The Demand for Good food Photography
If you are and individual who is providing for public consumption at a cost, or a restaurant or entertainment concern where food is the main part of your business, there is a strong need to for good food photography in order to draw people to your establishment. Most people will either hear about you through word of mouth of through an online group they follow. Today, going out for a meal is a treat for most, as the cost of living has risen. Most “private diners” as well as companies who entertain, have become very selective and critical in their decision process. Part of the final decision-making process is based on the photographs of the food on the menu while they are scrolling through the many options. To compete and stay in the game with feet through the door this is one of the most important marketing initiatives to follow.
Why I don’t need to hire a professional Photographer
As a chef, or owner of a restaurant, one’s expertise and knowledge is often dictated to by what the “internet tells you” … that certain skills are best left to the professional, just like a good chef is supposed to be a better cook. We all know this is not always true. The same applies with taking good photographs of your food for your online menu. It is very simple and definitely possible for most people to food pictures that will make one’s mouth water. I am going to explain how to make this possible with either your mobile phone or a simple DSLR basic camera. And, without saying any more about this, we all know you will save a lot of money.
Cost Effective Ways to Take Your Own Photographs of your Food Menu
Most current models of cellular devices have fairly decent cameras that are more than capable of taking impressive photographs, look at Instagram, there are many brilliant images that have been captured using a mobile phone camera. The same applies to the hobbyist photographer with a basic camera and a good eye for composition. All basic cameras have an auto setting which is convenient for those not wanting to explore and learn the manual settings of the camera. My advice is to learn how the manual settings on your camera work, as they will definitely open doors to new possibilities and prove that you too can take professional pictures. There are many short courses and workshops that can assist you in this regard.
Tips to Assist You on how to take Great Food Pictures without any Stress.
One of the most important parts of photography is about understanding your lighting, that would be flash assisted lighting, or natural lighting from outdoor sources like the sun, or a reflection from the sun bouncing or reflecting off a wall from across the way.
Food is best captured using natural light as a flash light is white light and very bright, often destroying the atmosphere and temperature mood of the food. Also known to create shine and reflection that is unwanted. What this all means is heavy editing, and I must inform you that the more you edit, the poorer the quality of your image in the end. This is one of the negatives of flashlights, without even considering the need to understand and be a pro editor with a lot of spare time on your hands.
You may wonder how you are able to make use of natural light when shooting indoors without a flash. It is very simple… Firstly set up a table of shoot area close to a window that has not direct or harsh light. Somewhere where the light is soft and diffused, it this is not possible cover the window with tracing paper to diffuse the bright sunlight or shadows that might cause issues. Tracing paper will act like a softbox, softening the bright light and “washing the light” evenly around surface area of the subject or plate of food.
Erect a tripod and compose the angle of your shot. Now so save you time and effort and for those who know little about manual camera settings, take the shot without the flash and see the result. If the image is still underexposed move the table more towards the light or window and try again until you are happy with the result.
For those with some manual experience, here is a “cheat” to getting the shot perfect.
- Set the ISO on 100
- Set the Aperture according to the DOP you require
- Adjust the shutter speed to compensate correctly using your light meter
Remember your camera is on a tripod, so you can use a very slow shutter speed.
Hope this has been helpful and all the best, remember food is very colorful and creative, and meatballs don’t talk back…