It’s only natural to want to brag about your culinary prowess by posting pictures of the meals you cook and enjoy on social media. However, capturing the vibrant colors and intricate textures of food in a photograph is a challenging endeavor.
The good news is that you don’t have to go to any particular schools if you want to start posting images of your cuisine on social media. Taking beautiful food shots is within reach of every budding photographer if they follow these guidelines.
- Don’t Use Flash
It’s best if you could live without utilizing the flash on your camera. This built-in flash casts harsh shadows and produces too reflective surfaces. Furthermore, it changes the hues of the meal. As a result, the photo’s overall appearance may be diminished due to the glare.
Occasionally, the food will appear so overexposed that you won’t be able to identify what it is.
Try to snap some shots outside where there’s plenty of natural light (to be discussed further below). Unwanted shadows and colors might be difficult to adjust in post-production when working with artificial lighting.
Professionals use expensive flash setups that almost replicate natural light when photographing food. The problem is that you can’t do it with a smartphone; therefore, you should stay away from flash.
- Take Pictures in Natural Lighting
The difference between a regular and a memorable picture is all in the lighting. Professional photographers often use only natural light.
Natural and directed light is ideal for photographing food since it adds depth to the image. I say, “shoot” that meal in the great outdoors if you can!
Bring the food inside and stage it by a window at home to snap some pictures in natural light. Natural light, however, does not necessarily refer to sunshine. No photograph taken in bright sunshine will ever look good.
Make sure you have side or backlighting when using your smartphone at the dinner table. Frontal lighting doesn’t work so well for food photography because it creates shadows and makes everything look dull.
Try to avoid the horrible glare of fluorescent or artificial light if you’re eating in a restaurant that doesn’t have windows.
- Follow the Rule of Thirds
When it comes to compositional guidelines, the rule of thirds is by far the most widely used. Simply put, each picture is cut into nine identical squares.
You can imagine this as a tic-tac-toe board in your head. Place all of the board’s most important components (food) at the game’s four corners and along its diagonals.
The grid overlay on your smartphone camera is a great tool for setting the scene’s focal point. The center of the audience’s attention will naturally shift there; thus, it’s essential to make that area stand out.
The focus can be anything as unassuming as a sprinkle of rice or some pickled plums.
- Focus on Composition
Mastering the art of composition in photography is a time-consuming process. It’s a skill that can be taught, but if you’re not interested in perfecting every nuance, don’t shoot in a chaotic or cluttered environment.
Not getting it? The food photographs in the average Instagram user’s feed tend to be chaotic.
Both the food and the surroundings can appear chaotic and disorganized. People want to show off EVERY meal they had; thus, there may be too many toppings, or the dishes may be piled too closely together in the photo. Don’t do it since it will make your meal look unappetizing.
Crop in closer and get rid of the clutter. Try to get a close view of only one dish, and frame it so that the subject fills the frame.
Conclusion
Taking better photos of food for social media is a great way to attract more attention to your profile and engage with your followers. It is crucial to find the right angle for each dish, consider the background and props, choose the right lighting, and take advantage of photo editing techniques when applicable. With a little bit of practice and the right tools, anyone can take beautiful and professional-looking food photos.
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