7 top tips to make your food photos more mouth-watering
Become the envy of your empty-stomached friends, armed only with a smartphone camera and this essential advice
Scrolling through an Instagram feed filled with tantalising food photos is sheer torture. Especially when you’re nearing lunch hour.
But once the plate is placed before you, chances are your own smartphone is aimed at that mouth-watering breakfast or glistening medium rare steak. After all, the thought of making everyone envious of the feast you’re about to enjoy is almost as satisfying as the moment you taste it.
What’s the trick to making that happen? Glad you asked, because we’re going to arm you with the right tips to get that perfect food shot. With the help of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, we went on a food hunt to show you how it’s done.
Main image credit: Il-Young Ko
Photography Tip #1
How do you cram that huge plate – or several of them – into a photo? Don’t be afraid to stand up and take a top-down shot. Heck, if you’re feeling adventurous, step onto a chair to get a better vantage point. That is, if you don’t mind attracting curious stares from diners who’ll stop chewing and throw you an amused look while you’re towering above your place setting.
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Photography Tip #2
Don’t underestimate the background – it makes a whole lot of difference. Take note of your surroundings, because sometimes a little extra snippet could invest the image with more meaning. For example, a shot of just this pot of tea could be quite mundane. Throw in a subtle background reference about enjoying some cake with your cuppa, like the sign does? Now that’s adding value to the shot.
Photography Tip #3
Get up close and personal because, chances are, your smartphone can pull off amazing macro shots. With it, you can capture the juices glistening on this freshly cooked plate of meat. Think about it – how could you resist tucking in after getting such a close-up view? Macros also have the advantage of allowing you to create bokeh – that lovely out-of-focus background effect – far more easily.
Photography Tip #4
Get creative – think of a story that you can tell with your photos. On its own, a picture of this yummy chocolate and banana crepe would have gotten your attention. But a static image isn’t as powerful as this dynamic shot which shows the creative process behind your delicious dessert. After all, offering up a different angle is a great way to secure yourself a few more likes on Instagram.
Photography Tip #5
Colours create life in your photos. It’s not just the colours of the food that make the difference. Be aware of the colours surrounding you. Breakfast foods tend towards warmer hues – sometimes a tad too bright, perhaps. Dial it down with duller colours to create that contrasting effect in the final shot. That, and the soft focus of the background, will bring more attention to your food.
Photography Tip #6
As much as possible, take your shots using natural light. By that, we mean daylight, if you’re sipping a cup of tea al fresco style. The warm hue from sunlight matches well with most food, thus shots won’t look overexposed. Also, instead of a soft background focus, switch it up a bit. Sometimes, aiming your focus at the background creates a much more dramatic effect in your photos that you expect. Especially so if you’re looking at the condensation on the cool drink on a hot afternoon.
Makes you wish you can just pick up that cup right out of the photo, doesn’t it?
Photography Tip #7
Arrangement matters. And we’re not talking about the food. While you can’t change the background, you can change where the food will appear. Also, feel free to move anything within your reach to match the setting. Cups, candles, lights. You’ll be surprised at how a slight change in the arrangement of a cup can create a larger-than-life effect on your final photo.
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