Food photography tips

Food photography – Tips for beginners

Gabriela Lupu

I often get asked photography questions: what camera I use, how to take good photos without a professional camera, etc. Everything  in this post comes after a few years of taking photos and making lots of mistakes, but learning from most all of them (Sometimes you repeat the same mistake).

  • Lighting – For a good photography you will need good lighting. Start with natural light at your window sill; turn off all artificial light and don’t use your flash. Just see how beautifully the sunlight comes in. If the light is too strong, add a diffuser, such as a white curtain, to soften the light. If taking pictures during the day doesn’t work for your schedule (as it often doesn’t with mine) then I’d suggest investing in some lighting gear. Do not use your built-in flash. Ever!  Don’t feel confined to taking photos in your kitchen. Move around to see where the light is better. setup1
  • White balance – One of the biggest things that can make a food picture look unappetizing is a picture that is not white balanced.   When you’re editing your photos, if your plate of food looks very blue, yellow, pink or green, use your software’s white balance tools to fix it! Colors come alive when the white balance is set properly. GAB_8849_res_wb
  • Be Organized – Decide what colors and style you want for the pictures. Map out a plan for how you envision the pictures will look. Decide what dishes you might use and what silverware, any kind of props (drinking glasses, silverware, and extra scraps of food around the dish) then go ahead and have that ready.
  • Sharp photos – Your photos should always be sharp.  If they are blurry is because there isn’t enough light getting to the sensor of your camera. A few potential solutions: move to an area with more light, hold your camera steadier, increase your ISO and/or increase your shutter speed (you may need to open your aperture to make up for the difference).
  • Angles – Zooming in very close on your subject can help show detail and create interest, and most modern point-and-shoots have a decent “macro” mode, right out of the box. Try to create interesting angles, either by getting very close to your subject, in a three-quarter angle, or by shooting from the absolute top-down.  Some plates of food look better from above, or from the side, or at a 45-degree angle. Try to move around the plate and take photos at various angles so you can pick your favorite later.  cover2
  • Tell a story – Even just one photo can tell a whole story and you need to find that story. You are the only one who can tell it. One way to tell a story is by dishes and utensils, backgrounds or even props.
  • Be Inspired – Look online for inspiration. If you are a beginner, try and replicate a photo you like, so you can learn how to use the light and the camera settings. If you like the composition from a photo, use it with your own dish. After you have your style you can start making your own beautiful photos. I’m still trying to settle into my own style. It’s a long process.
  • Backgrounds – Keep it simple: it’s still the food that’s the hero. Try to avoid colors or patterns that clash with your food. You can use a chalkboard, a baking pan, or fancy linens or paper that you can put under your scene. Cutting boards or pastry boards also offer a great background for photos. Something about a marble pastry board always looks good in my opinion. For a rustic look you can build your own small wooden table. It’s easy to move, store and put it anywhere in the house. GAB_6831_res
  • Props – Before you go prop shopping, think about what you want your style to be so you don’t waste your money on props that aren’t “you. You don’t need a closet full of props for interesting food photos. You probably already have items at home that will look great in photos. Get creative! Vintage handkerchiefs can make fun napkins and well-worn baking sheets can make an interesting background. I often use napkins when I need a simple pop of color in a photo. Lining plates with parchment or baking paper helps to add visual interest and soften the lines of your plates. Getting a bit messy really helps to add movement and life to your photographs, rather than having everything confined to plates and bowls. You can always clean your napkins and backdrops. While highly decorative China and napery are beautiful on their own, they can detract from the visual impact of the food. Plain plates, especially classic white allow the food to be the star. GAB_5863_res
  • Use reflectors and diffusers – I mostly use cheap white foam boards to bounce light back onto the plate and reduce shadows. You can also bring out more shadows by using a black foam board. Sometimes I hang sheer white fabric over the window to soften the lighting source, too. Some photographers prefer to work with tripods, but I’d rather shoot with my camera in my hands. When light is running low, though, my Manfrotto tripod is sure handy. I always want to have the lowest ISO possible.

