Update: After writing this entry, I discovered another wonderful food photography resource and wanted to share the wealth with everyone. Check out Learn Food Photography for detailed tips and an extensive list of free tutorials/resources.
Raise your hand if you’ve ever drooled over a food photo in a magazine or craved a certain meal after seeing a commercial on TV (me, me, me!). It’s so true that we eat with our eyes first — if a dish doesn’t look appetizing, who’s going to want to actually taste it? I go bananas over all the beautiful food photography on foodgawker and TasteSpotting – for one thing, everything looks so damn scrumptious…and I’m also totally jealous of the awesome skills these people have with photographing food.
Anyway, I recently read two very intriguing pieces about food photography: an article in the latest issue of The Food Magazine, and a post from Brown Eyed Baker. Both catered to the amateur photographer, particularly food bloggers, and provided very helpful tips on capturing the true essence and beauty of your food. After reading these, I’m now re-inspired to give another one of my passions (photography) a try and start incorporating more eye-pleasing photos to my blog.
Here are the main tips I walked away with:
- While dSLR cameras are optimal, a regular point-and-shoot can also take great photos as long as you familiarize yourself with these key features:
- White balance
- Macro setting
- Exposure
- It’s best to photograph food in natural lighting
- If natural lighting is limited/unavailable, diffusing an artificial light is a good alternative
- Don’t use the flash on your camera
- Use a tri-pod to avoid blurry photos, especially since food shots usually require longer exposure times for best results
- Keep the surroundings simple and focus on the food itself
- You can find cheap props and accessories at thrifty places like the Dollar Store
- Practice, practice, practice — it’s the only way to hone your skills, and you have a better chance of capturing that perfect shot you’re looking for.
Jenn Davis
