Food Photography tips

Lighting

Lighting like all photography is important. Try to do your photography in natural light. A place near a window with lots of natural light is great. Avoid full sun except if the time is right and you can get the sun clipping over a small area of the food to achieve a striking effect. Natural light will be also a bit tricky because as the sun moves or the clouds break apart you will find the lighting changing continuously.

Depth of Field

Often a narrow depth of field can add a lot of feeling into your food photography. It can bring out a live and appetising look into your images to achieve and evoke mood. Be careful not to loose to much of the dish by choosing a to shallower depth of field.

Angle and Composition

We preferably try to shoot at a lower angle and not directly from above. Kind of like how you would see the food sitting on a table or just served up in a restaurant at the table beside you. The angle will depend upon the type of food that you are photographing too. So try to be creative and explore the best possible angle for the dish you intend to photography. Composition of the dish should be clean and simple, don’t try to put to much on the plate too. You may need to prop up areas on the plate to show and highlight areas but you should still try to keep this natural looking. Avoid repetition unless the shots are for some kind of catalogue and you are looking for a uniformed look.

Natural is best

Try to think about the small details. Possibly some of the ingredients in there natural state, like some garlic cloves, lemons or even some crumbs or towels to show the food has just been prepared. These things could add real mood when they appear blurred in the background or foreground.

Colours

Try to think about colour and how you can compliment and add creativity to your shots. Plates, cups, glasses, place mats etc can all be sourced in an array of colours and styles to compliment the meal. Being careful not to over clutter the shot though.

Be ready – Speed

Always be at the ready, have everything set up first. You can always set up on a bare plate with some fruit on it. When the dish is cooked or prepared you want to catch the moment quickly. Food will only photograph well when it just been cooked. It wont keep its appeal for long. Salads wont take long to look wilted. Steaming food is also fantastic if you can be quick enough to capture this it will add real appeal to the shot. Generally food will always look best right when its put on the plate, so don’t mess around and capture the moment.

Equipment

Meter the light and try to use a fast lens. We only shoot manually so that we can quickly adjust the camera to get the best exposure that we are after. Reflective boards or screens are also effective if you would like some more natural light in a darker area of the dish if needed. Plenty of props is always good as this will assist you in making your shots not to repetitive. Experiment with different types of things and different colours – get creative. White is always nice and white plates will always look great.