Food Photography
Food photography is a very popular field within commercial photography. If you are interested in pursuing food photography it is important to know how to effectively take pictures of food to create mouth-watering images. The more appetizing a picture, the easier it will be to market. For many restaurants, food photography is an important way to market to their consumers. If you are an aspiring food photographer, it will be your responsibility to present images that look good enough to eat.
Know Your Client’s Needs
Understanding what to expect in a photo shoot and how to best meet the needs of your clients is very important. It isn’t enough to just shoot pictures of food, but the pictures need to reflect the marketing needs of a customer. Get to know your client and ask questions about what they are hoping to achieve by a food photo shoot. Knowing how to best reach these needs will help you to create a mood and style through your images that accurately portrays the food according to each particular business.
Set the Scene for Photography
Setting the scene for food photography can make a huge difference in the appearance of your images. First, make sure your ingredients are fresh. Remove any wilted leaves in salads, bruised fruit, or otherwise unappetizing looking food from your shot. Be sure to use simple clean dishes when showcasing your food so that the dishes don’t distract from the main subject. Patterns can draw attention away from food, so be careful when using busy dishes. Props are another great way to add interest to a scene. For instance, a glass of milk pairs well with a plate full of cookies and burgers pair well with beer. Remember to keep the scene simple and avoid adding too many props. Finally, use different surfaces when setting a scene. Different textures such as wood, ceramic, and granite all create different styles and moods for your images.
Add People to Photographs
Although showcasing food on dishes and countertops can be very effective, sometimes it can be good to incorporate people into the scene. For instance, showing someone eating the food you are marketing can make the food more appealing. Having someone holding the food or stirring a pot will also add a sense of scale.
Use Different Angles in Your Photographs
Be creative when shooting food and try to find unique and different angles of view for your images. Try shooting directly overhead, from a side angle, or zoom in on a particular section of the food. Macro shots are wonderful when shooting food because it shows a lot of detail. Not all food looks good from the same angle though, so find the best angle for the subject you are shooting. Remember to keep moving around and experimenting with new angles.
Food photography is a fascinating subject and can be a fun and rewarding type of photography to pursue. Whenever you are shooting pictures of food, remember to be creative and create your own style. Don’t fall into the stereotypical food shots, but try to come up with a new way of taking pictures of food. Hopefully these few tips will help you get started in the field of food photography!
