Food makes an excellent subject for still life photography, and there are certain strategies for making the most of the stunning colors, textures and shapes.
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Artificial light (lamp light) might cast an ugly orange or yellow color in your photo.
Color is extremely important in food photography as you want the colors of the food, plates and background elements to appear accurate. You don’t want your white rice, white plates, or white table cloth to look orange.
Daylight provides a more neutral colored light.
When you’re shooting indoors, use the natural light from windows to illuminate your subject.
Shadows can add depth and visual interest, but sometimes they can dominate too much of the picture.
Strong directional sunlight will cast hard, dark shadows, whereas an overcast day creates a more diffused light, making the shadows much softer.
If the background is too messy or colorful, the viewer’s attention will be drawn away from the food.
3 main types that work really well for food photography:
Light backgrounds
Dark backgrounds
Wooden (brown) backgrounds.
Dark food usually looks good on a dark background, and light colored food looks good on a light background.
Objects to consider: wooden table, tea towels, tablecloths, white fabrics & subtle patterns, black chalkboard, carpet, rug, tiles, baking paper, a baking tray or a newspaper.
Colors have a big impact on your composition and they can affect the overall feel of the image.
Using similar colors: creates a harmonious composition, evoking feelings of comfort & tranquility.
Using contrasting colors: creates a vibrant, dynamic & exciting image that stimulates the viewer’s emotions in a different way.
allows you to include all the details of the food and the background
emphasizes the bold shapes of the dishes, cutlery and other objects within the scene.
easier to create a strong and balanced composition, allowing you to arrange the elements on the surface.
eliminate any distracting backgrounds in a busy room, or at an outdoor location.
OR Shoot diagonally to include both the side view and the top view in order to capture the three dimensional shape of the subject.
Composition is the key to great food photography, and the position of each element in the scene should be carefully thought out. A simple minimalist composition can often create the strongest impact.
If there are any spillages, clean them up before you take the photo. There shouldn’t be any unnecessary mess in your picture.
Consider leaving some breathing space around the plate so that it doesn’t fill the entire frame.
Include some of the dry ingredients that used when cooking the food -- this creates a “visual recipe”
You could create piles of different colored spices, or sprinkle part of the scene with a light dusting of a spice.
Food decorations: berries, fruit pieces, nuts, chocolate pieces and fresh herbs.
Non-food items: cutlery, cooking utensils, colored stones
Nature: flowers, Leaves acorns, chestnuts, pine cones, pebbles
Photography is a great way to tell stories without using words. By adding more elements to your food photos, you can create interesting stories that draw the viewer into your image.
Think about what kind of objects you could use to help tell a dreamy, atmospheric or exciting story through your food photography.
Add an open book, teacup, a laptop, cookery books, blue sock monkey...
Adding a human element (an arm) to your food photos
creates a sense of presence for the viewer because it’s as if the photo was captured from their point of view.
create a sense of movement in an otherwise static scene.