7 No-fail Food Photography Tricks for Restaurants

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You know what they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Food photography is tremendously important when it comes to generating buzz on social media. Mouth-watering shots of your food will create desire. It’ll not only get eyeballs on your post but also drive potential customers to secure a table online right away. Here are 7 food photography tips and tricks to help you out.

1. Let natural lighting do its job

Forget about the flash. Take advantage of natural lighting during the day and do your food photography by the window. The natural illumination will give food an appetizing glow and highlight the texture of the ingredients, too.

Keep it simple

Don’t overthink the first couple of shots. The most effective food photography is often the close-up shots where you highlight the dish’s strengths. This could be its texture, color or shape. Let that be the focal point of the shot.

Use negative space

When it comes to close-up shots of food, do remember to give the viewer some room to breathe. In other words, we don’t necessarily have to zoom in all the way. There is leeway for some negative space. Let the viewer see the big picture instead of just one corner of the dish.

Play around with angles

After a few close-up shots, you can try to switch it up and play with different angles for varying effects. Try taking photos from the top, the front, at around 75-degrees or 25-degrees to find the hero angle. It all depends on how tall or short the subject is on the plate; you’ll find that some angles are more flattering than others.

Give it depth

In simple words, the depth of field is the distance between the closest and farthest objects in a photograph. For instance, when your camera focuses on the burger that’s closest to you, it’ll appear acceptably sharp against the background of fries and the soft drink. This technique can be used when you have a clear focal point that you want to highlight in the picture.

Rule of thirds

The rule of thirds is a cheap trick that photographers often use to create more interesting compositions. First of all, try to visually divide the food scene you see in your camera’s viewfinder into thirds both horizontally and vertically. The focal point of your shot should be positioned with two-thirds of the scene to one side and one third to the other. This adds more interest to the shot as opposed to simply placing the focal point in the middle.

Think in layers

After the close-up shots, you can take a step back and try this compositional technique that allows you to highlight props and ingredients in the frame to make the shot more appealing. Basically, aim to have about three layers of texture in your photo — this could be herbs, spices, ingredients, napkins or cutlery. By adding various props, you’re creating lines and layered effects in your photo. They do not only allow you to do a little storytelling, but they’ll also help direct viewers to the focal point.