Thanks to food-focused websites and blogs, food photography has gained tremendous popularity. However, it can take time to come up with creative ideas. Fortunately, we’ve got some great ones for you. Let’s look at them! If you haven’t read the first part of this blog yet, check it out and master the art of food photography now!
Background
The background is of the utmost importance. Imagine a very eye-catching tablecloth with a plain and simple saucer. When looking at the photo, the eye first notices the tablecloth and then the food. So decide your background based on the message you want to convey. Some prefer a wooden table as a background because it gives a regaler and more traditional look. If you are looking for a minimalist touch, the option is for everything to be white: plain tableware and background colour will give it a touch of formality and elegance and neatness. Desserts, vegetables, drinks, and fruits are perfect for this type of background. Look at the photo below – these macaroons look flawless. And small crumbs are not a bad idea if you want to add an attractive detail.
We recommend that you make different compositions, experiment, and look for a range of similar colours between the foods and the elements you add. In the following image, the combination is not only in terms of the colours, but they are all citrus. Find similarities like these when you put together your background; you can even add a lemon squeezer or something similar.
Focus Point and Details
In this photo, the focus is on the cup of tea and the almonds. If it were in the spoon or the honey, the photograph would have another intention and could be for a commercial of these products and not a food image. The correct focus conveys sharpness.
Most of the photos have a focus on the first food. For example, despite being a simple dish, only the front roll is in focus. Visual attention is focused on that role; depth of field is eliminated. These types of photographs are in books and magazines. Be careful with concentrating only in the middle of the photo, as your field depth will be so broad that it will be visually distracting.
Another point of view that is fashionable on Instagram is that of the continuous approach from a bird’s eye view (indeed, many are on top of a chair to achieve the best capture). Although the food is not of adequate volume, this approach is visually appealing because it offers a broad perspective of the food and its accompanying objects.
Realism or Stylists? Let the Ingredients Be Seen!
How to photograph food: what to put on, what to take off, how to do it? For each type of photography, there are experts in their field. At the time of making food, the stylists arrive, in charge of making everything look real. They are true wizards of ingenuity to the degree that sometimes nothing in the frame is realistic. There’s a fine line between the real and the fictional since it is impossible to work with some foods in a long session. Ice cream, bread, milk, beer, meat, fish, ice, chicken are some of the foods and drinks that it is impossible to photograph without professional help. Then the stylists arrive and do their makeup.
Victoria Granof is one of the most famous stylists in New York. She has worked for magazines such as Vogue, National Geographic, and Fahrenheit 212 and countless brands. Her work is exceptional because she takes food to another level, combines it with fashion editorials, and even makes art. Still, life or a photo from above is not enough. Look at her work: although many foods are not real, the images are impeccable.
And what do you keep in your stylist briefcase for the best food photo hacks? Let’s indiscreetly peek inside.
Want to know more tricks? Check out the third part of this blog!
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