Besides selfies and travel photos, food photos are some of the most frequently shared on social media – with over 260 million posts and counting, tagged #food on Instagram. Love to share your food photos on social media too? Read on as we teach you 5 ways to make your food photography look so tempting, you’ll have your viewers drooling. 

You can’t scroll past your Instagram feed these days without seeing one mouth-watering food shot after another. If your food photography is beginning to look like stale or like everybody else’s, learn how to add a little oomph with these 5 tips and get everyone double-tapping your food shots.

1. Shoot In Natural Light

EOS M5, EF-M 22mm f/2 STM lens, f/4, 22mm, 1/125sec, ISO100

Natural light is the way to go for beautiful shots that let your dish’s colours and details truly shine. If you can’t go outdoors, shoot near a window and preferably one with indirect sunlight. If the light is too harsh, diffuse with a sheer white curtain or cloth. Keep in mind the direction of the light and what it emphasises in your shots, where the light hits and where it could cast shadows. Avoid using flash as it overexposes your food, distorts its original colour and ruins the quality.

2. Go High

EOS M5, EF-M 22mm f/2 STM lens, f/2, 22mm, 1/15sec, ISO200

Composition is crucial in creating visually striking food photos. The flat lay, a technique of taking overhead shots of your subject, works well as it emphasises the food’s colours and shapes. Decide on which elements you want to focus on, and then frame accordingly. Before shooting, hold your camera directly above your food to capture all the details. Include human elements such as a hand reaching out for the dish to add life and context to your shot.

Get more tips and tricks of shooting with the flat lay method via How To Master The Art Of The Flat Lay.

3. Use Leading Lines

EOS M5, EF-M 22mm f/2 STM lens, f/2, 22mm, 1/15sec, ISO200

As our eyes are naturally drawn to lines, using leading lines helps to create a flow that brings your viewer’s eyes to the subject. Whether they’re ingredients such as celery sticks, cooking equipment like whisks or spatulas, or even a trail of crumbs from a cookie, leading lines help them focus attention on the food. In this photo, the latte in the foreground immediately catches the viewer’s eyes and then draws them to the background. Creating this diagonal line, which stands out from horizontal and vertical edges of the frame, adds another dimension to the shot.

Understand this composition technique better when you read How to Use Lines or Patterns in Photography.

4. Explore Various Angles

Clockwise from left:

EOS M5, EF-M 22mm f/2 STM lens, f/2.8, 22mm, 1/160sec, ISO100
EOS M5, EF-M 22mm f/2 STM lens, f/2.8, 22mm, 1/320sec, ISO100
EOS M5, EF-M 22mm f/2 STM lens, f/2.8, 22mm, 1/400sec, ISO100

Shooting from different angles helps to highlight the details of your food and keep your viewer engaged. Take an overhead shot of your food, or go low to meet your plate at a 30- to 45-degree angle from the table. To capture a three-dimensional view, shoot your subject from a diagonal angle to show both the side and top views. Experiment shooting from different perspectives until you get the shot where the food looks the most appealing.

5. Fill Your Frame

EOS M5, EF-M 22mm f/2 STM lens, f/2.8, 22mm, 1/60sec, ISO640

Don’t be afraid to showcase your food and all of its delectable details. Get up close to your subject, so that the photo is brimming with food. This works especially when you want to draw your viewer’s attention to a certain element of your dish, its fresh ingredients like the photo above, or even the way it is plated.

Curious to learn more? Discover How To Take Better Instagram Photos With A Mirrorless Camera.

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