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Last Updated on October 10, 2024
Food can be appetising in more ways than just taste. For example, the way it looks—the golden-brown perfection of a roast chicken, the mix of colours in a vegetable stir-fry, or the play of textures in a pasta dish, for instance—can also make one’s stomach grumble and their mouth water. The best food photos often make the viewer crave for that meal right then and there.
If you’re taking photos of your favourite dishes, or perhaps even want to feature them in an avenue like your blog, then this is certainly the kind of reaction you’ll want to get from people who you’ll share the photos with. But how exactly do you make these dishes come across as delectable in your shots?
For the budding food photographer in you, here are some tips you can put into practice to take more creative and appealing food photos:
1) Pay Attention to Food Styling
Food styling is the art of arranging food in such a way that it looks the most enticing and delectable. It’s thanks to this technique that food in restaurant menus and advertisements all look extra appealing to viewers.
Knowing that, make sure you take the time to style each dish before you start taking photos of it. This could entail adding garnishes for a dash of colour, rearranging portions on a plate, or choosing the right plate or bowl to best showcase the dish.
Keep in mind that not everything involved in the shoot needs to be part of the dish itself. For example, raw ingredients that were used in the dish’s recipe, such as uncut vegetables or spices, can be placed near the plate to evoke a sense of progress as to how those ingredients were able to become a finished dish.
2) Set Up a Theme
When styling your favourite dishes, you can also try to establish a theme to go with each one. A studio shoot makes this much easier, as you can simply choose a location that’s already stylised beforehand. If you’re located in the UK, then you can try searching for photography studios London online and you’ll definitely find several quality options where you can take themed food photography.
Make sure the theme you choose contributes toward amplifying the dish’s appeal as well. For instance, if you’re taking a photo of a breakfast plate, then you might want to set it on a table where morning sunlight is seeping in, thus setting the theme of waking up to enjoy a delicious breakfast. Not only will this suit the dish perfectly; it also creates a scenario in the mind of the viewer rather than the food in the photo simply being presented without context.
3) Evoke Motion
You might be wondering how exactly you can evoke motion in a still photo. The answer lies in implied motion, and this can be a particularly powerful technique when used in food photography.
For example, taking a photo of a steak with a knife while there are several strips that are already cut effectively conveys the idea of the steak being portioned into bite-sized pieces, ready to be eaten. This makes the photo much more interesting and, in turn, the dish more desirable compared to if it was represented in a generic and static shot.
You can also capture the food mid-preparation to get a sense of motion. Your camera can capture the whorls that form as one stirs a bowl of soup, or the garnish falling from the chef’s hands and onto the dish. These tricks will make each shot look more alive in the process.
4) Photograph Food with People
While the dish is certainly the main draw in food photography, that doesn’t mean people can’t be part of your shots, too. In fact, featuring people in your food photos—perhaps as they’re preparing, eating, or sharing the meal—will impart a touch of warmth and create a scene that can more effectively draw the viewer in.
Moreover, seeing the delighted expressions on people’s faces as they partake in the dish makes the food much more enticing. Think about it: how many times have you craved something just because you saw someone else eating the food with utter enjoyment?
Even just hands will do, in case you don’t want to include people’s faces. Just make sure that you’re capturing the hands doing something so they look natural in the photo and not stiff or awkward.
5) Focus on the Details
As important as it is to capture the entirety of the dish, showcasing the finer details can also present the dish in a different light and thus make the shot much more eye-catching. Details such as the melting butter on top of a pile of hot pancakes, the bubbles fizzing in a drink, or a lobster in a seafood platter will give the viewer a unique glimpse of the meal and allow them to appreciate those details first before looking at the whole.
6) Experiment on Food Placement
Don’t feel restricted to always taking photos of plated food. Rather, try to experiment with serving the dish in a more interesting container and taking that shot instead. A photo of a dish still cooking in a pan or casserole, for example, will evoke a more rustic and homely vibe compared to having the food already plated. You can even get more creative by taking shots of ingredients being tossed around, as so often seen in food commercials—just be prepared for the mess afterwards, of course.
On top of capturing the aesthetics of your favourite meals, your food photography can serve as a means to share your love for different dishes with others and hopefully encourage them to try these dishes out as well. With the help of the tips in this article, you’ll be able to make your next food photos much more creative and eye-catching and depict your favourite foods in their full glory.
