top 15 tips for

food
photography
cheatsheet

TWOLOVESSTUDIO.COM
*THE* TOP 15 FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS
THAT'LL HAVE YOU SNAPPING AWESOME PICS

TIPS TO JUMP-START YOUR JOURNEY.

We’re all at different stages of our food photography journey and we’ve all had
amazing advice from people who’ve walked the walk before us. What I love the
most about the food photography community, is how generous the creatives are
with their support for one another’s journey.

Out of this epic list of 99 tips, here are the most powerful and actionable for those
of us with limited time. Quick wins - I here that!

Tips!

1 - EXPERIMENT WITH HEIGHT

Experiment with height and creating different levels. Use a cutting board to raise
up some of your scene. Place something on a cake stand or use glasses in
different heights.

2 - USE NEGATIVE SPACE

Give the viewer some room to breathe, i.e. don’t zoom in all the way, let there be
some negative space in the picture.It’s soothing on the eyes and mind.

3 - THINK ANGLE BEFORE STYLING

Use a dummy and decide on an angle BEFORE you start styling. Too many times I
have started setting up the food and styled it – just to find out that the angle is not
right – have to change it – and then do all the styling one more time

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4 - THINK LAYERS
I aim to try to have about 3 layers of texture in my photo – napkins, cutlery, herbs,
spices or ingredients. Things that are in the dish look great when layered into the
photo.

5 - USE STAND IN FOOD

Set up on a stand in, get the lighting and composition sorted mark the plate with
blocks, throw the stand in food away, replate with the hero food. Voila, freshest
food – shot fast.

6 - INVEST IN GOOD PRIME LENSES

You'll notice a huge improvement in your photos when I started using a good
prime macro lens. The longer focal length compresses the background and
creates a really beautiful look.

7 - LOOK AT YOUR SHADOWS

Look at your shadows. Shadows tell you what the light is doing.

8 - SIDE/BACK LIGHT. ADDS DEPTH

Light, looks best when you have it coming in from the side or even from the back.
Light used this way adds interest and shadow giving the food more depth.

9 - INVEST IN GOOD PRIME LENSES

Start with one main light. Food photography is a natural subject. There’s only one
sun in nature, so one main light just makes sense. This light sets the atmosphere
for your shot.

10 - MAKE TRANSPORTABLE BACKGROUNDS

You can print background graphics out onto vinyl, so rather than lugging around
massive pieces of board, you can neatly roll a light, durable, transportable
background graphic with exactly the right colour tone and texture that you’re
after.

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11 - OIL + ICE ARE YOUR BEST FRIENDS
Oil will add the shine to food that may have been out of the oven too long and
doesn’t look as fresh, and icy water will keep your herb garnishes fresh

12 - GO FOR SMALL PROPS

When prop shopping steer towards smaller props ( ie. smaller dinner plates,
bowls ) because you can fit more items in the frame and they don’t compete with
the food. This one would have saved me heaps of time and money!

13 - LESS IS MORE
Coco Chanel’s words – get dressed, and then before you leave the house – take
off one thing…in other words, less is more. Lots of beautiful props can make us
guilty of wanting to ‘overdress’ the shot.

14 - INVEST IN GOOD PRIME LENSES

If you’re just starting your prop collection, try to buy neutral colour palette that
you can use over and over without the pieces becoming to memorable. Then
invest in signature props that will make the dish pop. Handmade ceramics work
wonders for adding details to your shot.

15 - SPRAY CUTLERY WITH ANTI-GLARE

Spray your cutlery with anti-glare spray for instant matte.

Bonus Tip!

Just START SOMEWHERE. There'll never be a perfect time, an art is like fashion -
it's never finished. Your journey will also involve learning and failing.

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