1. Organize/ construct the placement of your subjects.
First thing you need to do is of course to prepare the subjects/ food you’re going to photograph. Even if the photography technique is top notch, if the food isn’t constructed well and is all over the place, the results won’t look delicious.
When organizing the food placement, cleanliness of the surrounding needs to be closely paid attention to. Use props like tablecloths, eating utensils, and other decorative ornaments that will complement the presentation of your subject.
2. Lighting
The best lighting for food photography is usually soft lighting that’s usually obtained from a large light source such as sunlight through a window in the morning or evening.
If using studio lighting or flash, then accessories such as a lighting umbrella or a softbox is a must. Direction of the lighting is also crucial. Avoid lighting from the front or using an internal flash. Try instead directing the from left or right side of your objects to accentuate the details and texture of the food.
3. Equipment needed
Photography equipment that would really help you in executing your photography would be a tripod, macro lens to capture tiny details of the food, external flash, and a reflector to reflect light to fill the shadowy areas of the environment.
4. Shooting angles
Your shooting angles can make or break your food photo. Food photography are usually appear more appealing if taken with a tight cropping to the object. So zoom into your objects. And there are two popular shooting angles: high angle and low angle.
In the low angle point of view, the camera is positioned parallel or almost parallel to the food. Using the low angle exudes an intimate feel.
In the high angle point of view, the camera is positioned directly above the object. High angles are effective for shooting food without any sides that stand out, like vegetable dishes or pizzas.
5. Fresh!
Shoot food or drinks while they’re fresh. Once left too long out in the open, then they start to lose their freshness and will lose their appeal. In vegetables, this means that they will start losing texture and color. For cold beverages, you can avoid melting ice by replacing the ice with fake ice made from acrylic and spraying water around the outside of the glass so the drink appears cold and refreshing.
