Do you run a food blog? Or do you enjoy sharing pictures of your foodie adventures in your Facebook? Maybe you’re thinking of starting a home-based baking business and would like to upload photos of your creations to your website or Multiply account.
This article can help even amateur photographers take impressive food photos. You don’t need a buy essay online cheap high-tech camera. It’s all in knowing how to frame your shot, and adjust the settings of your camera. Don’t worry, it’s easy! Read on for our simple explanation.
Composition
We eat with our eyes first. That’s why, when we take photos of
food, we need to capture the color, texture and presentation. Sometimes, zooming in too close will crop out all the details that could add personality to your photo. For example, the roughness of a clay pot of an authentic curry, or the rough grain of your wooden picnic table are part of the ‘story’ of your dish. But if the dish is already colorful, or has interesting texture, then by all means go up close and crop or blur out any distracting elements around the plate. Experiment with different zoom settings to see what effects you get, and study the food shots in cookbooks and food magazines to see how professional photographers tackle the art of composition.
Blurring 101
Let’s say you want to blur the background of the photo. How do you do that? Adjust the aperture or F/stop of your camera. The ideal F/stop is 1.6 to 2.8. And if you can, change your camera mode to Aperture Priority. That means if you set the aperture to its lowest setting, your camera will automatically adjust all the other settings.
Work with the light
You don’t need to spend a fortune on fancy lights. Mother Nature still has the best lights – just use it to your advantage. Shoot in what photographers call ‘available light’ or natural light. Bring the food next to the window, or shoot it outdoors on a makeshift table. Most photographers recommend using light-colored table cloth which will add to the sense of brightness.
Play with the background
If you can’t blur the background, consider removing distracting elements or changing your position or the angle of the camera, so you fill the frame with the food and avoid taking pictures of, say, the ugly signage or the people at the next table. Try tilting your camera, or standing up and taking a shoot from the top (if you’re at home, you can try standing on a stable chair).
Experiment with food styling
If you’re shooting your own dishes at home, then you have the freedom to manipulate the food presentation. Will the chocolate cupcakes look better if they’re on a colorful plate? Or maybe you can add steamed vegetables to add some texture and color to your roast chicken. Or you can go thematic. If you’ve prepared a romantic dinner for two, scatter rose petals or position a rosebud near the plates, to help tell the story of the dish.
Photo from businesspundit.com
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Great tips! I’d love to try them when I take pictures of the food I eat at the restaurant.