Smartphone Food Photography Tips
Smartphone Food Photography Tips
Whether you are looking to promote your restaurant or cafe on Instagram, or just looking to take photos of your food to share with friends, there are a number of tips to keep in mind.
In a commercial setting, customers have come to expect top-quality images of your food. If your images look blurry and unappetizing, many modern diners will be put off from visiting your restaurant.
Images are definitely one of the top selling points for modern eateries. Pay attention to some of these top tips for taking great images with your smartphone.
Find natural light
When taking pictures of food with your smartphone, you will want to place your dishes near a source of natural light. However, there is a balance to be found - while artificial light will definitely make your images look harsh and abrasive, you can create undesirable shadows if the sunlight is too strong unless you use a soft white reflector.
Taking your photos in early morning or late evening could be best, as you will be working with a natural backlight while avoiding the glare of the midday sun.Your food will look at its freshest and most delicious in a backdrop of natural light!An extra hint: tap your smartphone when taking a photo to control the exposure level. This will help you take a photo with just the right amount of natural light.
Consider your angle
Your smartphone has a wide-angle lens - take advantage of it! You will need to think about the type of food you are photographing. For example, you would want to take a photo of a pizza directly from above. This will make sure all toppings are in the shot, and the pizza looks as large as possible.
If you are working with a ‘stacked’, tall food like a burger or ice cream sundae, take the photo from a flat angle which is level with the food. This will help to give an impression of the food ‘towering’ high and allow the viewer to see all the details.
Find a neutral background
Your smartphone food pics are going to look at their best if they are taken against a background of neutral color. The food should be the star of your image, so ensure that background distractions are minimized.
Similarly, you want your food to be resting on an unremarkable plate with any drips or unintentional marks cleaned up.
To avoid distractions, a good rule of thumb is to keep your smartphone as close as possible to the food. Of course, you still want it to be identifiable, but reduce the number of background distractions to as close to zero as possible.
Avoid pinching to zoom!
You might be tempted to zoom in with your smartphone to get a clearer shot of your food… but please do not do that! Using the zoom feature distorts the natural light and produces a more unnatural image.
The best thing you can do is adjust the lighting or move your smartphone closer to the food.
Take plenty of photos
You do not want to be left with just one image to work with when it comes to post production. Take as many as possible so you can pick the perfect candidate! Experiment with different lighting, angles and presentation. You will eventually stumble on the perfect image to show off…
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Jack Vale is a writer from Happy Writers, Co. in partnership with Werever, an outdoor kitchen cabinet retailer.
