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photographing
FOOD
INTRODUCTION
TO FOOD
PHOTOGRAPHY
lessons 1-9
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It isnt fair, but the truth is that the better the picture, the eas-
ier it is for food to get noticed. There isnt smellovision or tastea-
gram, so the only way to judge food online is through what you
see. This means that a premium is placed on great food photog-
raphy.
It doesnt matter whether you are a blogger, journalist, an am-
ateur or professional photographer, anyone can create great pic-
tures of food!
Here are nine lessons that will help you get started with food
photography. The lessons are divided up into three categories:
Lessons 1-3 are geared towards understanding how food pho-
tography differs from other types of photography.

Lessons 4-6 will help you with the technical aspects related to
shooting food.
Lessons 7-9 are geared towards styling your food photography.
I hope these lessons help you as you begin exploring the world
of food photography!
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One of the most challenging concepts to grasp when shooting food
is that it doesnt smile back. Yes, I realize that may sound obvious, but
think about it. When taking pictures of a person the expression con-
veyed through the facial features tells us a story about how they are
feeling.
Food just sits there.

To convey an emotion and tell a story, you have to style your food
and create a set that will deliver this intended message. Sets can be
incredibly elaborate and complex or minimalistic and simple. It all de-
pends on your message.
On the next page is an image of fried oysters. Do you have an im-
mediate image in mind when you think of fried oysters? For me, I think
about how my mom would cook oysters. She would cover them in
breading and then fry until they turned a crisp golden brown. She would
then remove the oysters from the pot of oil and let them drain on brown
paper bags.

The shot on the next page depicts this memory of what I think of
when I hear the words fried oysters.
Are their certian foods thet evoke specifc memories for you?
How would you style and prop those dishes?
As you look at the oysters on the next page, notice how there is a
monochromatic color scheme. Everything is a shade of brown. Having
shades of one main color in an image will help emphasize the shape
and texture of your subject.
When shooting food, always think about the story you are telling.
Lesson 1: Food Doesnt Smile Back At You.
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If you have never worked with food photography, you will quickly
learn that not all foods have the same shelf life in front of the camera.
Some foods can quickly start to look tired and dead soon after they are
placed on set.
So what does dead food mean? Yes, the food is already cooked,
but over time food will lose its liveliness in front of the camera and
start to fall fat. As time passes ice in drinks will melt, melted cheese
will start to seize up, vegetables will wilt, ice cream will melt, sauces will
spread, and the dish will turn from delicious and appetizing looking to a
dish that isnt appealing.
Every food will be a little different, but keep in mind how quickly
your food will start to die in front of the camera when working.
Lesson 2: Know Your Foods Shelf Life On Set
The shot on the left is
a composite of 3 seper-
ate shots. Caramel sauce
spreads really quickly, so
a composite was needed
to achieve the perfect pour
look.
Knowing how the car-
amel would react on cam-
era allowed for me to setup
a composite shot and still
achieve the image I want-
ed.
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Has a model ever told you which side is their good side? Like hu-
man models, a dish will have a good side. Some dishes will look best
when photographed from a head-on camera angle. Others will look bet-
ter when shot from an overhead angle. If those dont work, try some-
here in between. This is called a 3/4 angle. These angles may be a little
different than other types of photography, but I have found that every
food will look great from one or more angle. If your shot isnt quite look-
ing the way that you would like, try shooting from a different angle.
Lesson 3: Use Different Camera Angles For Different Foods
3/4 Angle
Overhead Angle
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photographing
FOOD
INTRODUCTION
TO FOOD
PHOTOGRAPHY
lessons 4-6
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If you are shooting food, the good news is that you most likely al-
ready own the lighting gear that you need! Food looks best with soft
even lighting coming from one direction. The easiest way to achieve
this is to shoot next to a window. If you are shooting with natural light
next to a window, be sure to turn off any other lights in the room. If you
are shooting with an artifcial light source, try using a lighting modifer
that will create a large soft light. This could be a large softbox, umbrel-
la, or even a large white bed sheet! Soft light from one direction will
give a beautiful look to your food.
Lesson 4: Stick With A Natural One Light Look
On the left is an image shot
with one light source. There wasnt
a great daylight option on this
shoot, so I used a fash with a soft
box. This created a beautiful soft
light for the shot.
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If you already own a tripod, it is something that you should have
for every food shoot. If you dont own one, I suggest it be the frst thing
you purchase to improve your food photography. Using a tripod or other
camera support system will improve your photography in two ways.
First, a tripod will help stabilize your camera and prevent any mo-
tion blur caused by shaky hands when hand holding your camera.

Second, when you have the shot almost all the way there, a tripod
will allow you to make minor changes in prop and subject placement
and keep the framing. This will allow you to create the perfectly com-
posed shot every time.
LESSON 5: USE A TRIPOD
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Food is an excellent example of tabletop photography. When shoot-
ing food, you are going to need a solid surface to place your plates,
props, and lighting modifers on. It should come as no surprise that a
table is a great thing to shoot on! Any stable table will work. It could be
a kitchen table, dining room table, or any other table that you have in
your house. If you are short on space, a folding table works great!
Need a table on the go? Try using two saw horses and placing
wooden boards across.
Lesson 6: Find A Sturdy Table
Shooting in a small space?
This is a shot from my old studio apart-
ment where I would use a small coffee
table as a shooting table. You dont have
to have a ton of space. As long as it is a
fat and stable surface it will work really
well!
Here I am using Lesson 4
and shooting next to a
window.
photographing
FOOD
INTRODUCTION
TO FOOD
PHOTOGRAPHY
lessons 7-9
When food is brought to a set and placed in front of the camera,
there will generally have to be a little bit of styling involved. This means
that the food will be moved, poked, and positioned so it looks perfect!
This is also the time when last minute garnishes and sauces are placed
on the plate. When styling your dish, style it from the camera angle you
will be shooting from. If you are going to shoot overhead, look at your
dish from an overhead angle while placing garnishes and adjusting
your dish. If you are shooting at a head on camera angle, make your
adjustments from this viewpoint. Styling from the camera angle that you
intend to use will ensure elements of the image are exactly where they
need to be.
LESSON 7: STYLE FROM YOUR SHOOTING ANGLE
Food is full of bright and vibrant colors! Embrace this color when
you are shooting. Black and white look great with portrait photogra-
phy, but doesnt work as well when food is the subject. Embrace color
harmony and use it to create color schemes that will complement your
food and start to make your viewers mouth water. Color combinations
that I have found to work well together are orange and blue, purple and
yellow, or red and green. Give these a try and see how the food pops
off the background.
LESSON 8: EMBRACE FOODS COLOR
When preparing a dish for the camera, the process isnt quite the
same as preparing the food for your plate. When you are pouring a
glass of a refreshing beverage, you probably didnt pour the beverage
through a funnel into the glass. Using a funnel allows you to prevent
any splashing on the sides of the glass and helps you control exactly
how much liquid goes into the glass. Other tools that will help in your
food styling are cotton swabs to clean the rims of bowls, toothpicks to
build and hold a sandwich together, or turkey basters to remove or add
beverages, soups, or other liquids.
Above is a shot showing a turkey baster being used to fll a glass
of sangria. This baster keeps the fruit in place and wont leave splash
marks inside the glass.
LESSON 9: USE STYLING TOOLS