Last week we started the discussion of food photography. It’s such a part of any culture, that it becomes a key component of any travel story we’re telling. AND right now is absolutely the perfect time to practice, as we’re all spending a whole lot of time at home. Grab that red pepper, apple, or bowl of pasta and let’s get your camera fired up!

Now let’s talk about the next 4 tips when making food photos:

#5 Think About Your Perspective

Last week we talked about the “hero” of the shot. Which refers to the subject, or the star. That can be a single item, an entire plate, or even the entire table with hands reaching in. So when you’re thinking about that hero, think about what is it’s best features…

Color, texture, lines, height? And then think about the best perspective to capture that. It might be from above looking down, especially if you’re trying to capture the entire plate or table. It might be from right in front of the hero. And this is another thing that will take some trial and error.

Move around, try different perspectives. The more you practice this at home, and look at your results? The more natural it will become when you ARE in that little French cafe, and therefore the quicker it will happen. I mean who really wants to take 50 shots of their breakfast in that tiny cafe while the French (or any of the restaurant patrons for that matter) are judging them? Nobody.

Here is one perspective that really highlights the watermelon colors and texture…

And here is a top down perspective of the same scene that’s good for capturing the entire plate, meal, or even table if you can get in the right position.

#6 Don’t be afraid to rearrange the scene a bit

Now I get it, if you’re in a little cafe somewhere in Croatia, you don’t want to move the table to get better lighting. Or you might want to but should be too embarrassed to do so. What you CAN do is aim for the best lit available table, and then move the food around on the plate or the table to get the best light on our hero.

And you can move yourself around a little bit to get the best perspective and light, and to minimize distractions. We can also take the bags, coats, and other distractions off the table, and out of the frame.

Think again about that hero, which is where you want the viewer’s eye to land first. If the hero is a croissant, but you still want the coffee, baguette, and orange juice to play supporting roles...they can be positioned behind or around in a way that supports but doesn’t steal attention from the hero.

This is one more thing that might sound confusing. Or you’re saying “how the heck would I know how to do that!” Practice. That’s how you know. Arranging a few (or a 100) weird scenes first, and then, you start to get it. And then you start to see how depth of field, arranging the scene, and light work together.

Go to that fridge again and grab some items. Or your pantry. Think about arranging a scene, not just making photos of one thing. Pick your “hero” and place it in the front, with other items in the back, around the side. Try lots of different arrangements and see what you end up with. You’ll probably want to use a shallow-ish depth of field, like f/4 for this one.

This photo was made in a little tapas cafe in Barcelona. I turned the plate so that my hero was facing me better, and the lemon had more of a supporting role in the back. I also moved napkins and glasses out of the way to get a cleaner shot. Total t… — This photo was made in a little tapas cafe in Barcelona. I turned the plate so that my hero was facing me better, and the lemon had more of a supporting role in the back. I also moved napkins and glasses out of the way to get a cleaner shot. Total time spent to get this shot? Probably about 20 seconds.

#7 Layers can make your photo more interesting

As you think about rearranging, think about layers in the foreground - in front of the hero, and background - behind the hero. Having the hero as your star, with ONLY the hero in your photo, is one option certainly. But if you’re trying to go for the whole table as a scene, using layering can help with that ‘leading the eye’ thing we talk about so much.

Having something in the foreground, and then your hero, and something else in the background, creates a convenient little path for your eye to travel right down. These “somethings” can be linens, utensils, plates, hands, other food items besides the hero, centerpieces, flowers...let your imagination run wild.

Just keep in mind - we don’t want distractions, so be intentional. Don’t just start throwing a bunch of stuff on the table and calling it layers.

I wanted this image to be all about French cheese. Oh, how I love thee. So I could have shot a top-down to get all of the cheese together on one plane. But instead, I chose to layer front to back, with some being more prominent like my favorite, Roq… — I wanted this image to be all about French cheese. Oh, how I love thee. So I could have shot a top-down to get all of the cheese together on one plane. But instead, I chose to layer front to back, with some being more prominent like my favorite, Roquefort, which is the hero in the front left corner. And then the rest of the cheese creates depth, color, interest, context…

#8 Using Leading Lines

Leading lines is something else that you find a lot of on tables...if you’re paying attention. These can bring the viewer’s eye right to the hero. They can be linens, plates, forks, spoons, knives. And a quick move of a fork beside the plate is sometimes all it takes to improve your composition.

Can you guess what I’m going to say now? I bet you can. Go get that plate of food you made for dinner, grab a napkin, or fork, or glass of wine, or even better ALL of it! Now get your camera and set up a composition with your items and start creating photos.

I personally think food photography is really fun! (as I’m sure you can tell after these posts) You have a captive audience that doesn’t move. The color, textures, shapes can all make for some interesting subjects. I really could spend hours (and have) with a few pieces of produce, some props (linen napkins, forks, plates) and good window light.

Not only does getting out some produce and your camera help you prepare for travel food photos, but it also helps in understanding light, depth of field, and composition. It’s like a microcosm of all the photo scenarios that you will want to capture when you go on your next trip.

By adding a fork, lime, cilantro…it adds a leading line, and some more contrasting color and texture to an already lovely plate of grilled shrimp.

So if I haven’t mentioned it yet (yeah I know I have, this is for dramatic effect) GET OUT YOUR CAMERAS and make some food photos!

As I look back at my travel photos, I truly wish I had taken MORE of the food! I have such great memories of different meals, different food related experiences but not a whole lotta photos. Seriously, where are my gorgeous flakey croissant photos? The baguettes??

I think I’ve been a little self-conscious about being one of “those people”...I mean we kind of mock them sometimes, I’ll admit it. Rather than savoring the aroma, the appearance, and taste when food arrives, the whole table whips out their phones and starts snapping...and posting what they are about to eat.

But from now on, I’m going to capture the food since it’s part of my travel story. And I hope you do too.

And don’t forget to share them in our private Facebook Group!