Instagram and blog-worthy pictures of food are worth their weight in gold if you want your social channels to look tempting. From local street food to vibrant markets, gourmet restaurants and pretty patisseries, with so much choice around the world, it’s worth taking the time to learn some tricks of the trade. These food photography tips will help you capture deliciously enticing photos on your travels and up your artistic game as you traverse the globe. These tricks to food photography are simple and easy to remember. If you use even one of them on your travels when you are taking food pics you will notice the difference and impress your friends with your new found skill.

Beautiful food photography tips and tricks

Source natural light

Candlelit dinners and fairy-lit nooks in restaurants look spectacular in real life, but nothing beats natural light when it comes to shooting food photographs. Avoid artificial light that can cast orange and yellow hues over your food photography and you’ll instantly achieve better results. The neutral tones of daylight will bring out the beguiling colours and textures on your plate without any glare. Natural window light is particularly effective and means you only have one set of back shadows which create a beautiful contrast and bright photographs. Avoid midday sun and if the weather is slightly overcast even better, as this will create a softer light and less obvious shadows.

Think about a beautiful background

Whether you’re shooting from up above or from the side, the background is just as important as the main focus. Imagine a bright and beautiful Acai bowl ruined by a few stray crumbs or a restaurant receipt. Now imagine that same Acai bowl complemented with a few carefully placed objects such as beautiful cutlery, a sprig of plant life or the pattern of a napkin. Subtly placed props add dimension to your photographs and make them look far more professional. An extra rule of thumb is that dark foods look better placed on a dark background and lighter foods on a light background. Think a dark roast coffee on a slab of slate or whipped cream and meringue on a white marble table.

Location, location, location

If you’re getting serious about your food photography, pick destinations where you’re guaranteed a mouthwatering experience. Think Paris for all those gorgeous patisseries, Italy for delectable antipasto plates coupled with olives and red wine, and Vietnam for those striking Pho bowls. The Secret Traveller over at 1Cover has some amazing inspiration for foods worth travelling for, where intense flavours and colours will make your photographs even more engaging. From ramen in Japan to tagine in Morocco, and from thali in India to Iberico in Spain, the opportunities out there are tremendous.

Focus on the details

Travel food photography differs from still life studio shots because you often have crowds of people to contend with. If you have a professional camera consider playing around with different lenses, such as macro and narrow lenses, to filter out all the noise around. And if you’re snapping on a phone, think about zooming in and focusing on the details. For example, zoom in on the seeds of a pomegranate, the texture of a pear or the inside of an orange. Transport your audience to the places you travel with mouthwatering close-ups that show the sensations of juicy, delectable tastes.

Compelling contrasts

We’ve talked about background props and table settings, but it’s also important to look for enticing contrasts of colour when it comes to food photography tips. A bright green smoothie paired with red berries pops beautifully in a photograph. Two contrasting gelato colours against a white wall look spectacular. Learn about complementary colours and up your evocative contrast game fast. Complementary colours highlight the brightness of food in a spectacular way and provide perfect colour balance. A great source is the colour wheel over at Adobe which teaches you about analogue, monochromatic and complementary hues.

Angles and composition

One of the easiest ways to create a stunning food photograph is to shoot from above, even if that means climbing on a chair. This ensures that the composition and angle highlight your plate of food and capture the very essence of what you are shooting. Not only will this angle emphasise bold colours and textures, but it also cuts out any background crowds. This is one of my favourite food photography tips that I use often when I am snapping a pic.

If you want to mix it up a bit, you can also consider shooting from one side or even diagonally. These two options work particularly well if you have a plain background and want to capture someone holding a glass or tucking into a mouthwatering cake. Shooting from a diagonal angle means you can snap your food in a three dimensional way to showcase both the front and side and top of each dish.

Colour is important

I like colourful things so when I take a food photo, I look for something that is going to pop. I love the saying that you eat with your eyes. Food has to be visually appealing.

Sometimes when I am on a food tour and faced with what I call my brown dilemma I have to think quickly. So often I look at a plate of food and my common complaint in that everything on the plate is brown. It may taste wonderful, but it looks unappetising to me. I look around for anything that I can use to brighten to shot. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, just see what you can find and be creative.

We all have to start somewhere

Pick up your phone or your camera and start today and most important of all, have fun!

“There are two fatal errors that keep great projects from coming to life:
1) Not finishing
2) Not starting”
― Buddha 

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