 

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Published by Gabriela Lupu

Hi. My name is Gabi and I am a professional photographer, a new mom and a wife. I wanna learn to cook healthy food for my little one, so I made this blog to share my cooking experiments with everyone. It's gone be a long and a bumpy ride but a funny one, so stay tune for news and enjoy my ride.

381 thoughts on “Food photography – Tips for beginners”

  1. Thankyou for this post. Very helpful. The background is always a problem for me. Do you recommend completely black or really dark backgrounds, with no props? Or does that make the food look dull?

    Reply

  5. A very well written and professional overview. I’ve done some television work and the points you cover apply to TV and video as well as still shots,

    Reply

  8. Thanks for the photography tips! I know I need to work on my photography to help improve the aesthetics in my blog and will try and put your advice to practice! I only use my old iPhone, so will eventually need to upgrade to a digital camera someday I guess!

    Reply

  10. This was a really helpful post! I have such trouble getting good or even decent pictures of food. I’m still practicing and need to learn more about my camera. These tips will definitely help. Thank you.

    Reply

  15. Woohoo! This is awesome. Thank you for the diagram with the windows. It’s making me want to set up a permanent photoshoot location in the middle of my living room 🙂 I don’t think anyone will mind…

    Reply
  19. Pingback: Food as Art – theangelistcookbook

  27. Some fabulous tips – I’m about to buy my first ‘proper’ camera so these will come in REALLY useful – thanks so much for sharing! x

    Reply

  28. Awesome tips! And thanks for checking out my blog on simple Japanese cooking. My photos have a long way to go, but this post really inspired me! Jessy

    Reply

  31. Thanks for sharing!! I hope to use these tips and techniques as I begin trying to take higher quality photos of the food I prepare for a food blogging endeavor. #MuchAppreciated

    Reply

  38. Thanks for the tips about food photography – always tricky! And thanks for liking my post about Irena’s cookbook – I would love it if you could share with your friends! It’s a good book – and she’s pretty poor:)

    Reply

  39. Thanks for such a helpful post for us newbies. I don’t get much natural light so I will have to use a lamp. Is there a particular type of bulb you would recommend for good color rendering and effective lighting?
    Sheryl

    Reply

    1. Artificial lights come in two color temperatures and are measured in degree units on the Kelvin scale. Cooler daylight-balanced lights give off a bluer light and are anywhere from 5000 to 5500 Kelvin. Warmer tungsten-balanced lights give off an orange-tinted light and are around 3200 Kelvin.
      Some examples:
      – https://www.amazon.com/Lowel-Digital-Imaging-Tabletop-Fluorescent/dp/B0009K50RO?ie=UTF8&qid=1202049246&s=electronics&sr=8-1
      – Lowel Tota Umbrella light. This is a bright halogen light that is on a stand. In front of this is an umbrella which softens light right off, and bounces it around a room. This makes for much softer highlights and shadows, and far sexier looking food than when shot with a basic lightbulb.

      Reply

  42. This was super easy to read and helpful. Thank you! 2 questions if you’re willing to answer: what software do you use to edit? And what type of flash kit do you have? Or recommend?

    Thanks!

    Reply

    1. Thank you.
      1. Lightroom and Photoshop
      2. I use natural light most of the time. I have a small studio, but takes time to install it. I can recommend:
      – https://www.amazon.com/Lowel-Digital-Imaging-Tabletop-Fluorescent/dp/B0009K50RO?ie=UTF8&qid=1202049246&s=electronics&sr=8-1
      – Lowel Tota Umbrella light. This is a bright halogen light that is on a stand. In front of this is an umbrella which softens light right off, and bounces it around a room. This makes for much softer highlights and shadows, and far sexier looking food than when shot with a basic lightbulb.

      Reply

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  45. Pingback: Food photography – Tips for beginners | Brazil in the Kitchen
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  49. Thank you these are great tips! I’m still working on my photography skills and need help with shadows and lighting and need to keep reminding myself of the importance of a simple white board back drop. Hopefully with your tips and more trial and error I will continue to improve and make my food pop.

    I also, so appreciate and love that you follow my blog 🙂

    Reply

  50. This is so helpful, especially for a dietitian who loves food but has a terrible time sharing her recipes because of her poor food photography. Thank you for the tips!

    Reply