Service, please! If you feel it’s time to up the ante on your food photography, I’m here to deliver. While it’s easy to create photo-friendly situations at home when taking pictures of your meal, you may find yourself at a loss when dining out. Don’t worry; whether you’re a food blogger taking your restaurant reviews to the next level or a fashion forward influencer trying to incorporate a little more lifestyle into your content, these tips can help you take your photo skills from a 4 to 5-star rating. Ready to learn? Let’s get cooking.
Meal Prep
Ingredients at the ready! Doing a little bit of research before you dine out will never hurt you. Part of taking a great photo while dining out has to do with your surroundings. Scope out the restaurant on Yelp or by using Instagram location tags to get your bearings and understand what sort of setting you’ll be working with. Are the tabletops marble, wood, or plastic? Will they match with your aesthetic or theme? Knowing what to expect can help you have some ideas in mind of what kinds of photos you’ll want to take as soon as your server drops off the main course. This makes your shoot efficient, so you can enjoy your meal— before it gets cold.
Light Seasoning
Here’s a pro tip: request a table near sunlight if you can. If you dine out for lunch or early dinner, you’re in for some lucky lighting. When you sit near a window during the daytime, the natural light will filter through the glass, creating perfectly good lighting for a food photo shoot. Natural light will always look more flattering than flash when it comes to food photography, so if you can avoid being at the mercy of artificial light go ahead and reserve a seat.
Organic Only
Filters are fun, but they’re not always food friendly. While it may be fun to slap on a heavy filter, it can make your meal look a little less appetizing. Choose filters that have a more natural look in order to stay true to your food’s real coloration. Bright colors and an even temperature on a photo can make a plate look just as good on Instagram as it does in person. So when it comes to filters, try going organic!
Bon appétit. If you want to learn how to style your own photos at home, click here to learn how to successful style photos of food!
