Styling Tips for Great Food Photography

We get it, you need to replenish your energy - no judgement here! It’s just that a smaller amount of food with more of the plate visible is more pleasing on the eye. A large mound of food in the middle of the plate is just what the doctor ordered after a long and tiring day, but it is not what people want to see when scrolling their feeds online looking for the best food photography.

One of the most crucial aspects photographing food is how to plate food for photography. One thing to consider when plating food is using your plate as a border. This is easier to achieve if you follow our first food photography tip for beginners; if your portion size is too large, you'll struggle to keep it contained to the plate!

If you position most of your food closer towards the middle of your plate, you can use your plate as negative space, which provides a more elegant appearance, as well as directing your viewer’s eyes to the star of the show - your yummy food!

If your delicious meal is juicy with bright bold colours, your plating and presentation should not compete. Opt for duller, less vibrant colours, which will further enhance the appeal of your food.

Another tip that can help create a good level of contrast in your food photography is to avoid glossy and shiny plates and dishware - these can distract from your content by producing too much shine.
 

A little bit of juice from your food is natural and nice and it can really get mouths watering. But you can have too much of a good thing. Clean the edges of the plate just a little - leaving a small trace of remnants around the edges of your food.

Needless to say, if your table or surface gets a little messy, give that area a spray and wipe before shooting too.

You want to avoid placing your carefully thought out plate straight onto your plain kitchen bench and rushing your shot. Take some time to consider every element that will appear in your photo.

By including a few props around your plate you create a more inviting image - your viewers should want to pull up a seat when looking at your photo! When thinking about what to include, think about what you would usually have with this meal - when was the last time you sat down for some pasta without having a glass of red wine on the side?

While it is true, you can produce mouth-watering food photography with an iPhone, if you are learning how to do food photography, you may want to consider doing so on a dedicated digital camera. When searching for the best camera for food photography, look for something that is good for low-light photography and with gret resolution to bring out the intricate details and colours of your fine dining selections. Mirrorless cameras are at the top of the list, thanks to their larger image sensors, while there are a collection of high-quality compact digital cameras that are ideal for food photography.

Ted’s top food photography camera picks:

• Sony ZV-E10 II
• Canon EOS R10
• Sony ZV-1
• Canon G7X Mark III

When selecting a food photography lens to match your camera, there are a few things to consider which are as follows:

• Focal length: A standard focal length of around 50mm is best, as it won’t crop your images too tightly, but it also won’t suffer from distortion like wider angle lenses will. You can find out why we love 50mm lenses so much in this post.
• Fast Aperture: Want to know how your favourite food photographers produce those stylish images with blurry backgrounds? The answer is using a lens with a bright aperture.
• Close focus abilities: There is some cross-over between food and macro photography. Make sure your lens is up to the task and can quickly and easily focus on objects that are close up.

Ted’s top food photography lens picks:

• Canon RF 50mm f1.8 STM

• Sigma AF 30mm f1.4 DC DN “C”

Whether you choose natural or artificial lighting, one thing is for sure, bright and vibrant is the key. Dark and dull food photography is just depressing, so this is what you are trying to avoid. Position your table by an open window to take advantage of that glorious natural light. 

If natural light just isn’t available to you, consider purchasing a flashgun or a portable light for food photography, which will help you get consistent levels of lighting for every shot. Direct flash, however, should be avoided as it will produce deep shadows and lots of reflections, so learn how to bounce that flash.

Tripods are an essential accessory for many types of photography and food photography is included on this list. Whether you are taking colourful snaps for your blossoming Instagram, or you end up trying your hand at tasty-style cooking videos, using a tripod will cut down on blur and camera shake so your results are always sharp and in focus.

Another advantage of setting your camera up on a tripod is the ability to slow down when you shoot, carefully considering each movement, left or right, or up and down, and whether these movements are helpful to your composition.