Food photography tips for bloggers

 

Food PR and food photography have recently gained popularity. 

The mania surrounding food photography is a pretty recent phenomenon. In the last decade, what used to be a niche in photography took social media by storm and ever since has been one of the favorite topics for a huge amount of accounts. It is supposedly the second most popular subject of photography fanatics on Instagram after the selfie tsunami. I sat down to talk with Hein van Tonder, a food photographer carving his way into the food royalty.

Professional food photography is a collaborative effort, usually involving an art director, a photographer, a food stylist, a prop stylist, and their respective assistants.

Food photography is a very specific genre, as it demands a passion and a deep understanding of the products: let's remember that ice cream melts, caramel sticks, and fresh herbs wither. Hein has always had a great love for food and cooking, and so, it seemed natural for him to eventually add photography to the mix. His style is unfussy, approachable, and not too serious. He loves to jump from dark and moody to light and bright depending on the dish he is photographing. This flexibility of tone always puts the dish first, giving it an authentic mood that goes straight to the point: your appetite.How many times have you heard: "You eat with your eyes first"? Food contains all of the elements of design that can make a striking image. Color, texture, pattern, line, shape, and form are all there, yet the key ingredient is to capture the image in a way that makes the viewer want, no, need to eat what they are seeing, even if they just finished.

Food photography may not be as popular as landscape photography or portraiture, but it’s a genre which holds many advantages over others. We all buy, prepare and consume food, so we don't need go to too much extra trouble in sourcing our subjects. It’s something that can be done in the convenience of our own homes (regardless of the weather), and by working with the seasons you have a continuously changing variety of subjects to work with. 

The photographs you see in magazines and books will almost certainly have had some input from a stylist, one who is experienced with working with different foods and props in order to make everything look presentable. Perhaps most of us don’t have a natural aptitude for food styling, but simple garnishes for most dishes shouldn’t be beyond anyone’s creative capabilities.

 Tips for taking great food photos

1. Use low aperture to isolate one item when you want to highlight a specific item. Read more on aperture shutter and IOS here.

2. If you’re shooting with a DSLR, always shoot in RAW. This will give you the greatest flexibility in editing later on

3. Your lens will impact how much bokeh you get. 

4. If you have a hand model, make sure their hands are clean and moisturized. Photoshopping dirty nails is a pain but they're very noticeable and off putting in food photos. 

5. Incorporate actions if they make sense, like pouring cream in to coffee or twirling some spaghetti but don’t force it if it’s out of context. I've experienced the most criticism in response to weird utensil usage. People get really particularly about how knives are held and used. 

6. Make friends along the way. If you work on a shoot with a stylist or PR person or Chef, keep in touch and keep an open mind for opportunities to collaborate. I recently needed a cocktail stylist for a commercial shoot and ended up recommending a bartender that I worked with in my previous job at a restaurant group. Often it's months or years between when I meet someone and when I end up working with them again but it's surprising how frequently you'll end up working with a set cluster of professionals. 

7. To shoot a tablescape use a higher aperture to make sure everything is in focus. For commercial and large scale shoots, you may one to tether and use Lightroom or Capture One to check your shots as you work. 

8. Frequently format your SD and Compact flash cards, this will help them not develop any odd glitches along the way and make them last longer. 

9. Authenticity isn't a strategy for social media

10. Don’t ignore food trends but not every hashtag food holiday needs a parade.