Tips for Food Photography
To anyone but a food photographer, it might seem really odd to whip out your camera and start snapping away at your dinner before you eat it… but there are many reasons why you would want to take photos of a patiently created dish.
Perhaps you are making a scrap book of all your recipes? Or you will be hosting a dinner party next week and wanted to try out the dishes before hand and then make a menu complete with photos to include with your invites.
Maybe you are hosting a birthday party and you have put so much effort into the décor and the cooking that you just can’t resist snapping a few photos to send to your friends overseas.
There are many reasons you might find yourself photographing your dinner and to make sure you get the best photo that you can possibly obtain, here are some great tips:
Time
Timing is essential when it comes to photographing food. We all know that the food looks it’s most succulent when it has just popped out the oven, juicy and steaming.
Desserts melt or shrink if you leave them too long and salads might start to settle…
So be ready, have your table set up and your camera and lighting checked before the food arrives and as soon as the food does arrive – start snapping.
Lighting
I find that lighting can be rather difficult with food photography. You don’t want to use a flash at full force as it will glare off the foods and create reflections. Also – the stronger the light source the less detail you will see in the dish.
Preferably: avoid front lighting and opt for lighting from the side, natural lighting works best. If possible, photograph your dish near a window with a white curtain (or a white sheet) diffusing the light. If it is dark outside – use a desk lamp with a white sheet or t-shirt draped over it (careful not to start any fires!)
Obviously an off camera flash set to a dim setting would be ideal!
Props
The props in your photo are going to make a big difference to the outcome. The colour of the background, the table cloth, the colour of the plate & the shining wine glasses all add to the mood of your image. For example – a bright and colourful cupcake can be placed on a very colourful plate or table cloth or even a serviette. A roast lamb can be decorated with a red cherry tomato and some rosemary and then photographed with wineglasses and red wine in the background.
If you have an interesting plate or unusual cutlery be sure to include it in your image.
Tripod
It is best to use a tripod to ensure clear and crisp detail in your images.
Angles
Try out interesting angles, show the height of the food or photograph along the plate to show other dishes in the background. Angels can show towered pancakes and flat cookies for what they are.
If you need to pour sauce over one of your dishes, try and take photos while someone else pours for you.
*click on any of the image to visit the site where they come from.
Woot, I will cetiralny put this to good use!