8 Tips and Tricks to Improve Your Food Photography

Eating is a multi-sensory experience. We taste, smell, touch, hear, and see our food when it's in front of us. However, with a food photo, we're only ever tapping into the sense of sight.

The person looking at the photo can't taste, smell, hear, or touch the food. So, we can tell a story that taps into as many senses as possible through the art and beauty of food photography and food styling.

There are a lot of photographers who are trying to use the food to share their stories and test their boundaries. If you are also one of them, we have some amazing tips that will help you polish your skills.

If you are persistent in being a better food photographer, make sure to read the tips and tricks given below.

1.  Understand Directional Light

Just like any other photography type, in food, photography light is also a significant factor that can make you a perfectionist or mediocre. So, you really need to understand how light works and understanding directional light is just one step in that direction.

Directional light is a type of light that comes exclusively from one single direction, either from the front, sides, or back; when the food is illuminated from one direction rather than everywhere, that's gonna look so much better.

The side and backlight are much more recommended than the front because it tends to make your food look flat & boring. With the sidelight, you’ll get images that feel really balanced, universally flattering & just overall beautiful.

It might take some time to understand the use of the right directional light, but experiencing it with a variety of food will make you perfect eventually.

2. Use the Natural Light

A lot of professional photographers use natural lights in their food photography. Well, nothing is better than natural light as it's beautiful and free. However, it's not like you can just put your foot under the direct light and take a shot. Because usually, it creates a lot of contrast and sharp dark and light regions in photos which doesn't look quite appealing.

There are a lot of different ways of using natural light. You can place your food near the window during the day or use thin white curtains to control the light intensity. Cloudy days are considered the best ones for photography.

In food photography, light is the only thing that gives you a large room to play with. You can use the light in thousands of ways to explore where your food photography will take you.

3. The Camera Settings

Regardless of the light, the camera settings also greatly affect the image quality. There are three different settings that will determine whether your photo will look dark, bright, or perfectly balanced. Shutter speed, aperture, and ISO are those three settings that fix the field depth of your photos.

• Shutter Speed

The amount of time for which the camera shutter remains open while the pictures are being clicked is known as shutter speed. The shutter will remain open for one 200th of a second with the shutter speed of 1 over 200. In freehand shooting with a tripod, the faster shutter speed is better. Otherwise, it becomes difficult for you to hold the camera still for too long, and you might get some blurry effect.

• Aperture

The camera aperture will help you to control and manage your picture sharpness and background. You’ll get the blurred background and large foreground using the larger aperture.

If you're taking a photo from 45 degrees, it's best to use a wide aperture, something between F 2.8 on the wider & F 5.6 on the narrow end. And that will make your main element very clear, sharp, and crisp with the creamy, blurry background details. So, this is how you can manage your object with a background in every single picture using the aperture.

• ISO

  ISO is the sensitivity of camera sensors to light. In food photography, the lower ISO number is recommended because that's what's going to create less grainy, more crisp, finer sharper images. You can keep ISO consistent and reliable just by using the tripod.

4.Try to Tell a Story

One of the most beautiful elements of food photography is that you can tell a story through it. As for many of us, food brings about so many different feelings and emotions, a sense of comfort, community warmth, and pleasure.

You can use different ways to tell the story of your table like many professionals do and can get creative in your own way or search the ways to add warmth to your photo. You can also achieve it by serving multiple dishes on the table with a messy look and food sprinkles over the table.

The perfect story comes up with a more natural messy table like in every home during lunchtime rather than making a perfect table.

5. Go for the Matt Surfaces

The surface of your table matters a lot in food photography. Keep in mind that the shiny bright surface will reflect the light and shift the focus from the main dish. So, make sure to use the matt surfaces like any light fabric on the table.

The old wooden table or some rusty grainy tray looks amazing in the food photos. If you are thinking about becoming a professional, you can buy different tiles with some light or black surfaces. These tiles will make your job a lot easier. In other cases, try to use the available resources rather than spending much.

6. Avoid Bright Flowery Crockery

One of the common mistakes that a lot of food photographers make initially is the use of bright flowery plates and dishes. You might be thinking the same as these designs seem to be beautiful and appealing.

However, in food photography, the simpler it is, the better. The designed flashy plates are a little bit too much and kind of stole attention away from the main dish. So, make sure to use the simple plan tools. Use more balanced ways to add colors to your photos.

7. Be Simple in Using the Props

The best food photography is all about balance; the balance of items on the table, and light. Props are being used on the table with the hero/main dish to give a complete and decorative look.

So, while using the props, keep it very simple and balanced. Make sure not to use the large too much decorative props that divert the viewer’s attention from the main item. Use the low-key pros to support the visuals and create a fine balance.

8.  Play With Color Theory

Well, if you are familiar with picture editing and settings, you might be aware of what color theory is. It's a way to create aesthetically pleasing photos by practically mixing the colors in a specific way.

The color theory depends on the color wheel. However, one tip of color selection is using complementary colors from the opposite ends, like green, red, purple, and yellow. It will solve a lot of your confusion.

You can adjust the colors in the food or by using different things on the table like pieces of cloth, flowers, and so on. Food in food combinations can be the contrast of pomegranate seeds on the green salad and garnishing of yellow soup with some green leaves.

While choosing the color combinations, you are not bound to do what already exists. Feel free to try different combinations to discover something new.

Final Words

The only key to making your photography really shine is to keep practicing and exploring your skills. This article contains tips for both professional and beginner photographers.

Make sure to work on the above-mentioned tips and try to keep the table as simpler as possible. You need to work on two things to maintain your balance; the composition and the light.