The world of photography is an ever-changing one. The demand for more low-key yet stunning images has elevated the quality of still images from amateur to professional. Instead of relying on old habits and techniques, you should adopt new ones and upgrade your skills accordingly.

Read on to get essential tips for launching your photographic career in the right direction.

Healthy meal and vegetables on a table

Eating with the Eyes First: Tips for Food Photography 

Creating stunning food photography requires skill, patience, and key tools. To capture mouth-watering food shots, you have to consider lighting, angles, focus, composition, and editing.

By following these tips, you can create stunning food photography that will make your dishes look as delicious as they taste.

Knowing the trends makes it easier for you to identify what food photos will tickle the taste buds of consumers. Current trends are leaning towards more experiential and lifestyle shots and creating an emotional connection with the viewer. These include in-situ food shots, stop motion and GIFs, hero images, detail and macro shots, and tiled images. 

Mirrored images are also becoming popular, as they add movement to the images and make the food product look like the hero. 

Know the Right Equipment and Settings

To get the best results from food photography in 2023, you must ensure you have the right equipment and settings. Find the best camera that has a high-resolution sensor and various AF points to help with composition for food photography. Ensure you have a quality lens and the ability to control light by freezing or blurring motion in natural and artificial light. 

Focus on Angles and Perspectives

Right now, the rage is all about angles and perspectives. Capturing the right angle for food photography requires careful observation, creativity, and experimentation. For the best angles, look for leading lines that draw the eye, use the rule of thirds, and experiment with various lenses. 

The overhead angle is excellent for capturing the entirety of a dish, the 3/4 angle is great for capturing texture and motion, and the straight-on angle is excellent for capturing a sense of grandeur and scale. 

Capture the Process

Capturing process in food photography requires a few specific steps to ensure that the end product is both pleasing to the eye and accurately portrays the food. Don’t focus on the finished product.
Document the process of how the food came to be. Include shots of chopped ingredients and even pictures of the food while it’s still cooking in the pot. 

Use Props and Styling

Use props to add color, texture, details, and shape to a photograph, and the props you use should reflect your brand and target audience. Invest in props that can provide color, texture, details, and shape to your photographs. There are lots of great photography backgrounds for photo shoots, including flat lay photography.

Clear, thin-wall drinking glasses, vintage teacups, gold flatware, minimalist white bowls, and off-white stoneware plates are essential for a successful shoot. 

Invoke Emotion with Human Elements

Food photography is one of the most powerful mediums to convey emotion, as it speaks to all the senses. To invoke emotion through your food photography, try incorporating elements from the human experience, such as hands, faces, and body language, that can tell a story and evoke a response.

Brush Up Editing Techniques

Enhancing editing techniques in food photography requires some understanding of editing tools and techniques.

When it comes to color saturation, it is essential to note that it should not be overdone, as the food should still appear natural. However, you should adjust the saturation to highlight the colors and make the food stand out.

Contrast is also essential for food photography, as it can enhance the texture and detail of the food. You also need to adjust the white balance and exposure to ensure that the food is adequately lit and that the colors are accurate. 

Don’t shy away from using cutting-edge editing tools. Using a background remover can also help make the food stand out. By removing clutter in the backdrop, you can train the eyes of the viewer to focus on the food itself. 

Key Takeaways

Food photography in 2023 will be a different experience than it is today. With technological advancement and the introduction of new ways to capture images, food photographers have more control over the production process than ever before.

  • Know the latest consumer preference trends. 
  • Use the right camera gear and settings.
  • Take angle and perspective shots.
  • Document the food creation process. 
  • Leverage props and food styling techniques.
  • Add a human element.
  • Use editing tools.