How to Take Digital Photographs of Food Like a Pro for Your Blog or Website

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By huggingthecoast
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Helpful Tips to Inspire Your Photos

Good photographs can really make a difference when attracting readers to your site, especially if you write about food, recipes, exciting ingredients, the joys of cooking, or share restaurant reviews on your website or blog.

Here's how to overcome the many challenges there are when photographing food, as well as find fresh inspiration for your foodie photos for years to come.

Some of these tips can also be used when using your digital camera for photographing non-food items as well.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

digital camera
various light sources
an open mind :)

Step 1

Think Out of the Box With Props

Choosing a Digital Camera (please skip to #2 if you already have one):

You’ll need a digital camera with good optical zoom (the higher the number the better it usually is, ie. 10X is better than 6X) and it should offer a macro feature. The macro feature will allow you to take extreme closeups of the food you are photographing…perfect for showing the precise swirls on the cakes you decorate, the intricate druplet pattern on a perfect raspberry, etc.

Like optical zoom, in general, the higher the number of megapixels the camera can process, the better the details in the photographs will be (and the better they will look if they end up being printed out at larger sizes).

Also, before buying a digital camera, don’t forget to spend a little time reading customer reviews on various cameras on Epinions.Com or Amazon. YouTube also has some great video reviews where you can see what various cameras come with right out of the box, as well as a visual demonstrations of their features and flaws. To find these video product reviews, just type the model # of the camera you're interested in into the YouTube search box.
Step 2

Fried Whiting and Hushpuppies

Avoiding "the Blurs":

The number one cause of blurry photographs is the inadvertent movement of your hands or body while you are taking your pictures.

The easiest way to fix that problem is to get a tripod. Tabletop tripods are short and extremely portable, and are great for photographing items on counter-tops and tables. However, in many cases, a full size tripod will do all that and more, as well as to help you take good photos in places with uneven flooring or rocky terrain by quickly adjusting the length of the individual feet of the tripod as needed.

If for some reason you don’t have a tripod (or DIY image stabilizer as I mention in the Tips Section below) with you and you need to take a photo, try keeping your hands as steady as possible while holding your breath to minimize camera shake and blur. Standing with your legs spread out somewhat wider than usual will help stabilize your movements as well.
Step 3

Curly Ramen Onion Rings Lighting and Props Example

Good Lighting Makes a Big Difference:

Light stands are the perfect way to provide good, even light in the photographs you take. However, they can be expensive, so here are a few less pricey alternatives:

You can use 2-3 clamp lamps (often available for less than $10 each in office stores, auto part stores, and general retailers…or even less if you buy them secondhand at thrift stores, flea markets, or garage sales) and position them as needed.

For shots taken in our kitchen (like the sample photos you see throughout this eHow article) we used the light from a set of tracklights we installed in the kitchen for the purpose.

Additionally, if you have fluorescent lights in the room where you are photographing regularly, you might want to shut them off before taking pictures and rely entirely on the light from the incandescent bulbs in your photography lights as fluorescent light can often distort the colors and tones in your photos.
Step 4

Photo Example Showing How Visual Contrast Can Add Drama to Your Photos

Setting the Stage: Plates, Trays, Bowls, and Baskets:

When you first begin taking food photographs, you’ll probably start out by working with the plates and tableware you already use in your everyday life. But eventually, you may get bored and want to expand your choice of culinary settings and backdrops to better compliment your food compositions.

If so, a visit to a local thrift shop or garage sale can be a great way to inexpensively purchase a variety of single plates, bowls, baskets, pitchers, and trays to liven things up in your photos. The national U.S. chain Tuesday Morning (and other closeout retailers like T.J. Maxx) are also a good source to try. On occasion, I've even found good plates and placemats for photographing food at dollar stores.
Step 5

Sun and Moon Sweet Onion Salad Basic Overhead Shot Example

Think About What Story You Want Your Pictures to Tell:

Every photo tells a story, so before you take a photo of a memorable meal or visually striking food combination you’ll want to decide what your "story" for each photo will be.

Is the story the vivid colors of the food you are photographing? The mouthwatering way the cheese captures the light as it melts on top of a sinfully, juicy burger? The shape of the meal itself and its visual relationship to the plate on which it is staged? The country in which the dish’s flavors are commonly found (ie. Italy, Hungary, or Greece)? The texture of rough, peasant bread, topped with a constellation of golden sesame seeds?

Use the story ideas you come up with as visual cues to help you come up with exciting ideas for props and plating concepts to use in your photographs.

Do you want to display the peasant bread on a standard plate, or would it look better staged on a rough hewn butcher block or cutting board, or nestled in a basket? Would you prefer to photograph that sushi in closeup on a shining stainless steel cookie sheet, a traditional Japanese plate, or artfully positioned on a clean river stone? What about photographing that macaroni and cheese right in the pot, or that pizza while it’s still on its wooden peel? Should you photograph those fruits singly, in pairs, or by the dozen piled up in a bowl? Your answers to questions like these are how you make memorable photographs.
Step 6

Montage of Closeup Shots Emphasizing Detail

Finally, don’t be afraid to try new things and play around with ideas. Once you get comfortable taking your own photographs, it’s surprisingly fun and satisfying.