Food photography

Even if you are an amateur photographer and have little luck getting acceptable shots of simple things like your family or pets, you can still take professional-looking pictures of food by following a few good food photography tips.

Pictures of food make novel Christmas gifts as well as unique offerings to a host or hostess, a close gourmet friend, or an aspiring foodie hoping to decorate her kitchen with mouthwatering food photos. Never taken a picture of a delicious dish? Don't despair - it is quite easy - you can do it with these five simple tips.

Food photography tip #1: Fill your frame

When you are putting together your photography meal, so to speak, think about color, texture and presentation. Does it look beautiful, appetizing or simply interesting to you? If not, make some changes so it has eye appeal. At a loss? Peruse photos in cookbooks or online for ideas.

Koh, whose photography can be viewed at MeRaKoh.com adds, “If you look through your camera’s view finder, you have a square space to fill. Whatever you fill this space with will be what you ‘frame.’ The next time you look through cooking magazines or cookbooks, notice how the photos are often close ups of the food. The only background we may see is often blurred color or blurred objects. The first step is getting rid of the background and filling the frame.”

Food photography tip #2: Create buttery blurred backgrounds

If you want that yummy, buttery, blurred background, Koh advises that you put your camera in Portrait Mode (consult your owner’s manual for instructions).

Koh says, “This mode will automatically make your subject (the food) the focus and your background blurred.” In addition, use a lens with an F-stop/aperture of 1.6 to 2.8 – rent a lens if you have to." Having a panic because you have no clue what aperture is? 

She quickly adds, “Okay, stay with me! All aperture means is ‘How blurry do you want your background?’ If you want more blur in your background, your F-stop or aperture number has to be low, like 1.4, 1.6, 2.0, 2.8. If your F-stop or aperture is higher than these numbers, your background won’t be real blurry. The low aperture makes all the difference in your food shots.”

Food photography tip #3: Find the right food setting

You’ve got your food, now you need the best setting to show it off. Koh explains, “For food shots, I like to use light-colored table tops and window light. Sometimes I move a table to be right in the direct window light. I want to avoid using flash and other external lights as much as possible. That’s stuff isn’t necessary and just makes things more confusing. All you need is your low F-stop/aperture lens.”

Food photography tip #4: Adjust your camera’s aperture

“Now that you have your spot, switch your camera mode to Aperture Priority,” instructs Koh. “This will either be an A or AV on your camera. Now adjust your aperture using your dial on the back of your camera, to the lowest aperture number possible.” If this is at all confusing, go back to your owner’s manual, which should tell you exactly how to adjust aperture.

Food photography tip #5: Be creative with your clicks

Since food is quite unassuming and will sit there waiting for you for as long as you need, Koh suggests that you have fun. Go back to the beginning and be creative about how you fill the frame. She adds, “Tilt your camera or stand up on a chair and shoot down.” Food is much easier to shoot than people and pets – they are hard-pressed to sit still and actually appreciate getting their photo taken.

Things to do with pictures of food

Now that you have a variety of photos, it’s time to share them, give them as gifts or keep them for yourself.

Here are some creative ideas to put your food photos to use:

· Create your own cookbook using heirloom recipes – with corresponding photos.
· Create a collage to display in your kitchen.
· Frame photos and hang them in your house or give them as gifts.
· Put together a portfolio of your food photography – for personal or professional use.
· Turn your photos into beautiful recipe cards – food on the front, recipe for it on the back.
· Print your favorite photo on invite cards for your next dinner – featuring that dish.

Food is universally loved, part of every day, and incredibly emotional. Giving food photos as gifts or using them for your own personal enjoyment will make your life – and the lives of those whom you gift – an even more delicious endeavor.

More photography tips

How to take Christmas card pictures that won’t ruin your holiday spirit
Learn how to take great holiday photos
How to create a digital photo book 
Tips for better photography
All about pregnancy and newborn photography