Taking great food photography doesn’t have to involve hiring a professional photographer or purchasing expensive equipment. Professional-looking photographs can be shot by beginners on something as simple as a smartphone. Restaurants, food trucks, bakeries, grocery shops, and other food businesses depend heavily on food photography for success. That’s why it’s important to ensure that the quality of your food photography matches customer expectations.
Below are our top food photography tips!
Prepare Your Food to be Photo-Ready
Before you start shooting, take the time to style your dish and make it look its best. Maintain a tidy background and wipe away any spills or smudges. Pay attention to details like alignments and balance to create an appealing presentation.
Try not to use a flash
Natural light is attractive, so avoid placing your food in an area with vivid sunlight. Direct sunlight often results in harsh, prominent dark shadows and causes whites and light hues to become overly bright, losing their distinctive texture and form.
Experiment with various photo angles
Try to take pictures from different angles. Focus on the part of the dish you want to emphasise. For instance, a sandwich or a burger may appear most appetising when halved and photographed from the side. Also, try taking close-up pictures that focus on the food while the background is blurry. It can be helpful when it comes to making interesting textures stand out more. This works great for dishes like pasta.
Choose props carefully
Use ingredients from the dish as food props. This will give you context and visual interest and highlight the freshness and quality of the components used to prepare the meal. Photograph food like oats, berries, and nuts, or disassemble one of your sandwiches to show what goes into it.
Showcase your restaurant design
One of the most important food photography tips is showcasing your work. Of course, this influences your restaurant’s brand awareness among customers. You can include parts of your restaurant’s design in your food photos so customers can see the decorations and feel the atmosphere.
Edit your photos
To enhance your food photos, consider the following:
- Sharpening the image to emphasise details and textures.
- Fixing the white balance to ensure accurate and appealing colours.
- Adjust brightness and contrast to create a balanced and striking visual.
- Increasing saturation to bring out the vibrancy and intensity of colours.
Don’t be afraid to get creative!
Try different compositions, and experiment with props, lines, and layers. Photograph at different angles, and enjoy the process. Remember that food photography is an art. Don’t let your imagination limit you.
At Vendease we go beyond food procurement, and help your restaurant grow in many different ways. Stock up with Vendease and get ready for all the sales you’re going to get with our photography tips ?
