6 Tips for Taking Scrumptious Food Photos

Do you take photos of food? Once upon a time I would have thought you were mad if you photographed your food. Since starting this blog and joining instagram I have seen the light. Getting good photographs of food is now not only fun but its quite important for me, there isn't much point sharing a recipe if the photos of the final meal (or more likely cake) don't look scrumptious. Here are my tips for improving your food photos:

Find The Light

As with any photography you will get the best photos if you take your photos in natural light. Turn the flash off your camera, place your plate near a window during the day (or even go outside) and then take your photo. If you normally eat later in the evening then you will have to decide if a good photo or hot food is more important!

Think About the Whole Photo

The last thing you want in the background of your photo is the mess you made in the kitchen when cooking. You need to think about everything that is in the photo. Clear your worktop, pop your food on a different clean table or even use a makeshift background that isn't going to distract from your scrummy make. It can add interest to the photo if you pop something pretty in the background but its important not to over clutter it, practice at this until you find a good balance.

Have a Look at Other Photos

Obviously it't not a good idea to copy someone else's idea exactly but you can study what you like about other peoples work. Pinterest is a great place to browse other photos, think about which photos your eyes are drawn to and which photos make you want to eat their food. Then look at the photos which aren't so great and what mistakes you think they have made and learn from it.

Choose a Shallow Depth Of Field

Since learning about aperture I am a little obsessed with choosing a shallow depth of field. If you haven't already read it, see my post on aperture to learn what I mean. Choose a small f-stop number to achieve this effect. Focus your camera on the most delicious looking part of your food and let the rest blur and even you will start drooling over the results.

Photograph Your Ingredients

Sometimes it's fun to line up your ingredients and take a photograph of that. It comes in handy when you want to share a recipe but also looks cute and can be artistic. This looks particularly effective if your ingredients have interesting colours like citrus fruit.

Eat Some!

Food looks more eatable if you can see that someone else has enjoyed it or is enjoying it. Stick your fork it, take a bite and then snap away again. Similarly make it look appetising by add your favourite garnish or drizzling it with oil. Snap some before and some after just in case you prefer the before ones though!

So what are you waiting for? Get in your kitchen, bake something yummy and then take a photograph that looks just as delicious. Zoe x

PS most of these photographs are form recipes we have shared on Tadpegs so if they're making you hungry have a look at our food section to find out how to make your own. x