Taking pictures of food doesn't always have to involve hiring professional photographers or purchasing expensive cameras and lenses. With a little insight, professional-looking photos can be shot by beginners on something as simple as a smartphone camera. Learn more below to get started taking photos that look just as good as the pros.

Tips For Taking Great Food Pictures

Edit Your Photos Like The Professionals

Paid editing software can help you edit your photos like the professionals, such as Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop. This includes sharpening your image, adjusting the white balance, in addition to increasing contrast, brightness, and saturation. However, there are thousands of free editing software that can assist you in transforming your images.

Find The Best Lighting

Lighting changes constantly as the day goes on. Don't feel stuck and confined to one area, move around to find the best lighting possible for your picture. Perhaps the best lighting is in your living room, bedroom or anywhere else that has a good natural light source.

Focus On What Is Important

When it comes to menus, not all products need a picture, sometimes its better for restaurants to only include images on their more popular items. And when taking photos of different food, don't take the photos too close or too far away in which the customer can't figure out what it is.

Minimize Clutter Within The Photo

When taking product photos, its important to minimize clutter as much as possible within and around the shot. This is because different utensils, napkins or even something as simple as a busy background can take the customer's attention away from what you want them to see.

Prepare Your Food To Be Photo-Ready

Arrange the food your taking photos of in a ways that show it off. Choose surfaces that compliment the food as well as different cutlery. Plate the food in the middle of the shot and leave room on the edges that allow the food to breath within the photo.

Take Photos From Multiple Angles

Angles can play a huge role in the overall outcome of the photos taken. Some plates of food look better at different angles, such as taking a photo from above for products like pizza and from the side with products like burgers and sandwiches. Taking multiple photos from different angles can also help you decide which angle looks best for that product.

Use Natural Light Sources

Poor lighting can instantly ruin a photo and may end up turning away customers as well. Using natural light sources is one of the best ways to avoid a bad photograph. Try to stay away from overhead lights, lamps and especially the cameras built-in flash.

"It's best to photograph your dishes in diffused natural light. It simply is the most flattering, appealing, and cheapest light for food photography" (Abeler, 2020).

Troubleshooting Food Photography Problems

Photos Look Blurry

Blurry photos can be caused by a number of different reasons. The biggest of these reasons and probably the easiest to fix is normal camera shake. Try holding the camera steadier when taking the photo, or even using a tripod which can help stabilize the camera when capturing the picture. You may also try taking the picture with a faster shutter speed and/or raising your ISO to decrease the amount of light needed, although the quality of the image may be reduced using this method.

The Colors Aren't True To Life

When using a software program to edit photos, the food may appear in different colors such as blue or yellow, use the software's white balance to fix this issue. It is also important to recognize that if you take photos in the RAW format, you may have an easier time adjusting color balance later on.

The Photos Don't Seem To "Pop" Like Professional Food Photos

It's important to recognize that experienced photographers use different lenses which allows them to narrow their field of depth as well as highlight the actual subject. Then editing software is used to tweak the image which gives it that professional "pop".

Food Photography Statistics

Visual Marketing And Culture

On average, people tend to only remember about 10% of the information they read or hear. According to Why Food Photography Is Important for Your Restaurant Website and Menu, "If you pair that information with a relevant image, the percentage skyrockets to 65%" (Voicu, 2020). On top of this, visual marketing is on an incline, meaning, "if you add pictures to your content, you stand to get 94% more views than without" (Voicu, 2020).

Increase Sales

According to Deliveroo, "you can expect a 6.5% increase in orders for dishes that include photos" (Paul, 2020). Laura-Andreea Voicu also included that, "restaurants that went from text-based menus to photo-based menus in online ordering increased their conversion rates by 25%" (Voice, 2020).

Source: Deliveroo

Extra Resources

Great Ways to Light Your Food After Dark

How to Take Perfect Picture of Your Food

How to Take Good Food Photos With Your Phone

8 Tips for Food Photography Newbies

Need help uploading you're photos onto you're EatOnTheWeb menu, learn how here. And if you have any questions or just need a little help, contact us today at 801-336-3303, we'll be happy to assist!