How to take food photos?

Food appears in front of us every day, in our bowls, magazines, TV and computer screens.

If we are not eating, we are talking about what we have eaten or what we are going to eat. Our food is ourselves: recipes reflect our lifestyle, my choices and our beliefs.

I am a food photographer, and I love my job. But I'm not always a food photographer-I'm still a chef, and I've spent 15 years in kitchens all over the world. I like the food I cook, and I am also keen on shooting them.

This article brings you 10 great tricks to teach you how to shoot delicious food.

1. Choose fresh local materials, don't fiddle with food too much, and let them be presented simply.

Let the food speak for itself. I'm tired of all kinds of pictures of strawberries, but I haven't seen many pictures of eggs, milk and apples.

2. Let the food tell you how it wants to shoot.

Does the food in front of you attract your attention? Is it the shape? Texture? Find the answer to this question, and then you will know whether you need soft light or hard light, and you will know which angle to shoot from. Let the food tell you how to shoot.

3. Pay attention to the theme.

Is it bright and moving? Here, food is the protagonist, find the right accessories and background for it. Pay attention to looking for something to compare.

4. Take the required picture, and then change the angle.

Rule of thumb: Planned photos are often not the best.

Use a tripod

I don't know how to emphasize the importance of this point. A tripod can avoid almost all vibrations, and it can also allow you to be exposed for a long time in low light, such as restaurants or bars.

6. White balance

Since restaurants and bars are mentioned, we should mention the problem of white balance. Every camera can adjust the white balance, so make good use of it. Sometimes orange projection lights can create warm and private emotions, and sometimes they should be avoided. In addition, white balance can also be an effective creative tool: use different settings.

7. The problem of choosing a lens

Generally speaking, shallow depth of field is better in food photography, because it can separate the subject from the background-directly attract the attention of the audience. If I had to recommend a lens, it would be 50mm f/ 1.8: small, light and cheap. This large aperture lens can be used for many types of photography.

8. Pay attention to detail and composition

Sometimes less is more, especially when food is the main character.

9. Take a good photo with the camera

Don't rely too much on Photoshop. Don't take more than 5 minutes for each photo in the later period.

10. Shooting scene

Shoot lighting scenes, backgrounds and accessories. Pay attention to what you did wrong, listen to other people's opinions and get inspiration from others.