others to misunderstand that I ate at a roadside stall, right? Then don’t worry, learn the following tips to improve your photography skills in minutes. 1.
Natural light is king!
Flash OUT!
Sufficient natural light can make photos look bright, natural and warm, and can better show the original colors of food.
It is the best tool for taking good photos.
If you can move the location of your food, for example, if you want to record a dessert made by your own hands, never light it in a dimly lit kitchen. Try to move it to a brightly lit window, or even outdoors.
If there is a yellow light at home, it is also recommended to turn it off when shooting, and try to use white light and natural light as the main light.
If you go to a restaurant to dine during the day, many professional food bloggers will also specify a location by the window to use natural lighting to take better photos.
Flash or any artificial light source can easily create unnecessary shadows, and as long as there is enough natural light, you don’t need any professional camera at all, and your mobile phone can take photos that are full of color and clear.
2. Close-up photography with shallow depth of field Shallow depth of field is absolutely perfect when photographing food. In addition to making people feel more professional, it can also highlight the subject and create a sense of presence as the food is right in front of you.
Of course, it is not easy to create a shallow depth of field for mobile phones, but just pay attention to shooting food as close as possible. If there is a manual focus function, you can first zoom to the closest distance, and then move the phone to frame and focus.
In order to highlight the key points of food, if there is only one protagonist in your eyes, you must know how to blur it and highlight it.
The whole or half of the food can be in the frame. If not, it will appear more substantial.
3. Find the right angle. Food can’t be perfect from 360 degrees, so it’s important to find the right angle!
Before taking pictures, you can first observe the food on the plate (bowl) from all aspects and find out the key points that you think can best present the dish.
Generally speaking, choosing the side with the richest fillings, the prettiest color, or the most texture will automatically make your food taste better.
You can turn the side with the richest fillings or the most distinct layers towards the camera, or you can consider the interplay of colors when arranging the dish.
For example, put bean sprouts between shrimp and bean sprouts, otherwise the shrimp and bean sprouts will be covered with curry sauce and both will be brown, which can make each ingredient more distinctive.
0 degrees: It is easiest to take a flat shot to capture the layers of food. If the highlight of the food is the layers of different ingredients, such as burgers and cakes, then remember to take 45 degrees like this: it is the most commonly used and easy-to-master angle when taking food photos.
That is to say, photographing food at an angle. This angle is close to the visual angle when we eat. It has both layers and a sense of space. 90 degrees: When photographing food from a vertical angle, you can see the most comprehensive combination of ingredients.
It will make the combination look more orderly. If you are good at arranging the dishes, the food will look great when photographed.
3. Food utensils, plate presentation, and props are also very important. Textured utensils will increase people’s appetite, and the same is true in photos.
Although the food utensil is a supporting role, the protagonist should also have good green leaves to bring out its beauty, right?
If you are afraid that the food will look too monotonous when photographed, you can use small objects around you to decorate it, such as chopsticks, spoons, magazines, tablecloths, flowers, etc.
Small ornaments can not only make the picture look less monotonous and have an embellishment effect, but also show the attractive side of the food. Whether the food is placed properly when taking photos is also a major factor that affects the aesthetics. Friends with obsessive-compulsive disorder may wish to try it.
Placing the ingredients regularly and covering the entire screen may have unexpected effects~ At the same time, if the food in the container is placed regularly, it can also make the screen more stable.
4. Storytelling If you feel that simply photographing food is too monotonous or boring or the whole picture is lifeless, and you want to make your photos more realistic in natural situations, the easiest way is to use free props and hands.
Of course, the hand is still a supporting role in the photo. It should be meaningful in the picture (holding a sandwich, knife and fork, wine glass, MENU, etc.), rather than just adding in to cause trouble.
You should also pay attention to the position of your hands, for example, they should not occupy too large a proportion of the entire screen.
If the hand takes up half of the entire photo, then who is the protagonist?
Don’t let your hands steal the spotlight from the food, and the large proportions of your hands can easily distract the view.
Just like in the picture, if the hand does not appear, as mentioned in the cropping, the spoon in the hand becomes a floating object floating in mid-air (in the red box).
If the subject of the photo is relatively single or small in size (such as fruits, dried fruits, nuts), you can hold it with both hands or concentrate it in a bowl to take the photo.
Is life convenient?