How To Take Food Photos With Your Phone For Beginners
You’re sitting at a restaurant when a steaming plate of Insta-worthy penne alla vodka is placed in front of you. You have to share this with the world! But you forgot your camera at home and all you have is your phone. Fear not - whether you are just starting out in photography or you simply just forgot your camera at home, here are some tips for how you can improve your phone photography skills and get that penne alla vodka on Instagram.
Go Towards the Light
Lighting is arguably the most important aspect in photography. When I am adjusting the lighting in my photos, I think about where I want the direction of light to be coming from. Our eyes respond positively when light is coming from a diagonal direction.
Rather than relying on the usual dark yellow light most restaurants use, sit by a window. This will balance out the unflattering artificial light and will offer some great directional light.
2. Use a Reflector
Jumping off of tip #1, using a reflector such as a napkin or piece of tinfoil can be a great tool for adding highlights and shadows in your food photography. White napkins or tinfoil can be used to guide the light onto the area of the subject that you want it to hit. Whereas black napkins can be used to add dark spots in a photo.
3. Move Around the Background
Working with a phone camera can make it difficult, if not impossible, to control the aperture. Keep in mind that whatever is closest to the camera will be in focus and the farther away an object is, the more blurred it will be. If you are struggling with a background, create more space between the subject and the background and less space between the camera and the subject to create a blurred effect.
4. Clean up the Table
In a restaurant, things can get messy fast. If there is condensation from your drink on the table, a set of car keys next to your food or dirty napkins, that will all show in your photo. Clean up the table and intentionally place any drinks, linen or cutlery around your dish.
5. Utilize Condiments
As we all know, some things just look better oiled up. Including our food. To create a more dynamic food add a touch of olive oil to foods like olives, hummus, pasta and even hamburger buns. Adding a touch of shine helps to build highlights by giving the light something to bounce off of. See how light rules everything?
