How to Take Great Pictures of Food

Food is great way to experience a culture, so it makes sense every travel blogger has more than a few pictures of food. What goes into getting that perfect photo? What placement is most aesthetically pleasing? These tips will help turn average food photos into jealousy-inducing pictures.

Lighting is key for any picture and the best lighting is natural lighting. When choosing a place to sit in a restaurant, choose a seat outside if the weather is nice. If you’re indoors, make sure it is a well-lit area. For nighttime shots, getting your food under a light will give it a nice spotlight effect. This is a sure way to capture a great photo.

Placement is also important. For anyone that ever watched an episode of Chopped, you’ll know placement of food is a make or break in appearance. The best advice is to keep all of your food close together to let the colors contrast with a neutral colored plate. Or arrange your food into a shape, like a circle or triangle. Shapes are a good way to catch someone’s eye as they’re scrolling through pages and pages of food.

Lastly, try matching your clothes to the food you’re eating. Aesthetically pleasing photos are sure to be a favorite. If you already edit your photos using a certain preset, try and match. A green shirt, a Buddha bowl filled with green veggies, while you’re sitting on green grass — gold!

Getting quality photos takes time and practice; be prepared to take dozens of pictures before getting that perfect shot. Incorporating any or all of these techniques into how you shoot photos will take an amateur photo and make it something worth looking at.