How to take pictures of food like a pro

It happens to the best of us. You pull out your phone to snap a pic of a beautifully plated meal. But the restaurant’s low lighting makes the dish look dark and sad, and when you try again with the flash, the food just looks washed out.

You might still choose to share a subpar photo in an Instagram Story on your personal account, crafting a sheepish caption about the image’s poor quality. But a picture like this won’t meet the food photography standards you should hold yourself to if you manage a blog, restaurant Instagram or other social media accounts. 

The secret to taking good food pictures is good technique. It doesn’t require expensive equipment. If the conditions are right, your cell phone will do just fine. So start plating your most photogenic dish: it’s time to learn how to take pictures of food.  

What sets the best food pictures apart?

There’s an art to taking great food shots. Even the most colorful Michelin-starred cuisine can look drab in bad lighting.

Aesthetic food pictures feature natural lighting, a limited color palette, a complementary background and all the right angles. Viewers should be able to pick up on sharp details, appreciate the dish’s true colors and get a sense of depth from the scene. Don’t distract them with a cluttered backdrop that takes away from the dish itself. 

How to take food photos the right way: 5 pro tips

You need to memorize five cardinal rules to learn how to do food photography like a pro. It’ll become second nature with practice, but you can jot down these food photography tips on a cheat sheet until then:

1. Use natural light: Prevent dimly lit or washed-out photos by using natural light whenever possible. Yes, that means doing everything you can to get all your pics in before the sun goes down. This may require some planning, but the payoff will be worth it when you see the rich, true-to-life colors and textures you get with natural light.

2. Composition is critical: Plate your food as if you were trying to win a cooking show, and channel your inner food stylist to set the scene. Limit the number of colors in the photo, even if you opt for bright tones over neutrals. Tabletops and counters make great backdrops – just make sure they’re clean and that everything in the frame was chosen with intention. Sometimes a well-placed lemon wedge garnish or a chic marble rolling pin makes the perfect prop. The next time you’re at a thrift shop, look for cool cooking tools or theme items that would photograph well without detracting from the food. While you’re at it, pick up some extra plates, cloth napkins, and glasses. They don’t have to become your everyday dinnerware, but they could help you tell a story in a photo.

3. Try different angles: Aerial food compositions, also known as flat-lay, are hot right now. What’s chicer than an overhead photo of a table arranged with fruit, cheese, rose-gold cutlery, and coupe champagne glasses? But this isn’t the best angle for every type of dish. Flatter foods such as waffles, cookies, and tacos are better photographed at an angle to achieve a sense of depth.

4. Set your phone up for success: Phones are much easier to operate than professional DSLR cameras, but you’ll want to pay attention to a few different camera settings for food photos. First, ensure the flash is off – that burst of light will never do your food any favors. Next, use grid view. This will help you line up the objects in your composition, limit excessive negative space and ensure that the most important visual information is in the center of the shot. This is especially important for Instagram food pictures – no matter what shape you use for the original post, IG will cut it down to a square for your profile grid. Don’t zoom in, as doing so can reduce the quality of the image. If you want to get closer to the details, simply reposition the phone. And if you cook with a phone in the kitchen, the camera lens could get grimy or fogged up, so make sure it’s clean before taking pics.

5. Tell a story: Think about the way food is displayed in commercials. Plates spin, soda splashes, and forks twist around bites of mouthwatering linguini. Food in motion is dynamic and fun to look at. You can achieve a similar effect in still images by staging an action shot. Dig the edge of a knife into a pat of butter or capture chopped-up carrots falling into a steaming pot of minestrone to give the illusion of motion. 

How to take food photos the wrong way: 5 things to avoid

Flip your cheat sheet over and make a note of the five things to avoid when taking food pics:

1. Blurry pictures: People want to see the texture of your seven-grain bread. Nail the details by using a clean lens, natural light, and a steady hand (or tripod).

2. Discoloration: Even in natural light, you may find the photo’s colors are slightly off. Many phones have easy-to-use editing functions that allow you to adjust the light, contrast, and saturation. Some even have a “magic” editing feature that will try to correct the colors for you. You can also download a photo editing app for your iPhone or Android and spend some time making tweaks to get next-level quality. 

3. Unwelcome shadows: As much as we love natural light, it can cast distracting shadows on the food. If direct sunlight is beaming straight into your kitchen, wait a few minutes or move to a different room. 

4. Camera slant: There’s a difference between taking photos at a slight angle and making the food look like it’s sliding off the table. Keep your surface lines horizontal so viewers don’t feel a rush of anxiety thinking the plate in the photo is about to crash to the floor.

5. Mess: Cooking is messy, but you don’t have to worry about that when you go out to eat, and you shouldn’t have to see it in food photography. Wipe away that stray drop of salsa and brush the crumbs from the tablecloth before grabbing your camera so people can focus on your beautiful food.