To create a simple food photography lighting setup, you can use natural light coming in through a window. However, in order to diffuse the light and make it more even, you can use a simple white sheet or any other similar object to disperse and diffuse the light.
Adjusting your white balance is crucial for making sure that the colors in your photos are as accurate as possible. You can adjust this in-camera or in post. Adjusting the white balance is also great if you’re going for minimalist food photography as you can create brighter whites that are often associated with a minimalist vibe.
If you’re going for ultra-clean and non-rustic shots, make sure that the plate your food is sitting in is sparkling clean. A single spot on a white plate can take away from a perfectly good photograph.
You don’t have to spend a lot of money on props if you’re just starting out. Instead, a good idea is to use the ingredients in the food as props. This can make your photo look like an actual scene where the food has been prepared just a few minutes ago.
While you can get very creative to do some fine art food photography, for commercial food photography, you should try to use natural styling so that viewers can feel like the food is approachable and real. Using warm tones and natural light are great ways to achieve this effect.
If you want to create some amazing food photography, you should consider including a human element in the scene. Maybe have a person holding a cup of coffee or holding a spoon about to dig into a bowl. Such decisions will make your scenes more relatable and realistic.
For green items that need to stay looking fresh in your photos, it’s a good idea to keep them wrapped in a wet napkin and take them out right before you have to take the photo.
For food items that are brightly colored or have rich tones, use backgrounds that are neutral and have darker tones. This will help the dish pop out and become the hero of the frame.
Leading lines aren’t great only for architecture or street photos. They can also make a huge difference to your food photography composition. These lines can be anything from actual lines in the background to objects like spoons that direct the viewer’s eye towards the food.
Color is one of the most important elements of creative food photography. Again, the idea with food product photography is to make the viewers want the food. And without color, edibles usually don’t look as inviting.