Food photography is the art of taking photographs of food. It can be used to capture the appearance of a dish, to document a cooking process, or to advertise a product. Food photography has been around since the early days of photography, but it has only recently begun to gain popularity as a genre in its own right. Many professional photographers now specialize in food photography, and there are even studios dedicated to the craft. Essex-based Capture House is one of the UK's leading food photography studios.
How to Ace Food Photography: A Step-by-Step Guide
Capturing drool-worthy images of food is no easy feat. It requires precision, creativity, and often a little bit of magic. But don’t worry, we’re here to give you the lowdown on how to make your food photos look as good as they taste. Keep reading to learn our tips and tricks for taking killer food photos that’ll make your followers hungry for more.
1. Find the right photographer The first step in nailing food photography is finding the right photographer. And while there are plenty of great photographers out there, not all of them will be a good fit for your brand. When you’re narrowing down your options, look for someone like Capture House who has experience shooting food and who understands your vision for the project. Once you’ve found a photographer you click with, it’s time to start planning the shoot.
2. Choose your props carefully The next step is choosing props that complement the dish and fit the look and feel of your brand. If you’re going for a rustic vibe, opt for wooden cutting boards and natural fibres like linen. For a sleek and modern look, go with glassware and metal serving pieces. And if you’re not sure what direction to go in, just ask your photographer—they should have plenty of suggestions.
3. Set the scene After you’ve selected your props, it’s time to start setting up the shots. This is where a food stylist comes in handy (if you don’t have one on staff, most photographers do). Together with the photographer, they’ll determine the best way to style each dish and create a shot list outlining all the different angles they need to capture.
4. Get cooking Once everything is ready to go, it’s time to start cooking! Depending on the complexity of the dish, this step can take anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours. But trust us—it’s worth it when you see the final product.
5. Lights, camera… action! Now it’s time for the fun part: actually taking the photos! Your photographer will work their magic behind the lens while you sit back and enjoy the show (i.e., feast on all the deliciousness). Depending on how many shots they need to get, this step can take anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours—just be patient, it’ll be worth it in the end! And once they wrap up, all that’s left to do is…
6. Edit, edit, edit… The final step in nailing food photography is editing all those gorgeous shots in Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop (or both!). This is where your photographer will fine-tune things like brightness, contrast, saturation levels, etc., until each image looks absolutely perfect. And trust us when we say that perfect takes time—but again, it'll be worth it when people start drooling over your feed!
Conclusion: there you have it—our complete guide to acing food photography! Just remember: finding the right photographer is key, so don't skimp on this step if you want amazing results. Also important? Taking plenty of time to plan each shot (trust us—it'll be worth it). Lastly? Make sure you edit each photo until it looks perfect—after all, that's what people expect when they see #foodporn on their feed!
How do you get food to look good on camera?
Anyone who's ever scrolled through Instagram knows that food photography is having a moment. Whether it's a rainbow bagel or a deconstructed caesar salad, people can't get enough of seeing beautiful food online. But what goes into making a dish look as good as it tastes? For starters, you need a talented food photographer. At Capture House, we work with some of the best in the business. Based in Essex, our team has years of experience in making food look amazing on camera. We understand the importance of lighting and composition, and we know how to make even the most simple dish look irresistible. So if you're looking to make your food photography really stand out, there's only one place to go.
Is the background important in Food Photography?
Food photography is all about capturing the perfect shot of your meal. But what about the background? Is it important to have a visually appealing backdrop in your photos?
According to Capture House, a food photography and styling company, the background is just as important as the foreground when it comes to food photography. "Your background should compliment your dish and make it pop. A busy or cluttered background can be distracting and take away from the overall look of your photo."
So, if you're looking to up your food photography game, make sure you take the time to style an appropriate backdrop for your dish. Your followers will thank you for it!
Is it important that food photos look authentic?
Recipes that are rich in colour should be left as they are so that your customers know what they’re going to get. The last thing you want to do is mislead customers or leave them disappointed with what they receive. If you have a duller looking dish, we will use garnish when recipes could do with more oomph but it’s important to us that they look as close to the real thing as possible.
One way that we stop a change in colour to the food is to check the surrounding conditions. When taking pictures of food and if the lighting isn't controlled, colours could be reflected onto the food from coloured walls surrounding the dish. This helps keep the colours true to the dish and creates a tastier photo.
What are the best cameras for Food Photography?
When it comes to photography, it is said that the camera isn't the most important part, but when shooting to the highest quality, it is. The lens has a huge impact, as well. For the most detailed images, we use Nikon DSLRs such as the Nikon D850 and Nikon D500 as they produce exceptional food images, making sure the highlights, shadows, and sharpness are shown to the highest standard also giving you the ability to adjust them with more precision while editing.
