Food photography is a specialized form of art that has its own fan following. Right from amateurs clicking the things they had for lunch to award winning photographers capturing professional pictures, food photography keeps us engaged.
The art of food photography is quite precise, needing an understanding of distance, focus, color and spacing. Let’s have a look at some tips and tricks to take the best food photographs for your website blog/vlog as recommended by a pro web design company.
Shoot from a Lower Angle
Some argue that food looks best when shot from 45 degrees’ angle. So why did I ask you to photograph food from a different angle? Photographing food from fork’s eye view is different. In the world of photography, everything that is different is interesting. In digital food photography, interesting is good. All interesting things do not end up being good, but most interesting things are preferable to the boring things.
Shooting from a 45-degree angle is boring as we are used to seeing this angle. Shooting from a lower perspective is a nice idea since it renders food a majestic look. From a lower angle, the thickness and height of food become more apparent as compared to the shots taken from above. You can check out on other angles too.
Crop in as Tightly as Possible
Crop in tightly. Tighter is always better in the world of photography. A tight crop aids in simplifying the shot and makes it easy to see the details thereby bringing down the need for props. The tighter you move in food shots, lesser are chances of getting distracted of the things that you want to communicate or show. There is an exception. Don’t try this if you want to show the environment as a significant element in the picture. If you want to show the restaurant apart from the dish of food, you can back out a little to include more of the environment. But if you want to show off the food, crop tighter.
Apart from simplification of the shot, moving in closer also allows to see the texture of the dish. The food will appear bigger if you are closer to the subject. A loose crop creates another problem. In case there is too much negative space around the food, you will be compelled to include props there.
Use Shallow Depth of Field
While cropping in tight, you will find it hard to get everything in the frame. If you go with limited focus strategy, you will find that the photo becomes prettier. You can transform the background into an attractive mass of colors rather than an object that your viewers try to identify. This will not just simplify the shot but will bring down distraction for the viewers too.
You need to take the object of the shot in concern. If you want to emphasize the side dish, that needs to be in focus.
Add a Bit of Oil
If you use your paintbrush to add a little bit of vegetable oil, the food will not just appear hot but wet too. Oil also helps things last longer on the plate. If you end up requiring more time than you thought, adding a little bit of vegetable oil will buy you time to compose or even fiddle with your camera. However, make sure not to overdo.
Don’t Over Prop
Digital food photography is not about the things on the table apart from the food.
No doubt, props are significant. But they have only one role.
Enhance the picture without distracting the viewers.
Props help to support the picture and close the compositional holes. The props you use must be appropriate.
Think this way. What would have been in the environment if this was a real situation? The answer is kitchen and dining props. Don’t simply pick up a book for a prop. If the prop does not belong or if someone raises questions against it, you need to get rid of it.
Apart from the tips discussed above, apply the food photography principles that you know of.
Aim for good exposure, soft shadows, and perfect color rendering. Also, experiment with the focal point and available aperture. Pay attention to color casts and white balance. And also, never be afraid of adding artistic flair to your pictures.
So that is more or less it. If you can follow the tips above closely, your food blog/vlog website would be a standout in the crowd in almost no time.