Food Photography : Advanced Guide for Using Elements

Food Photography is interesting topic for any level of user. Here are some advanced tips on Food Photography pointing towards depth of field and other elements. Our previous article on Food Photography can be a good point to start with. Practically, this is the continuation of the previous article. Just to quickly recapitulate – we should think about the foreground (that includes the dish), background (variable) and specifically the Color combination, Temperature of Color etc. points. Up to this point was applicable for all kind of users – from a Mobile Camera user to a DSLR user. But, possibly the elements we talked within this article is more useful for the DSLR users. These tips on Food Photography are more practical for a camera that allows more manual override, to be more precise.

Food Photography : Intentionally Use the Depth of Field

A major key for food photography is knowing how to control depth of field. As you practically know, in almost all closer shots, photographers tend to use shallow depth of field to draw the eye to a specific part of the photo, in food photography the dish becomes the main part. Sometimes however, you will want to reduce the aperture of the camera to capture a greater depth. Both things can work, but keep in mind that the trend is to use a shallow depth of field compared to a wider depth, take the decision that best suits your style. If you want more information on how to use the depth of field you can read from here.

The Role of Angle in Food Photography

To photograph the foods there are two common ways to shoot. The first is to photograph directly above the food and doing a close-up or rather in other words showing the setting from above.

The second way is to take pictures at an angle from side to include a foreground or background or both around the plate. Obviously there are thousands of variations of this topic, but mentioning alone should give you an idea of ??the most common compositions.

Some Quick and Easy Tips for Photographing Food Optimally

The following tips will be useful when you are in a hurry and you need to take a quick shot of good quality. Obviously there are no fixed rules and often you might ignore some of these. But if you do not have much time to spare, follow these ideas will get you to photograph the food in a better way :

1. Move the scene to find the best natural light. Scene means the whole setup.
2. Test with a narrow depth with a wide aperture (f/1.8 – f/5.6), put the fire in the vicinity of the front edge of the dish.
3. Search for the colorful decorations in contrast to the foods on the dish. Bright colors such as green, red and white usually works well.
4. Shoot the food when it is fresh and freshly cooked.
5. Everything which is green (like lettuce leaves) seem even more green and fresh when immersed in ice water for a few minutes before shooting.
6. Spreading oil on hot foods makes them to look cool.
7. Do not put too much dressing on salads when you want to photograph because it makes them look flabby.
8. Fresh is better – both for its taste and for the view.
9. Do not overcook the food – this will look more fresh and bright for the photo.
10. Make sure that the dishes and all the accessories are really clean – bits of food on the tablecloth can ruin the photo.