You may think that if you don’t own a fancy, expensive camera, there’s no reason to even try to take better photos. However, by making a few simple changes, you can improve your food photography, no matter what kind of camera you own: DSLR, point-and-shoot, or even a phone camera!
Here are my 6 tips to help you take better photos.
Lighting is key
If you learn one thing from this post, learn this: lighting is the biggest factor in determining the quality of your photos. Simply moving from a poorly lit space to a brightly lit one will dramatically impact your photos.For example, the above photo was taken on my dark counter tops. There are zero windows in my kitchen, so it’s generally pretty dark unless I turn on the lights. But artificial lighting isn’t the prettiest.
If I simply move over to my table (which is right in front of a window), the photo instantly improves, don’t you think?
Another aspect of lighting is the direction of the light source. I tend to use three basic light sources: back, front, and side.
This photo was taken with the light coming from behind the grapefruit. The final look of the photo is very contrasty (contrasty is a word, right?).
This photo was taken with the light coming from in front of the grapefruit. The look is very soft, and the colors are more saturated.
This photo was taken with the light coming from the right side of the grapefruit. Side lighting is kind of like the best of both worlds: it’s softer than back lighting, but has better contrast than front lighting.
Here they are side by side so you can see the difference. Left to right: back, front, and side lighting.
Know your angles
There’s a reason that the top-down photos on Instagram are so popular: the limitations of a smartphone aren’t as noticeable when you take the photo from above. This is because smartphone camera lenses are usually very wide, and shooting from the side vs. above makes the subject look more distorted.Isn’t it much more obvious that the photo on the left was taken with a smartphone?
Use props that fit your story
Adding a few props to your setup can really help to tell your story better and add some visual interest. However, you need to be careful to use props that fit the context.For example, these birch paper straws are ADORABLE. But what do they have to do with a grapefruit? Unless you’re planning on juicing the grapefruit, the straws don’t make sense.
These grapefruit spoons fit much better with the story I’m trying to convey: eating a grapefruit the traditional way!
Keep it simple
You may be tempted to use a ton of props to make your photo more interesting. Props can add to the story you’re trying to tell, but if you use too many, your photo can just look cluttered.The lenses in smaller cameras usually can’t showcase a small depth of field—the entire photo is in focus. If you keep the props to a minimum, it will help to draw the focus to your main subject.
Steady does it
Often, small cameras have trouble taking a photo that isn’t blurry. Here are 3 ways to combat that:- Keep your elbows at your sides. This steadies your hands and reduces wobble.
- Use the timer on your phone/camera. Often, the blur occurs when you push the shutter. Using the timer keeps everything steadier the moment the photo is taken.
- Use a tripod. For the steadiest shot possible, put your camera on a tripod. You can even get special attachments for your phone.
Edit your photos
I can’t emphasize enough how important editing is to the final look of your photos. Sometimes cameras don’t pick up the colors or subtleties that our naked eye can. A bit of adjustment makes it truer to how we see it.The photo on the left is how it looks with zero editing. The photo on the right has a few basic adjustments: exposure, contrast, sharpness, color, etc.
There are MANY apps that allow you to easily adjust how your photo looks. My personal favorites are VSCO, Afterlight, and Instagram.
I hope these tips and tricks help you on your journey to taking better photos!
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