Food Photography Tips

Food photography is becoming ever more popular these days. From people going out to eat and taking photos of their meals, to people making dishes they’re proud of and showing them off to their friends and family. However, there’s more to it than just taking out your smartphone or camera and quickly snapping a shot. With these tips, you’ll be taking gorgeous, mouth-watering photos in no time.

Deciding your Angle

The subject of your photo is what’s going to decide what kind of angle you should be using.

Oftentimes, shooting from overhead will get you the best results, especially if your food is arranged in a plate or bowl. This will allow you to capture all of the food and background details.

Shooting from the side is great if your subject has layers. This can be perfect for that cross-section shot of a layer cake or parfait.

Finding your Lighting

One of the most important things to take into account is what kind of lighting you have. Most of the time, you’re going to want to use natural lighting, as artificial lighting can make your food look discoloured and give off unnatural shadows. Natural lighting, with its neutral tone, will show off your food’s true colours.

Another thing to keep in mind is to avoid shooting in direct sunlight. This can produce some very harsh shadows, disrupting the focal point of your photo, the delicious food! Taking pictures outdoors, in lightly shaded areas, will do wonders.

Choosing your Background

Choosing the correct background is a crucial step in making sure that the viewer’s eye doesn’t get distracted. We recommend sticking to neutral backgrounds, nothing too colourful or messy. A good rule of thumb to go by is to use dark backgrounds with darker foods, and light backgrounds with lighter foods.

Placing your Props

Food photography, in a way, is like painting! Everything on your canvas should be there for a reason. It’s good to avoid unnecessary clutter in your composition, but sometimes taking a photo with only a plate of food in frame doesn’t quite cut it.

You can decorate the background using some of the dry ingredients used in the food. Something like a small pile of herbs, or a small trail of berries can be used to frame your food and make for an interesting photo.

Considering your Colour

Oftentimes, the colour of your food can play a big part of its visual appeal. If a bold and striking colour or shape are the main draws of your dish, keeping everything else simple and focusing entirely on those features might work best.

Finishing Touches

Editing your photos by using an app or filters can help enhance different features like sharpness or colour in your photos. Once you are fully satisfied with your images head over to walmartphotocentre.ca to print your photos and create some really neat products like your very own Print Book full of your favourite pics, or an Express Canvas to hang around the house!