Just like any form of photography, whether it is maternity, newborn photography, wedding or commercial photography, food photography too, has its own features. Being a food photographer in Miami, I would like to share them with you.

 

1.     First and foremost, you need to take the photo shooting seriously, as if it were food from high end restaurants. Do not think that if a burger costs only $6, it is not worth being photographed in a beautiful way. Just remember they are in demand!



2.     Props. Just because it is fast food, it does not mean that it has to be served on craft paper and eaten with hands. Not at all. We can use various accessories and utensils for photographing sandwiches, fries, burgers and other fast food.
Various cloth napkins look great with different textures - linen, cotton, wicker, cutting boards, both, new and worn, wooden and marble, trays, and dishes. You can use forks and knives to show that fast food can be eaten in the style of fine dining. Silver plate, as well as tin utensils can be used. 



3.     Food items can serve as accessories along with props. A twig of sweet basil or oregano, a fresh whole tomato or an onion can add up to your photo composition.



4.     All parts of the food should look fresh and bright. Tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce should be freshly cut and bright. Bread must be fresh and not flattened. When you take pictures of sandwiches and burgers, the accessories should not block out its bottom part, it should be seen. The customer should be able to see what the dish consists of, and if there is a bottom part there. If the bun loses shape, it has to be corrected in Photoshop. Do not leave it wrinkled; it does not look very appealing. This can be seen in the photo:



5.     Light. It is better to use natural daylight. If you shoot in a studio or a restaurant, then it is better to adjust the artificial light as close as possible to natural daylight. When shooting food, light color temperature should be as close as possible to the color temperature of daylight.



6.     It is better to use 2 cameras. One for the top and the second one for side views. Also, the tripod must be very stable and have a horizontal bar. Lenses can be different, but do not use wide angle, to avoid distortion.
For high angle photos, the aperture should not be very open. Maximum image should be in focus. The optimal value is f/8-14.
When you shoot at an angle, you can lower the aperture, letting more light into the camera. In this case, a part of the image will be fuzzy, blur. And the area that you want to highlight will be in focus.



7.     It is important to remember that photography is first and foremost an art that serves the food industry. Each photo should look like art, which will be used by the client to advertise its product in the menu on a poster. But also, unless the client asked otherwise, you can use your work in various competitions and exhibitions.



These tips are suitable not only for fast food photography, but for food photography in general. I'm always happy to share my little secrets and ideas. If you have any thoughts or questions, I would be very happy to discuss them with you.

And if you are looking for a photographer in Miami and the surrounding areas, you can make a booking by contacting me: 
olga@sflphoto.com