How to take great food photos with a point-and-shoot
Many of like posting photos of our restaurant adventures in Facebook. We’re not professionals—and we certainly don’t plan on buying expensive equipment! And even if we do have an awesome SLR and lens kit, we won’t always lug it around, especially if we’re just planning to have dinner out with friends.
But we can still take great food photos even with a point-and-shoot camera or even the camera in our phones. Here are some tips.
Zoom in for the kill
Use your camera’s optical zoom function to frame your photo and capture vivid details. Try to capture all the colors and textures of the food. Some cameras will even have a macro function that will let you zoom in really, really close.
Use natural light
Photos with flash often lack depth and have unrealistic colors. Turn off your camera’s flash and use natural light. Position yourself so the natural light is at the backside of the dish. Don’t stand directly in front of the source of light.
Remove the jitters
Reduce the blur when your hands shake by resting your elbows on the table or any solid surface. If that’s not possible, brace them against your chest and keep your feet wide apart. You can also get very small and light tripods that can fit in a handbag.
Choose a simple background
Reduce background clutter by removing any stray utensils, etc that are within the frame. If the table cloth has a very gaudy pattern ask the waiter for a white cloth napkin.
Experiment with different angles and distances
Don’t take 20 shots from one angle. Move the plate around so you can get differnt angles of the dish. Try zooming in for a lot of detail or zooming out to capture the details on the plate.
Add color
Some foods are delicious but tend to look like un anappetizing brown—which never quite looks good at photos. In this case, add a bit of color and detail.
Take photos of the restaurant
The food is just part of the story. Take photos of the restaurant interiors, like the paper lanterns in a Chinese restaurant or the beautiful flower table settings in a fine dining restaurant. The ambiance helps create the mood and recreate the experience for the people who will be viewing your photos.
Read our article on fixing photos in Photoshop.
Photo from greatfoodplaces.com