5 tips to perfecting the art of food photography

1. Light source
“It’s recommended that you stick to natural daylight to capture the best food shots. You’ll automatically find that you’ll get a nice color balance and shadows outdoors. If you’re indoors, try to shoot next to a window or terrace. Place up a ‘reflector’ which could be anything from a white piece of paper to a small mirror to add some shadow effects.”
• Recommended App: “VSCO” allows you to preset your favorite filters and tweak your photos to give it that extra little flavor.
2. Color schemes
“To get the right look and feel of your dish, you need to consider the color scheme of the food, cutlery, and background elements. If you’re the one cooking, try using fresh ingredients so the colors on the plate, pop.”
3. Dramatic look
“An amazing feature to use for close-ups on your iPhone is Portrait mode. Experiment with it to isolate your dish and create a depth of field effect.”
• Recommended App: To help you enhance the depth, you can use the “Infltr” app which builds on Portrait mode’s filter option.
4. Be creative
“Get inspiration from what other foodies are doing. Instagram for example is a perfect visual platform that can fuel your imagination and spark creativity.”
5. Tell a story
“A picture is worth a thousand words. What’s the message you are trying to portray with the photo. A teacup and a healthy snack with a book will give a cosy and relaxed image. Think about all the elements you are including in that photo and if they all come together to tell your story.”

Right, now that we know how to take a photo of a beloved dish, here’s how to style your food.

According to Giwa, it’s all about reflecting key elements of your dish.

“Food styling should reflect the elements of your dish. Simple things like complementing the photo with one of its ingredients can go a long way. You can also add a human touch and feel like a your hand squeezing lime on a taco,” she explains.

She adds: “The whole point of styling is to communicate a story with your food.You can create a mood and ambience by playing around with your photo composition. For example, I always use a flat lay when I want to take an image of a spread including styling elements such as cutlery and a napkin.

“Beyond composition, post production is another way to emphasize a mood. I play around with lighting on Adobe Lightroom and Snapseed. Make the reds redder, adjust the shadows, bump up the contrast, and voila you’ve made magic.”

Viola, you now have all the tools needed to take the perfect food photo.

You’re welcome.