• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Blogghetti logo

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
    •  Privacy Policy
    • Disclosure Policy
  • Recipes
  • Resources
  • Search
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

Home » 4 Tips to Master the Art of Food Photography

4 Tips to Master the Art of Food Photography

Apr 28, 2017 · Leave a Comment

This post may contain Amazon or other affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Click here to read our privacy policy.

Food photography is one of the most challenging types of photography but with a few easy tips you can be on the way to snapping pictures that will have your audience drooling over your latest dish!

Food photography is one of the most challenging types of photography but with a few easy tips you can be on the way to snapping pictures that will have your audience drooling over your latest dish!

Guest post by Katie Kapro

Okay. So I’ve been watching The Great British Baking Show. A lot. Like, three full seasons in two weeks a lot. One of the most magical parts of the show is at the end of each challenge, just before judging, when all of the bakers bring their creations to the gingham table and the camera pans over them, illuminating each bake in all its perfection (or all its disastrous crumbledom, depending on how things panned out for the baker). The satisfaction that an audience gets from this moment is all due to the very simple tenets of food photography.

Making the best of these simple elements can take your food blog, Instagram feed, or wherever you like to share your culinary art successes, to the next level.

It doesn’t require a fancy camera. A high-quality smartphone camera will do the trick, something with at least five megapixels. Of course, there are real benefits to professional gear, but unless you’re selling your images to magazines, you really shouldn’t need to sweat it.

Food photography is one of the most challenging types of photography but with a few easy tips you can be on the way to snapping pictures that will have your audience drooling over your latest dish!

Lighting

The very first aspect of taking good food photos is to know how to manipulate the lighting. A candlelight dinner might look appealing when you’re sitting at the table, but the ambiance does not translate to the screen. Even the most delicious delicacies will look sad bathed in shadowy orange light.

The ideal lighting for food photography is indirect, natural light. Diffused sunlight is bright but soft and really lets the detail and texture of the food shine through. It may be tempting to take photos in a nice patch of sun, but trust me, it just doesn’t work. Direct light washes everything out and casts sharp shadows that are generally quite unflattering. As a rule of thumb, if it’s not light you personally would want to be photographed in, don’t subject your recipes to it. We all have things we’d rather not highlight: for humans, it’s cellulite; for cheese, cellulose. We’ve got your back, cheese.

If your kitchen doesn’t have just the perfect natural, diffused light, don’t lose hope. There are plenty of tricks to get it there. If you suffer from too much direct light, simply pin a white sheet over the window. This will soften the light and save your recipes from the dreaded wash-out. Artificial lights can also work wonders for indoor food photography. The key is to avoid too much overhead illumination and find a bulb with just the right color temperature. The cooler the better, generally speaking.

If things are still a bit too dark, Lindsay from Pinch of Yum suggests setting a crisp, white napkin just beneath your dish. This will help give you a point of reference when you’re adjusting your white balance later during editing.

Food photography is one of the most challenging types of photography but with a few easy tips you can be on the way to snapping pictures that will have your audience drooling over your latest dish!

Composition

Composition is an art term for how you arrange the stuff you’re taking photos of. If there’s no composition, it’s just a blob of stuff. That said, as with most things artistic, if you have an argument for why that blob is important, you might be able to pull it off. In food photography, we rarely get the chance to defend our composition choices because it’s such a visceral art form. If it looks gross, people are going to close the tab and that’s that.

Basically, composition is important.

The most useful composition rule of thumb for photographing food, or anything for that matter, is known as the rule of thirds. Imagine your frame has a grid overlaying it, splitting it into nine squares like a tic-tac-toe board. As you’re finding just the right angle for your shot, place the important elements of your picture along those grid lines or at their points of intersection. Then snap your photo.

This set-up gives the subject room to breathe, creates a clear focal point for its supporting players, and is just weirdly visually satisfying. Playing around with the rule of thirds is really fun, and is one of the best ways to hone your eye for composition.

Food photography is one of the most challenging types of photography but with a few easy tips you can be on the way to snapping pictures that will have your audience drooling over your latest dish!

