If you thought the main rule of food photography was to find the perfect lighting, you couldn't be more wrong.
In fact, before taking the photo, look around the kitchen, filled with ingredients, and think carefully about composition techniques and shooting techniques.
Now, let’s look at some food photography tips.
1. Good Natural Light Nothing illuminates food photography like natural light.
Ideally, shoot on a sunny day, but weather can be unpredictable.
You can simulate daylight in your studio with just a diffuser or softbox.
A good light source is enough for food photography, take some test shots to see which light works best in these lighting conditions.
2. Simulate Good Lighting The key to quality food photography is the right lighting.
However, working in direct sunlight is tricky as it can be too harsh on bright objects, this problem can be solved by placing a diffuser between the shooting position and the window.
This technique will soften shadows and avoid bright highlights, which often appear when direct sunlight hits bright areas.
3. Use the kitchen as a shooting location. After determining the lighting, the next important point is the choice of your shooting location.
In the kitchen, you can find a variety of textures, colors, decorations, and experiment with compositions in food photography, use this opportunity to show off your creativity.
?You can use kitchen utensils to create intricate creations.
For example, towels and other textiles are great for backgrounds, spices can make art look messy, fresh vegetables can brighten up photos, and tableware can act as decorations.
4. Be organized before food photography We know how it happens: if you can’t wait to start cooking, the ingredients are flying everywhere, the dishes are gathered, but you don’t know how you got yourself into chaos, and in this situation it is impossible to take a photo.
Remember to keep it simple and clean.
Before you start cooking, try to clean up your kitchen.
Preparation is also important in making sure you have everything you need at your fingertips.
5. Please use a tripod when photographing food. Get a tripod and place it at the desired location, and then according to the idea of ????shooting and the lighting conditions, the effect will be achieved.
When shooting in low-light conditions, even the slightest camera movement or hand touch can blur the photo.
Therefore, it is worth deciding on the position and settings of your camera during the preparation stage of composition.
If you don’t have a tripod, try to find something stable and use a timer or remote control to minimize movement. By thinking about these details beforehand, you can avoid many bad situations and save time.
6. When finding a good angle to photograph food and products, choose one and do it logically.
After all, camera angle affects the story you want to tell.
In food photography, the quality of the angle will determine the subject, try to think about it carefully to understand what makes it unique and where to emphasize the food to highlight the best qualities of the dish.
For example, if you're photographing a burger, shoot at eye level so that all layers are clearly visible.
If you're photographing soup, it's best to choose an angle from above.
7. Use props to tell stories You can use white space to add details to your story.
For example, food and the objects surrounding it tell you about the cooking process.
You can use textiles, plates, cups, and put something in the foreground or background to add depth and interest to the shot.
8. Let the colors play A common mistake in food photography is the misuse of props. Remember to keep the focus on the food.
When photographing food, use neutral-colored props to make the food stand out. You can choose from black, gray, white, and brown shades depending on the color of the subject.
If you want to photograph a dessert with bright berries, use a white background, beige and light brown are great for baking photos.
In short, be careful with your color choices for props.
9. Document your food preparation process To take great photos, take photos of your food as it is being cooked. You can start by photographing raw food and all the steps of making a dish. Also try to illustrate how to set the table, decorate the kitchen and serve the food.
10. Take photos of people to show scale In some food photos, it can be difficult to determine the size of the displayed image.
Here, a person's hand can be captured to provide a suitable background for the photo.
Showing your hands working or chopping the ingredients will give you proportions which will also add to the appeal of your food pictures.