We all have that friend, you know, the one who posts images of their food all the time. Truth is that taking photos of food is easy — it’s why so many of us do it on a regular basis. Our phones are right next to us, our food is right in front of us, and its an easy subject because it doesn’t move.
But how can you take pictures of food that people will actually want to see, photos that make people hungry, and images that make mouths water? It turns out that it has more to do with the styling of the food, where it’s placed in the frame, and how it is affected by the light than it actually does with the food.
This awesome video from Skyler Burt of WeEatTogether demonstrates one of the most important things you can do when trying to take epic images of your food — taking your time to set up the shot. As Burt mentions in the video, you must resist the urge to set up the table and then take the shot. The first step is setting up your camera and locking it down to a static position or angle — either with a tripod or whatever you want to keep the camera stationary.
Once you do that, you can start to build your shot, one item at a time. Move things around in the frame until you find a spot for them that looks good and fits with the rest of the image, then add the next item. Simply do this over and over until you are happy with your image. Being a food stylist may give you an advantage in regard to what you may try in the shot first, but this is a technique that virtually anyone can do.
It may be slow and methodical, but it’s incredibly simple and it will take your food photos to another level, and maybe, just maybe, your friends and family will actually want to see what you were eating today.
