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Tips for Taking Great Restaurant Food Photos

#1. Don't Be Lazy! 

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Don't be that guy (or gal). Courtesy of Yelp!
I know, I know... you already thought of this. But look around the web or on Instagram and see how little effort some people put into taking food shots. By just putting in a few minutes of thought and a smidge of practice, your images will improve. In a restaurant, get off your butt and move around if you need to. Ask for a table close to the window if there's still daylight outside. Use natural light if possible. Or, actually go outside. Most ambient light (available light- think spotlights in the ceiling) in restaurants  is either too dark or too harsh. Window light is perfect. And, lighting is everything. Literally the word photograph means light (photo) writing (graph). Learn how to use it. Learn how to bounce, diffuse, and reflect light. When you are ready, learn how to use alternative light sources like a flash or LEDs as well. 
​​And never, never, never cast a shadow into your shot. (See Yelp image). Before you hit the shutter button stop and look! Don't be lazy!
Correct way to light a restaurant photo
Just sitting outside at this Mexican restaurant in indirect sunlight yielded great illumination. Move if you have to!
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Doing something as simple as holding a small reflector yields great light and color. Here's the set up and result.
Use window light as natural light for restaurant photography
Using diffused natural light is the best for most food photography. It doesn't have to be as complicated as this set up, but you can see the results of being close to a window for good light.
More tips for better restaurant photos
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Chip Weiner is a Tampa food blogger and an award winning freelance photographer specializing in portraiture, food photography and photojournalism . He has been a photography instructor for over 10 years and teaches Tampa photography classes throughout the year.  Have a suggestion for a food event or restaurant? Contact him here

For information on  photography classes and workshops, feel free to call me or look under the Tampa Photography Classes section of my website. Photo 101 is by far the most popular!  I also give private individual lessons on camera operation and making better photographs and would love to work with you one on one to make you a better photographer. Photography instruction gift certificates are also available. They make great gifts for the photo enthusiast in your life. Let's talk about what you need! 813-786-7780. See you in class!

© Chip Weiner 2018- All Rights Reserved. The use of any of the content or images herein without the express written consent of the copyright holder is prohibited.
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