Have you ever seen the cover of a food magazine and thought how delicious the food looked? There’s a lot of skill behind those food photographs. But the skills can be learned. Soon, it could be your culinary images gracing the covers of food magazines.
Understanding the Basics of Food Photography
Food photography, a form of still photography, entails basic components like lighting, composition, and angle. Get these right, and the food you photograph will look more appealing.
However, food photography is also quite unlike other types of still photography. Due to its brief shelf life or perishable nature, food’s texture and appearance change, sometimes quite dramatically, in even a brief amount of time. Lighting and temperature can also cause food to spoil faster.
The Role of Lighting in Food Photography
Lighting and background dramatically influence the appearance and appeal of food. You can create various moods and highlight different textures, using natural vs artificial light properly.
Harsh lighting creates unwanted shadows, and rarely does culinary creations any justice. Soft, diffused light is better for making food look fresh. A photo shoot in a controlled environment with professional lighting delivers professional results.
But you don’t have to spend a fortune to build a film studio and install the right lighting. Just hire one that’s ready to use. An Infinity Cove studio offers a curved, seamless, and unbroken background that can be evenly lit, with no visible corners or lines.
Choosing the Right Angles and Composition
The angle at which food photographs are taken makes a big difference. These are the three most commonly used angles:
- Overhead or 90 degrees, the camera takes the shot from the top down.
- 45 degrees, which is the angle at which people typically see food.
- Eye-level or 0 degrees, suitable for culinary creations with a lot of height.
The rule of thirds is a popular composition technique used for still photography, including food photography.
To use the rule of thirds, virtually divide your frame into 9 equal rectangles, with equally spaced vertical and horizontal lines. The strongest composition points are where those lines cross. Placing the subject off-center and near these connecting points can be more pleasing to the eye than a central position.
Also, pay attention to the positive vs negative space. Positive space is the space taken up by the food and props, whereas negative space is the empty space around it. Some negative space is a good thing. It places more emphasis on the subject of the shot.
Styling Food for the Camera
It’s not all about lighting, angle, and composition, though. The way food is arranged can be just as important. Props such as plates, cutlery, napkins and even chef’s knives add texture, colour and visual interest, enhancing the image.
Think about the effort that goes into food presentation at a fine restaurant or hotel. Arrange the food creatively so that it looks more inviting.
Unfortunately, perishable foods can cause food stylists and photographers a lot of stress. That’s why they’ve developed a few tricks of the trade. These include spraying salads with a fine mist of water to prevent wilting and make them look fresh and brushing meats with oil or glycerin to make them look juicy.
Post-Processing Techniques for Food Photos
The shot has been taken, but more work must be done. Have a few crumbs made their way into the shot? Perhaps a corner of a kitchen utensil was inadvertently included in the image. Maybe the negative space seems too vast.
Whatever the case, clever editing at this stage can make the most of digital photographs. You can crop the image or change the aspect ratio, switching from a rectangular image to a square one. You can also adjust the brightness, contrast, or tone. A spot-removal tool can remove those pesky crumbs.
With time and practice, you’ll discover the best editing techniques for improving and optimizing your culinary photography.
Getting Started With Shooting Food for Commercial Use
Capturing culinary creations requires a special artistry that takes time and patience to master. Experiment with different styles and techniques. Look at the work of award-winning food photographers for inspiration. In time, you’ll discover the niche that works best for you.
Getting a foot in the door of the food photography industry can be challenging. But if you are truly committed to your goal, you’ll succeed. Just remember that there are many avenues to explore.
For example, you could approach restaurants to photograph their meals for menus, ask chefs to capture images of their best creations for their cookbooks or magazines, and collaborate with other food photographers and food stylists to gain experience and learn from their expertise.
