Tips for taking better food photos

Tips for Taking Better Food Photos
Whether at home, in a restaurant, or in your studio, these tips will help!

Most of the food photography I do is "run and gun". Just like you, I go into restaurants, order a dish, and shoot in whatever conditions the place allows. Even when I shoot food for print, sometimes with the full cooperation of the kitchen, I can be limited by being in a crowded restaurant with bad light and an anxious chef. There's no controlling the environment or minimizing the chaos. So I've tried to perfect the run and gun method over the years and am sharing my tips and techniques here.
Every day hundreds of thousands of food images are uploaded to the web. Many of them are not so good. With the popularity of Instagram, Yelp, and others, lot's of folks like you are trying their hand at food photography. Cool! Make em' good! It doesn’t take thousands of dollars worth of equipment or tons of studio lights to take great food photos. Mostly it takes time, patience, and a little know-how. Here are some simple tips to help you start getting great food shots.

#1. Don't Be Lazy!

7/26/2018

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Here's what not to do as a food photographer

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 dramatically. 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 image (See Yelp image). Before you hit the shutter button stop and look! Don't be lazy!

Just sitting outside in indirect sunlight yields great illumination

Doing something as simple as holding a small reflector yields great light and color. Here's the set up and result.

Improve your photography for your Tampa food blog

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.

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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!

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