Nowadays we often hear about Food Photography, but what is it? It is the art of photographing dishes and ingredients. According to various sector analyzes, it emerged that 82% of diners love to order a meal that they consider “beautiful” after seeing it in the picture. This is why it is very important to rely on a professional food photographer. Here you can find our guidelines for your restaurant menu photography.
Light
Light is very important, if you don’t have the ability to photograph with a studio light then aim for natural light. Take advantage of indirect sunlight from a window. Surely this will be relatively more difficult to manage because you have to pay attention to the time you photograph and the too strong lights that fall on the ingredients of the dish. You risk having burnt spots or hard shadows that are difficult to recover in post production, so you need to be very careful!
Angles
When you’re taking pictures, always think about what’s in front of you first. If a plate points to verticality, it will be useless to photograph it from above. Maybe a more frontal perspective can give proper importance. For example, for dishes that focus on verticality such as hamburgers and sandwiches, it may be sufficient to position yourself at 45 °. On the other hand, for dishes served in bowls, a shot from top to bottom is better, because it will allow customers to see the ingredients.
Colors
Colors are also very important because, in food photography, they also symbolize the quality of the product that is represented. Using too much saturation does not enhance the product, on the contrary, it flattens the shadows and lights, creating a photograph that is chromatically flat and without three-dimensionality. During the development phase you can manage the individual colors (TSL or HSL) and ensure that they acquire brightness and at the same time maintain all their quality.
Timing
Don’t let too much time pass between when the food is ready and when you shoot. Whether it’s cold or hot dishes. This is because food that has been sitting around for a while can alter its appearance. For example it may seem limp, melt or no longer fresh. So remember to shoot as soon as possible!
Flair
In the photos of your menu, of course the food must be the protagonist. This does not mean that you will not be able to include some other detail that expresses the style of the restaurant. For example by including some details of the mise en place, such as cutlery, napkins or centerpiece.
If these guidelines have been useful to you, now you are ready to raise the bar and elevate your food photography. Click here to find out which props to use to elevate your food photos!
If you are looking for a professional food photographer, here at Klaud9, we have a wide network of talented photographers based all over the world. If you want to learn more about our service, click here to contact us.