You may have a food-based blog or just enjoy chronicling your kitchen experiments, but many professionals will admit food photography is one of the harder arts to master. Having your dinner look devour-worthy takes a little more than a bit of creativity and practise does make perfect in this case. To get some professional advice we talk to Neil Corder, a Dubai-based photographer who specialises in food photography and has worked with several international food magazines and captured visuals for award-winning cookbooks as well.
Food Photography Tools
Obviously a good camera is the first place to start. According to Corder spend as much as you're comfortable with. "Unfortunately the more you spend the better the quality of the camera as a rule," he says. "Cameras with manual operations are preferred and with a lens capability of about 100 to 150mm equivalent." There are several point and shoot cameras available in the market and ones that capture images in low lighting well are generally preferred with amateur foodie photographers.
Lighting for Food Photography
The right lighting sets the tone for the photograph and dictates the type of mood you're going for. "It's vital as it is what gives food shape form and texture," says Corder. For him, natural sunlight wins every time for home projects. And don't just stop at one shot. Corder suggests taking anywhere between three to 50 pictures changing angles and lighting as you go to ensure you capture the food in the best possible manner. "It is critical to make the food look appetising otherwise it will not work," he adds.
Composition
Too technical for you? Let Corder explain: "It is the art of capturing the relevant information in a fixed space in two dimension. Or alternatively placing your subject matter in such a way as to render the final image pleasing or comfortable to the eye." He suggests taking inspiration from food magazines to get an idea of what looks attractive or pleasing to the viewer. Some times a tightly focused shot, for example a bowl of noodles will make the shot dramatic, while a plate with several smaller pieces on it will benefit from a shot of the whole plate. Remember, it should look instantly edible.
Angles
Luckily, there are no set angles that have to be used but that could change according to the subject of the photograph. "A bowl of soup can look amazing from above and a pizza is hard to shoot from side on so it really depends on the food," says Corder. "If the food is graphic in look then one would want to highlight that by perhaps shooting from above."
Background
Most photographers prefer to keep the background white and that is usually beneficial, as it doesn't distract from the shot. "Keeping the background out of focus really helps to keep the focus on the food, but it is impossible to say what works best as a general rule," says Corder. "Don't be scared to try different backgrounds. The environment at home can render beautiful results. Don't feel you always need a blank background"
Styling
It can be hard to pretty up the shot without any formal training but most of the time simplicity works best. Again, let your imagination run wild and try a background that contrasts with the food or stay traditional with something that complements it.
Keep in mind the tone you are going for before styling. Rustic could work well on just a wooden cutting board or minimalist-styled plate can stand out on just a simple white or black table.
Using plates of different shapes, coloured serviettes and fancy glasses also add more oomph to the shot. Kitchen tools like knives, cutting boards, graters and tongs sometime make good props as well especially when trying to demonstrate how to make a particular recipe.
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