In a digitally inclined world, food is not only essential for survival but also a product that people consume and share for others to see.
Food photography is a method of capturing diverse meals with a camera, editing them, and sharing them with the world.
Food enthusiasts, bloggers, and people alike can share and connect with their love for food in different creative forms, thanks to Instagram and social media platforms that have created systems to make this accessible.
Is it jollof rice, suya, plantains, or any dish you want to get creative with and share? You need to know how to take great pictures, and you don’t have to go to a restaurant to take them. Let’s see some secrets on how to stay on top of your food photography game.
1. Choose a suitable background
A food photography tip that will always come in handy and set the right tone for your pictures is the background. So, it’s important for you to identify whether you are using a simple background that can focus more on your dish or one with themes that can highlight the creativity you’re trying to achieve. Ensure that whichever type of background you’re going for suits the dish that you’re trying to capture and, more importantly, aligns with and achieves your goal.
2. Excellent lighting
This is possible when you strategically choose the time to take pictures of your meals. If you’ll be using natural light, which is excellent for food, taking photos during the day is your best bet. Find corners where natural light is more pronounced. It could be beside the window where you can get soft, diffused light or anywhere else that suits your preference and idea for the shoot.
What if you can’t use natural light? Artificial light is an alternative option. A ring light or softbox can be a great source of the light that you need, which is essential to controlling or avoiding shadows in your pictures.
3. Clean camera lens
You can have a great background, idea, focus, or angle, yet you still have terrible pictures because you did not clean your camera’s lens. Failure to clean it will create a dent in the outlook of your pictures. There’ll be a fog all over them, and dirt won’t let your pictures be great.
4. Appearance matters
In food photography, the way you arrange and present your dish is important. No matter the level of creativity that you’re trying to achieve, if your food or background is not properly styled, plated, or arranged, the pictures might not turn out great.
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5. Know your angles
Knowing which angle suits the dish you want to showcase is highly important. Whether it’s a top-down shot, a side angle, or a close-up one, ensure that you settle for one that sells the narrative you need it to. For example, Jollof rice or yam porridge can go perfectly with a top-down shot, and a side shot can go perfectly with soup.
6. Editing
All the work you’ve put in can go down the drain in a second if you get your edits wrong. In food photography, you need to enhance the pictures, purposefully add filters, make adjustments for great impact, and, above all, do all these with moderation. You can explore editing tools like Photoshop, lightroom, snapseed, etc.
So, dear food creative, nothing can stop you from sharing your creativity with the world. With these food photography tricks, you can stay on top of your game.
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