Top Five Tips for Food Photography (Instant Results)

We can all appreciate a great shot of some good food, but there’s a lot more to crafting an image than a simple point and shoot. We asked our in-house photographer Mat to share his top food photography tips and tricks to get mouths watering.

Make sure the food is prepped and dressed properly

Before shooting, you’ll need to dress your food, much like you would a model. It’s all about the visual, so the focus should be on appearance rather than taste. There are a lot of industry hacks out there for creating the tastiest shots.

For the burger shot, Mat used a lighter to brown the edges of the bun and picked the prettiest looking salad leaves. He then brushed the burger with vegetable oil to give it that glisten. Remember, the food doesn’t have to be tasty; it just needs to look tasty!

Find the best angle

The angle varies depending on what you’re shooting. A plate is usually shot top down, from a bird’s-eye view, to best showcase all the elements, whereas a burger is best shot side-on to show the layers.

Choose a unique feature of the food to hone in on and highlight this using compositional techniques, such as diagonal framing or the rule of thirds.

In this image, the burger has been centered in the lower third, with the knife acting as the central anchor. Mat recommends shooting at a forty-five-degree angle to best show depth.

Use the right kit

This doesn’t mean using the most expensive gear, just the right gear! Let’s take a look at the best lens for food photography. A longer lens is best for showing depth of field. Mat recommends a 90 mm to 100 mm lens for food photography, though anything above 50 mm will do the job. A longer lens will allow you to focus on one point without any distraction.

Best food photography lighting

Soft light is used to replicate natural light, whereas hard light is used to cast defined shadows. Daylight is your best friend if you don’t have access to lighting equipment.

Finding the best food photography backdrops and backgrounds does not have to be rocket science either! Position your subject next to a window and use black and white boards to direct the light.

Simplify your composition by limiting color

Reduce any distracting color from the image to ensure your subject is the main focal point. In this image, Mat has limited the background color to grey, so the viewer focuses on the burger.

When editing your image, aim to have the white balance as true to life as possible. The subject should be the brightest point in the image.