Five tips for shooting great food photography without professional gear

Five tips for shooting great food photography without professional gear

Menus change with the seasons, and sometimes very quickly. Having strong photography of your latest dish on your website or printed material keeps your brand up to date and helps set the tone, but what if you're simply after a couple of quick photos to share on social channels or a newsletter? We've compiled a few tips below to help your photos look a little more kick-ass.

1. Find your light

Let's start with the most important component to a good photo; light. Your gear doesn't matter so much, you might have an SLR, mirrorless, point and shoot camera or simply your phone, getting the light right will make it that much better. Look for a location with soft, natural light. This might be near a window facing away from the sun, or on an outside table under cover. You need to get rid of any harsh shadows.

2. Find consistency

Further to above, think about the availability of this location. Will you be able to repeat the same photo easily? Are there times when the light changes dramatically?

3. Find your angle

Once you've locked in your location, look at how the light falls on the area. What angle works best? Think about how your dish might look top down, back further to show the table setting more, right in close so you're showing off the details.

4. Find simplicity

No need to overdress it all. Keep the set up simple. Bring in the cutlery and required supporting items, and keep props minimal. Show just what you need. 

5. Find the hero

Over garnishing and adding too many fighting components is the biggest killer of a good food image. If there's a nice cut of venison in there, let's see it front and centre. A beautiful salmon steak? Don't hide it away. Let there be a clear hero.

Get the recipe right and your viewers will be hungry for more.

If you're interested in stepping your brand photography up a notch, get in touch with us. With portable studio lighting, professional grading, art direction and experienced photographers, we can create outstanding content that will stand the test of time.