25 Food Photography Tips For Beginners
Are you like me and always want to improve your food photography? Here are 25 food photography tips that will help you with that goal.
We are all at different stages of our food photography journey and we’ve all had amazing advice from people who have offered advice. I believe these hints will allow food photographers to take better pics.
1. Experiment With Different Heights
Test height and creating different levels. Use props to raise up some of your scene. Place something on a cake stand or use glasses in different heights. Place things on a wrinkled kitchen towel.
2. Look At Beautiful Pictures
Always look at good food photography. 10-15 minutes a day spent looking at images from blogs and searching on Pinterest really refreshes my creativity and inspires me to create.
3. Learn to Balance Depth of Field and Shutter Speed
A skill that will allow you to capture a combination of different moments with very different styles. You can tell a story through sharpness, focus and exposure.
4. Knowing How To Frame Your Shot
Use a tripod. Using a tripod allows you to set up a better scene. Makes a big difference in reducing camera shake. Big difference in styling.
5. Decide On The Angle Before Styling
Use a stand in and decide on an angle BEFORE you start styling. Do not style and then find out that the angle is not right.
6. Use a Tripod
Use a tripod to shoot your photos. To get those sharp crystal-clear photos you need a tripod which is controlled by a remote. You’ll see a difference how your tripods help you get those perfect sharp images which can be very appealing.
7. Invest in a Good Prime Lens
A good prime lens will make a world of difference to your food photos. Also look at using a 90mm f2.8 macro lens. The longer focal length compresses the background and creates a beautiful look.
8. Practice
Visualize the shot, be creative, attention to details and light.
9. Integrated Arm
Investing in a good integrated arm for a tripod is worth it. Beautiful overhead shots depend on it.
10. Eat Before Every Photo Shoot
Take photos on a full stomach. It’s no good taking photos when you’re hungry. Not only distracting but the dish may not last for the whole shoot.
11. 75 and 25 Degree Angles
These are great angles to begin a shoot. Try multiple angles to determine the best angle to highlight the champion.
12. Always Side, Back or Top Light
Always back, side or top light. Don’t have the light source coming from the same angle or direction as the camera.
13. Use Side or Back Light To Add Shadows and Depth
Light, no matter what you choose, seems to look best when you have it coming in from the side or even from the back. The light used this way adds interest and shadow giving the food more depth.
14. Find A Window
Follow the light around your house throughout the day to find THE windows. Every house/apt will have at least one good one where the light comes through beautifully.
15. Don’t be Afraid of Shadows
Don’t be afraid of shadows and using blackboards to emphasize the shadows. Soft shadows created by effectively diffused natural light can give your image depth and create a lot of visual interest.
16. Make transportable Background Graphics
Print background graphics out onto vinyl. So rather than lugging around massive pieces of board, you can roll a light, durable, transportable background graphic with exactly the right color tone and texture that you’re after.
17. Make, Buy, Barter for Quality Backgrounds
Invest in just ONE quality background board. Backgrounds will transform your food, but make sure your food is the STAR. Nothing replaces the look of real wood. Recycled wood planks. Stay away from vinyl backgrounds as they often reflect light.
18. Use A Person
Adding a person to the photographs makes it visually appealing. E.g. holding a drink or holding a muffin or pouring beverages while having a breakfast layout.
19. Less is More
Less is more. Do NOT overdress the picture.
20. Contrasting Colors
Put a pink piece of cake on a dark plate. If the food is dark, use white plates. Or simply add a green plant or a flower in the picture. A photo with contrasting colors is more interesting and eye-catching.
21. Start With The Champion
Keep it simple, less is more. You will be tempted to add everything plus the kitchen sink…don’t. Start with the champion and slowly add elements. With each item you add in, step back and objectively ask yourself does this does this enhance what I’m trying to photograph, or does it clutter the image?
22. The Garnish
Use garnish to make the food “bright”. Anything you can put on food and drinks that plays up the different dimensions and textures of the featured food/drink, like grated cheese, parmesan, crumbled feta/goat cheese, chopped up nuts, ground pepper, chili flakes, coarse sea salt, grated chocolate, coconut flakes/chips, cranberries, etc.
23. Use Ingredients as Props
When it comes to styling, I think including one or two of the ingredients used in the recipe as props with the final product is another life-changing element. This will make the photo more layered and more appealing visually.
24. Focus On One Thing at a Time
Focus on one thing at a time when shooting, whether it is lighting or composition or getting to know the camera better (playing around with the shutter speed, aperture, iso, white balance…) Set a goal every time you shoot, for a period, choosing any aspect of food photography until you feel comfortable with it.
25. Edits Your Images
The last piece of the photography puzzle is to edit your images. Editing helps us to put our final touches on an image and stamp it with our style. You can really make your images pop when you know how to edit food photography in Lightroom.
GO TAKE PICTURES !!!!!