Food Photography: Pro tips to capture the best of what you eat

We do eat with our eyes first, it’s true.

Food photography is not as easy as it sounds. Scrolling through millions of food photos might give us an impression that all we need for decent food photography is a good plate of food. What happens during a photography session tells a different story. What we see on the internet is more than just a plate of scrumptious food. There is a lot of behind-the-scenes work before sitting down with cataloguing photographs of food.

In case you have missed out on the right tips to capture the best of what you eat, here are a few tips to nudge you along.

Proficient use of natural lights –

There is a certain charm in natural lighting that no filters can compete with. That being said, as stupendous it is to make use of natural light, it would be foolish to keep clicking in harsh unfiltered sunlight, which will only wash out the photos. A tree-shade on a sunny day is a great place to opt for.

Rule of Thirds –

Using the grid system in your camera or phone will result in excellent photos. The grid aligns the subjects properly for a great click. Following the Rule of Thirds means aligning your main subjects along the line of the grid instead of randomly placing them anywhere.

Invest in a tripod –

Investing in a tripod will let you capture food with more precision. All food photographers working for magazines have a tripod at their disposal.

Bounce cards could do wonders –

Bounce cards can direct light to the plate of food. Interestingly, you could also play with shadows at your will using bounce cards.

Setting it right –

Using cutlery, some monochrome table clothes, dried leaves that were used for cooking as background to aestheticize the photos.

Change angles –

Shooting from above is always the best option as it takes in all the food in focus, especially the bowls, plates the food are in. It eliminates distractions. However, if you need to highlight something, like the cheesy double patty of a burger, close-up from one side would work best. It’s all about choosing the right angle.

Create a story/ Add human interference –

Adding a book with coffee at the side of the food adds a story to it. Adding human contact to the photos works wonders. Like the arms of a person holding a cup of coffee.