Taking pictures of food is now finally socially acceptable. You don’t have to be a blogger, a chef, or a nutritionists patient who is supposed to document every single thing they eat. Although no matter what all of my friends always take pictures of me taking pictures of food.Photographing food is officially part of our culture so you have no reason to feel weird or cheesy doing it at your favorite restaurant. The only thing you should feel guilty about is posting a photo that looks like slop and food inundated with too much sauce. Here are a few tips and tricks on how to make your food photos look like glorified professional shots on your phone.
- Natural Lighting – The first trick which most people are aware of is to have natural light. Sit by a window if you can. Brunch photos usually turn out the best and it seems like an angel is shining down on your food when you are able to get this kind of light. If you are out of luck, use your friends iPhone Flashlight app. Play around and hold it straight above the food you are photographing. If the light is too harsh, put a napkin over it. Candles don’t work so if you need to be spontaneous, an iPhone light is really the best.
- Purchase an Extra Light – If you want to go above and beyond, purchase a mini iPhone light online. This way you don’t have to bug your friends for their phone’s when they are in the middle of a Bumble session, and you can feel in control. Move the light around to see which angles work best for the light on the food, but usually high up above is best.
- Overhead Shots– If you are taking photos of something in a bowl, or something flat like a pizza, the best way to make your viewers like their phone’s is to shoot overhead. Make sure you tap the middle of your screen before shooting and that the whole plate is in the shot.
- Close Up: I do love close up shots because I think your viewers can almost taste the food and have a little understanding about the texture and how it might feel. Close up’s are good for burgers, ice cream, doughnuts, mac ‘n cheese, and most desserts. Anything indulgent and people like to get right in there.
- Snapseed – Snapseed is the best app for editing photos. Before you open the app, make sure your brightness on your phone is turned up all the way to the right so you can actually see every detail. Once you’ve chosen which image you want to use, open it up and use the “Details” section for Sharpening and Structure options first. This way it really defines the photo. Then go into “Tune Image” and toggle around with the Brightness, Highlights, Saturation, and Warmth. The last step of the way is to use the “HDR Scape” filter. Sometimes it can be too intense, but I usually use a tad.
- Best Food to Photograph – From my experience on my Instagram account @ChekmarkEats, the most likes tend to be on Burgers, Pasta, Ice Cream, and Cookies. Another tip is to post in the evening if racking up likes is your goal. These usually get the most likes than in the morning.
