Negative Studios is a professional photography studio based in Porvorim, Goa. They have been capturing beautiful shots of all sorts – be it food photography, abstract photography, wedding photography, etc.
Here is what they have to tell us about clicking better food photos (Let’s a learn a bit of photography? ;))
When Steve Simon said, “Everything has been done before. Do it better!” little did he realise how aptly his slight phrase fit in with the widespread phenomena of smartphone food photography. An entire industry has mushroomed up around the phrase “eat with your eyes first” (read: Instagram). Everyone and their mothers have an Instagram account these days, and you can be assured food will put in appearance on their feed at some point. So in a market as saturated as this, how do you pile up the likes on YOUR food pictures? It’s easy.
Let there be light!
Remember, natural light is to food photography what Robert Downey Junior is to the Iron Man series-a game changer. At restaurants, always ask for tables near the window or outdoors. At home, you’d be best off clicking your pictures in the airiest room with the most light. And for the love of food, do NOT use flash. A handy tip to shoot pictures in poorly lit places is to turn on the phone torch. While the naked light of a torch can be harsh by itself, it can be toned down with the use of a white napkin.
Up Up Up
Stand up! There’s nothing like an aerial view shot of full plates of food. The stand up shot also lets you incorporate more elements into the frame, so haul yourself up onto that chair! Sure you’ll draw a few weird looks your way but if that’s the price of a perfect picture, we think it’s worth it!
Zoom? Let’s just not
Street photographers have a saying that goes “zoom with your feet.” This is just as applicable to food photography. Use your feet, arms, anything that takes you physically closer to the food. Avoid digital zooms as these tend to lower the resolution of the image.
Take a moment and compose yourself (and the picture too)
Negative Studios says that whipping out your phone and snapping a picture without consideration does not make a good photographer. One great rule by which to compose pictures is the Rule of Thirds. Think of your picture as being divided into a 3×3 block grid by splitting it with two horizontal and two vertical lines. Your subject will need to be placed along the lines and their intersections.
Clean up, will ya?
Nobody likes looking at grubby stains around the rim of the plate. Worst of all, it’ll detract attention from the food. Make sure the plate (and surrounding areas) are clean before you proceed to click.
Now if it’s professional photography you’re looking for, we suggest you head straight to Negative Studios and they will have you covered.