Style

The styling of a food shot is the part where you can really let your creative spirit free. It starts with the plate or dish on which you display your food. Go for complimentary colors and character and make sure it doesn’t outshine the food itself. Also, take care that the size is just right. If you’re showcasing an elegant item, take a cue from the pros and display it on a larger dish. If you’re trying to convey abundance and comfort, use a plate that allows the food to almost overflow its edges. Style is all about drawing upon people’s emotional responses. Let your instincts run the show.

As you’re choosing your accent pieces — napkins, glassware, garnishes, etc. — always keep color in mind. Print out a color wheel and hang it on your fridge. It’s nice to have something to glance at in those moments when you just can’t tell if something is clashing or not.

Throughout the styling process, it’s important to remember that the food is the star. It can often be hard to know when you’ve overdone it on the styling until the photo is edited and finalized. You learn a lot from what you end up cropping out later.

The only way to improve your styling instincts is to take your artistic self seriously and look at the whole world through the lens of artistic style. Almost everywhere you go, there’s something to be learned about style and visual display. Museums are a great place to go to glean new display ideas. Unlike the sometimes overstuffed displays of retail stores — buy this! buy that! buy everythaaaang! — museum displays are unabashedly devoted to focusing on a single item, giving that item a complimentary backdrop that will neither overshadow nor bore, and doing it all with crisp clarity. Rarely will you find an overindulgent museum display.

Food photography is one of the most challenging types of photography but with a few easy tips you can be on the way to snapping pictures that will have your audience drooling over your latest dish!

Editing

The final step in food photography is editing your photos for balance, brightness, contrast, and crop. This step should be a refining of your already great photos. If the light was horrible to begin with, it’s time to go back to the set and take new pictures — over editing almost always shows.

Photoshop is the go-to for photo editing, but there are plenty of great free editing programs out there too. If you don’t want to invest in Photoshop quite yet, try out free editing software first. You may find you don’t need to go for the complex, expensive option.

Adjusting the white balance will keep you from having photos with a weird tint. This is where it’s helpful to have a neutral or white element to the photo so it can be the anchor for your balance. Next, adjust the light levels so that the lightest elements of the photo are pure white and the darkest, pure black. Make sure not to lose detail in this step, otherwise you’ve gone too far. The second-to-last step in editing is to adjust the contrast and saturation. Be wary of using a heavy hand in this step unless you’re going for an unconventional, edgy look that’s more about the treatment than the food. Once you’ve got your image all balanced, crop it to just the right size and be sure to save it not only as a.jpg, but also as a .raw or .psd file that will allow you to go back in and edit every little element later if you need to.

Food photography is one of the most challenging types of photography but with a few easy tips you can be on the way to snapping pictures that will have your audience drooling over your latest dish!

Off you go to share your glorious food photography!

Throughout the learning process, take it easy on yourself. Mastering the art of food photography is all about trial and error. Just remember, when you take a horrible photo, there’s really no need to publish it like these guys did. Keep it in a folder that you can look through later, once you’re a total pro, and laugh at the journey it took to get there.

More from Blogghetti

Cooking Tips food, food pictures, photography, tips

Previous Post: « Easy Chicken Pot Pie Hand Pockets
Next Post: Happiness is Homemade Link Party #169 »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

I’m a self-proclaimed foodie, avid reader, crafter, wife, mother, and always a student. Click here to read full profile.

TRENDING ON SOCIAL MEDIA

mini turkey meatloaves close up

Mini Turkey Meatloaves Recipe

tray of sausage balls appetizers

Air Fryer Sausage Balls

close up of creamy squash soup with garnishes in white bowl

Creamy Autumn Squash Soup

cherry cobbler served on white and gray plate

3 Ingredient Slow Cooker Cherry Cobbler

hard cinnamon candy in glass bowl

Hard Cinnamon Candy

the best slow cooker chili - served in a white bowl

The Best Slow Cooker Chili Ever

Rosemary bread sliced on wooden cutting board

Easy Homemade Rosemary Bread

Valentine's M&M Cookie Bar squares - close up

Valentine’s M&M Cookie Bars

Recipe Key

AppetizersBakingCasseroles

Crock Pot MealsMeal PlansOne Pan Meals

Cooking TipsSoupsVegetables

Get Tried and True Recipes Straight to Your Inbox!

Copyright © 2023 • All rights reserved • All rights reserved. • Privacy Policy
All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission.
If you want to share this recipe, please provide a link back to the post for the original recipe.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT