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March 25, 2015 By EricaAcevedo 9 Comments

Food Photography Tips, Tricks and Styling

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Food Photography Tips, Tricks and Styling

Food Photography Tips, Tricks and Styling

 

Let it be known to the world that I am no professional photographer. I consider myself a beginner (maybe just like you!) with experience, who does tons of research to constantly improve.

My blog, The Crumby Cupcake, is not even a year old yet, and aside from a point-and-shoot camera, I had never used any photography equipment, nor have I taken any classes.

I’ve always loved photography, and I decided about three years ago that I wanted to pick it up as a hobby. When my husband asked what I wanted for Christmas, I told him a nice camera to play around with.

He bought me a Nikon DSLR starter kit. “Get clicking,” he said. No pressure.

I didn’t touch the thing for a year after that Christmas Day. The power to create beautiful images was right there in my home, but I was too intimidated by the bells and whistles to try to wield it. Aperture and ISO…what?

There are plenty of blogs out there with dozens of food photography tips and tricks, and this will likely sound very similar if you’ve come upon any of them. Mainly because, well, that’s where I learned everything I know! But, if you’d like to capture your food like I do, then these are the fundamentals I started with that got me where I am today.

Start With Good Equipment.

My amazingly supportive hubby has purchased every piece of my equipment for me, using my heavily researched Amazon wishlist, of course. The “beginner series” Nikon D5100 is my baby, and my go-to lens is the Nikon 50mm f/1.8G AF-S Prime Lens; it’s easy to use if you know the bare minimum about how to shoot manual, and requires you to move around to get the shot you want, as it has no auto-focus. But you’re moving around your food anyway!

Food Photography Tips, Tricks and Styling

My secondary lenses are my multipurpose Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX Lens and my brand new Nikon AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED macro lens, which is huge and intimidating and I’m still learning how to use it, but will be wonderful for the random extreme close up. Finally, I have a Slik tripod, which I really only use for pour shots or human element shots (piping icing on cupcakes, lifting a fork to the lens, etc.), as I like to be free to move around my setup.

The prices can be daunting if you’re looking in to a DSLR versus a point-and-shoot, but buying used or refurbished lenses is just fine when you’re starting out! You don’t have to have the top of the line gear while you’re learning, especially if you only plan on pursuing food or still life photography.

Natural Lighting is Best.

Food Photography Tips, Tricks and Styling

This is a general rule for most photography, but with a special emphasis on food. Using flash with food, or shooting under kitchen lights, casts unnatural haze and color, and chases away desirable shadows and adds ugly highlights. You can at least somewhat control natural light by using diffusers (such as a curtain or collapsible diffuser), or simply by moving your setup further away from your light source. Plus, you can’t beat the cost of natural light!

I usually take my photos in my living room in front of my three large, south-facing, sheer curtain-covered windows (built in diffusers!), but there have been occasions where I’ve taken my food outdoors on to my patio, or in to my west guest bedroom if I’m chasing the sun.

Foam Board is Your Friend.

Honestly. you could have the smallest area possible to photograph in, but as long as you have some sun and a reflector to bounce the light on to the backside of your subject, you’re all set! You could buy professional reflectors, but in my opinion, your best bet even after crossing over the beginner hump is a cheap and easily replaceable standard craft store foam board. I know of plenty of professional food bloggers who use them religiously!

Food Photography Tips, Tricks and Styling

On the flip side, if you want to bring out more shadows, you can use black foam board instead, or angled against a white board, which produces very nice effects.

Be Adventurous With Angles.

Don’t be afraid to move around your work space. I generally will shoot 2-3 different sides of any recipe: from the side, front, and top, and any number of angles, until I’m satisfied with my shots. Move the plate, turn it, enhance the atmosphere of the photo with things you might also find on someone’s dinner table. I try to be creative (I go to Pinterest for inspiration if I’m stuck!), and the best way I’ve been able to describe it is to show the food in a different way than most people would see it. It doesn’t always work out the way I want it to, but that’s the beauty in learning from your mistakes.

Food Photography Tips, Tricks and Styling

Be sure to stop by Sixth Bloom in the coming weeks to read Part II of Food Photography Fundamentals for Beginners, where I’ll cover a little bit of my food styling, favorite camera settings, and the often necessary pain of working with artificial light!

 

*Affiliate links are included in this post, thank you for supporting Sixth Bloom

Filed Under: Learn Your Camera

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Comments

  1. Stephanie of The TipToe Fairy says

    April 14, 2015 at 10:35 pm

    I have a Nikon as well. I had no idea you could get refurbished lenses. I’m definitely checking that out!

    Reply
  2. Logan Cantrell says

    April 15, 2015 at 2:15 am

    I love these tips! I’m saving money for a new lens, but I REALLY need to buy a white foam board. It’s been on my list for a couple of months and I keep forgetting to grab one.

    Reply
  3. Stacey Joy Stegg says

    April 15, 2015 at 2:34 am

    Great tips! Foam board and foil are in my future!! I trying these for sure. Thanks for sharing..

    Reply
  4. Kita Bryant says

    April 15, 2015 at 4:07 am

    I have the board, the box, I even have a stool….my problem is finding the light in my house. It sucks most of the time I have to go outside *sigh* I am trying to get my food photography looking good. I have the picture down I just can’t decorate the food right

    Reply
  5. Brittany McKenzie Arcand says

    April 15, 2015 at 10:26 am

    Great tips!

    Reply
  6. Heather says

    April 15, 2015 at 12:27 pm

    Fabulous tips! Food photography (and blog photography in general) is something that I have been working on so much this year. It’s still a work in progress but I can already tell a difference since I started working on my composition and using a better camera

    Reply
  7. Madaline Huntsinger Federico says

    April 15, 2015 at 12:30 pm

    I absolutely have to track down foam board here in Italy! My problem is, I feel like I’m a good photographer when it comes to landscapes, but I get really freaked out by food. I think because it’s so small (compared to a landscape!) and the fact that for me taste is SO important.

    Reply
  8. Krayl Funch says

    April 15, 2015 at 12:45 pm

    You’ve got a great guy there! Well done. Thanks for the tips! I just bought a daylight bulb and soft box very reasonably for those grey days or when I’m losing my natural light….. We will see how it goes.

    Reply
  9. Leigh Hines Sight says

    April 15, 2015 at 10:14 pm

    Great tips. I always knew that natural lighting was good, but didn’t know anything about the boards.

    Reply

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I'm Erin owner and chief editor of Sixth Bloom! A wife and mom living the small town life in Mississippi just outside of New Orleans Louisiana. A retired piano teacher of 19 years, currently a professional photographer and blogger. I love Jesus, my family, coffee, french fries and traveling!

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