Using a Smartphone Camera for Food Photography
Practical Tips on How to Take Amazing Photos of Delicious Food
Taking photos of food and sharing them with family and friends is something that lots of people enjoy doing. Below, we will show you what to keep in mind when taking photos of food.
Getting the right shot of a delicious dish can be quite a challenge. Food photography starts with the ingredients that you will need and continues onto the different stages of cooking and preparing the dish and then finally the presentation of the food afterwards. However, this is where attention to detail can pay off by understanding image composition and knowing which colours will look appealing. Dishes made by true food stylists are often only suitable for taking a picture and not for consumption. The fillings are brought into shape with foil, the vegetables are often still half-raw so that they keep their vibrant colours and the meat is not meant to be eaten. However, with your smartphone, practical photo apps and our tips, you often don't have to worry about this because with just one click, even the stalest soup will look like it was made by Ferran Adrià. You usually don't just want to take photos, you will also want to eat what you have created, therefore, it's a good idea to get a nice picture of your dish with a smartphone.
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1) What You Will Need
Firstly, you will need your smartphone to take some photos. Your smartphone will need to have a built-in camera and optionally one or more apps to edit your photos. You can use apps such as the Hipstamatic, to edit your photos directly. Simply select ‘Film’ and ‘Lens’ and all you have to do is take a photo. A little tip: a Foodiepack with a Loftus lens is a great accessory for food photography. It is also important that the room is sufficiently bright. In the evening or in very dim lighting, the smartphone software amplifies the ambient light, resulting in unattractive noise. Therefore, it is important to keep the following tip in mind: there is no such thing as too much light.
2) Arrange Everything First and Then Cook
You will only need to keep this practical tip in mind if you are not taking daily photos of your lunch, but actually cooking and preparing the food yourself. Depending on your attention to detail, it's best to think about the final image before you start cooking. What colours does the food have, what crockery goes with it and what background will show off the food even better? As is so often the case, good preparation is the key to a successful photo. Once the food is ready, you have to be quick, as meat can quickly become overcooked and sauces can form a skin. It's also important to not take too long taking a photo, otherwise your food will get cold. So, preheat your plate, arrange your food, place it on the table and take a quick photo or two. All that is left to do is pour a glass of wine and then bon appétit! You can enjoy your delicious homemade meal.
3) Colour Composition
You can’t go wrong with pure white crockery that has no frills. A red tomato soup, for example, looks great all by itself. Wood is also always a good background and food can also be photographed on a slab of dark slate, or ideally even without a plate. In general, you should make sure that the composition is calm and not too colourful. The food plays the main role and the background should not stand out too much.
4) Close-up Shot
The image detail comes down to your own personal preference. This is also an important factor to keep in mind when taking photos of food. A detail often offers a different, unfamiliar perspective, so you should take photos of your food with a good idea in mind.
5) Getting the Right Angle
Many pictures are taken from a bird's eye view. Used skilfully, it creates a very unique effect. Sometimes food photographed from above looks flat and cool. An angle of around 45 degrees is often a fantastic alternative. Drinks should always be photographed horizontally, so that the liquid does not look askew.
6) The Perfect Mood
In addition to colours and the right lighting, decorative elements, such as cutlery will determine the mood in your picture. An attention to detail will always pay off, such as chopsticks instead of spoons or a sharp knife next to freshly chopped chives. Your pictures will be livelier and more colourful if you combine the raw ingredients of your food with the finished dish. Even a single flower or a beautiful cloth napkin can make a big difference to the overall effect.
7) The Golden Ratio
The golden ratio refers to dividing up your image into three parts. It is important to not place your main subject directly in the centre. This is also a rule that should be observed in most cases in food photography. If you are taking a photo of more than one plate or a section, it makes sense to guide the viewer of your picture a little (from bottom left to top right). Unless you take square photos. Another advantage of taking photos on photo apps is that you can set the photo to square, centre the subject and press the shutter button and then you’re done.
8) Do Not Use a Built-in Camera Flash
You should always use daylight. The use of direct flash, especially flashes on smartphones will not give you good results, therefore, this should always be avoided. Unless the flash is deliberately chosen and used to add a certain stylistic element, but this is something that isn’t used commonly in food photography. If in doubt, take your photo in a bright kitchen before going to a cosy candlelit dinner. You should enjoy the romantic evening with your partner, instead of worrying about getting a perfect photo of your dish.
9) Experimenting With the Depth of Field
Even with standard photo apps, you can often set the focus and (slightly) blur the background, especially for close-ups. This works even better with special filters in the different photo apps or when editing images directly on your smartphone. Snapseed is a great app for editing photos on iPhone and Android.
Your Individually Designed Cookbook
You could also use your photos of the dishes you have cooked to create a wonderful cookbook full of your favourite recipes. Here we will show you exactly how easy it is to individually design your own cookbook using your favourite food photos. We hope you have fun creating your very own cookbook!
