Getting started with photography is all about the light. In order to get started, it is important that you become aware of how the light hits the food and adjust accordingly. Go looking for the best light source in different rooms. It could be in your bedroom or the living room.
Here are a few points to note:
Take photos under natural light. It isn't necessary to use overhead lights or lamps or your built-in flash. Just use natural light - free from the Sun!
Move around to find the best light source. Don’t feel confined to taking photos in an area. Perhaps the light is best at near the window or an opening - note the morning and afternoon Sun direction.
Try taking photos at different angles. Some plates of food look better from above (like, pizza), or from the side (burgers), or at a 45-degree angle (drinks). Try moving around the plate and taking photos at various angles so you can pick your favorite later.
Minimize clutter. It’s important to avoid cluttered objects that can obscure a photo. Also, avoid focusing on the food in the photograph so that viewers can’t tell the difference between it and the background. If that spoon, napkin or busy background doesn’t add to the photo, remove it.
Common food photography issues
Frustrated by how your food photos are turning out? Read on for potential solutions.
Photos are blurry. A camera shake issue can cause blurry photos. Fortunately, there are a number of solutions that can help minimize this issue: 1) hold your camera steadier (easier said than done), 2) use a tripod with a remote so your camera stays completely still while you’re shooting, 3) use a faster shutter speed, which will require opening up your aperture and/or moving to an area with more light, or 4) raise your ISO to decrease the amount of light needed (this will reduce image quality, however).
Your colors aren’t true to life. 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. If you shoot in RAW format, you’ll have an easier time adjusting color balance later.
Your photos just don’t “pop” like professional food photos. Experienced food photographers use lenses that allow them to narrow their depth of field to highlight the subject of the photo. Then they use photography software to tweak the contrast, levels and sharpness of their photos. Sometimes a few little edits can really make a photo pop.
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