How To Take Professional Food Photos
Very few will get creative and incorporate people props or activity in their shots.
How to take professional food photos. Especially if you re aiming to take more professional pictures. A lot of food photos are taken using the soft diffused light from a window. Most amateurs approach food photos very statically opting to shoot dishes from a seated position or overhead. Food photography is a hot topic these days as many cooks love to snap shots of their food for friends on facebook and twitter.
If you love taking photos of the dishes you cook or order when eating out at restaurants and want to post them online you don t need to buy a camera or any fancy gadgets to improve the quality of your work. Either zoom right in on the food or arrange your background to give context. How to take perfect pictures of your food preparing your food to be photographed. Light is the key to creating beautiful still life photos.
Always shoot your food pictures in natural daylight rather than under artificial lighting. Chefs use the term plating to describe the aesthetic. If you illuminate your food with an artificial light such as a lamp it s likely to create an ugly orange or yellow color cast in your photo. When i shoot food photography i usually reach for my 24 70mm zoom lens or my 100mm macro.
This is your opportunity to shine as a food photographer. For portrait work i prefer an 85mm. Aside from the extra light this lets in it also increases the bokeh effect bokeh refers to the ethereal blurry areas in the. The kit lens that comes with your camera is usually not the best quality.
A few quick and easy tips for better food photography move the scene to take advantage of natural window lighting limit the depth of field with a wide aperture setting f 1 8 f 5 6. It ll take some height adjustment depending on how the food is arranged but taking this step can make all the difference between blurry grainy food photos and crisp clear ones. All you need is a phone with a lens some good food and a few tips. Focus near the front edge of the food.
Good lighting is key to emphasizing the textures and color balance of your food. Even something as simple as angling your plates or playing with garnishes can bring a photo to life. Even if you don t keep a blog or photograph food as a hobby you may want to share that birthday cake you made or the lasagna from last weekend. The easiest ways to take better looking food photos 1.
Use a wide aperture. Move beyond standalone food photos and use your creativity to make a more dynamic shot. The best way to think like a food stylist is to bring other objects into the frame. And it will not always be suitable for the kind of photography you want to do.
Window light is subtle light that works to emphasize contrast without really having to do anything overly specialized.