Here’s how you can master new techniques for food photography.

Let’s begin with the basics of photography: Lighting, Perspective, Focus, & Scene.

First things first, make sure your lights are all the same. Don’t mix a blend of LCD, tungsten, incandescent, & fluorescent above & surround lighting together. The human brain can automatically adjust, but the camera will do weird things with your pictures and make any white balance color corrections very difficult or impossible to perform. ALSO – avoid harsh direct light with strong shadows – use a light box if possible to provide all-around lighting from left, right, top all at the same color temperature (Ideally you will want to use all the same light bulbs, purchased at the same time from the same manufacturer so the factory materials used are identical – I prefer to use natural daylight bulbs, but use whatever you have in place, or decide). IF you have a kitchen with multiple lighting types, and provided that there are still enough on so that you get a well lit image, turn OFF the ones that are different and keep the other ones on. NOTE – You CAN use a phone app, but the rules of lighting still apply, or you’ll be wasting time forever using advanced filters attempting to do white balance and color correction.

This is a lightbox that I built a few years ago. Very easy build. Small photos though (Sorry, can’t find the originals ATM).

 

2. Composition Counts

Composition is the arrangement of elements within your frame. A well-composed photograph directs the viewer’s eye and emphasizes the subject. Keep the rest of the photo (anything not the subject) simple and uncluttered. A plain white background works great.

Rule of Thirds

Divide your frame into nine equal parts using two horizontal and two vertical lines. Place your subject along these lines or at their intersections to create a balanced composition. Play around with this but don’t go crazy – it’s up to the eye to decide what truly looks best. BUT – in marketing, the rule is simple: It isn’t what YOU want or like most, it’s what the majority of your target audience likes best. Get 30 people to take a look at your variations and have them decide, and go with what they like best (even if you don’t like it – you’re just one vote.) The bigger the sample you can get of people’s opinions, the better!

Leading Lines

Use lines in your environment, such as roads, rivers, or architectural elements, to guide the viewer’s eye towards the main subject. For food plates, this doesn’t apply quite the same way – but if you have your food or drinks on the bar to photograph – look for lines in the bar, the shelves, or any other angles that point towards the food or drink. If you’re going to include any marketing about the farms or vineyards etc related to anything on your menu, look for the environmental lines mentioned in the first sentence above.

Framing

Natural frames like windows, doorways, or branches can encapsulate your subject, drawing attention and adding context. 100% – Those natural frames, if sufficiently attractive in and of themselves can and will make a world of difference, the same as a painting with a simple, tasteful, on ornate gilded frame.

3. Color and Contrast

Color and contrast are powerful tools in photography that can evoke emotions and add depth to your images. Stark contrasts like white and black, black and yellow, green and purple/lavender … and the primary color combinations of red, yellow, blue make for striking imagery. See too Color Theory immediately below.

Color Theory

• Complementary Colors: Colors opposite each other on the color wheel (e.g., blue and orange) create vibrant, eye-catching images.
• Analogous Colors: Colors next to each other on the wheel (e.g., blue and green) produce harmonious and serene images.

Contrast

High contrast between light and dark areas adds drama and focus. Low contrast can create a more subdued, dreamy effect. So here we avoid the white box because we WANT the dramatic, artistic, deep shadow effects. The more dreamy low contrast images may also work well for you in some instances, as pastel background images for big menus or business cards.

4. Focus on Details

Attention to detail can elevate your photography from good to great. Ensure your images are sharp and the important elements are in focus. Focus and depth of field! If you don’t have a DSLR and use an iPhone or Android – Take a lot of photos of the same dish to make sure you’ve got it just right. Aperture significantly impacts depth of field (DOF) in photography. DOF is the distance between the closest and farthest objects that appear sharp in a photograph. A wider aperture (larger lens opening) creates a shallower DOF, while a smaller aperture (smaller lens opening) creates a deeper DOF. So when I say “deeper” I mean that if you took a photo on a busy NYC street at lunch time with crowds extending half a mile down the avenue – they would all be in focus with the smallest aperture (just an FYI on how it works). 

Depth of Field

• Shallow Depth of Field: Achieved with a wide aperture (small f-number), it blurs the background and foreground, isolating the subject.
• Deep Depth of Field: Achieved with a narrow aperture (large f-number), it keeps the entire scene in focus, useful for landscapes.

Macro Photography

Macro lenses allow you to capture minute details, revealing the intricate beauty of small subjects like insects, flowers, and textures. Personally, I love macro because you can focus in quite closely on a subject. The center of an edible flower, a few peas on the plate, a pat of butter, a single small broccoli floret.

5. Post-Processing Perfection

Post-processing is the final step to enhance your images and correct any imperfections. This part requires a computer… unless you have your phone or tablet sufficiently set up to take care of the editing in post. 

 

Software Tools

• Adobe Lightroom: Ideal for global adjustments like exposure, contrast, and color correction.
• Adobe Photoshop: Perfect for detailed edits, retouching, and creating composite images.

Adobe isn’t the ONLY program out there. You can find budget and free solutions if you look. I like GIMP and XARA myself. I have Adobe, but i find theirs to be cumbersomely over complicated and, because of that, SLOW. Time’s a wastin’! And in the hospitality industry, we have precious little time to waste.

Techniques

• Cropping: Refine your composition and remove distractions.
• Color Grading: Adjust colors to set the mood and style of your image.
• Sharpening: Enhance the clarity and detail of your image.

IF YOU HAVE TO SHARPEN!!! Then you’re pretty much not taking good photos. Get a Tripod for your camera or your phone! Do it! The only thing you can do to sort of save a blurry photo is use an “unsharp mask” filter on it a few times. It kinda-sorta works – but learn your lesson and get a good tripod for next time, and practice using it!

6. Experiment and Evolve

Photography is a journey of continuous learning and experimentation. Don’t be afraid to try new techniques and push the boundaries of your creativity. Use low angle shots, shots from above, closeups, try different things, different backgrounds (AFTER you use your white box first!)

Try Different Genres

• Portraits: Focus on capturing the personality and emotions of people. You can have a diner eating a dish and enjoying it. One Italian restaurant I know has had the same very successful billboard running for decades of the owner’s pre-teen grandson eating a bowl of spaghetti and he has a HUGE meatball on the end of a fork – the expression in his eyes is bliss!
• Landscapes: Explore the beauty of nature and urban environments. If you’re in a scenic or historic area, go ahead and feature a dish or a glass of wine or cocktail showing the beauty of the area outside, either through a window, or on an outside patio table. Use the rule of thirds, or a wide aperture focused on the drink with the background slightly blurred… it’s all about the food and drink, remember. 
• Street Photography: Capture candid moments and the essence of everyday life. This works for you well if your location has street fairs or club events that your establishment is a part of. Bring to life that you’re an active, integrated part of daily community life.

Learn from Others

• Photography Workshops: Join workshops to learn from experienced photographers.
• Online Tutorials: Platforms like YouTube and photography blogs offer a wealth of knowledge.

7. Here’s What Else to Consider

Backup Your Work

Always back up your photos to multiple locations to avoid losing your precious work. Trust me! Keep external photo drives on hand for backup and make sure you properly label the folders and the photos within for later search retrieval if required. My white box photos are a perfect example. All I could find was the smaller versions. I have the larger ones somewhere. But.. WHERE??? Keep your archives safe! 

Stay Updated with Technology

Keep abreast of the latest camera equipment and software to enhance your photography skills. This is good advice. it doesn’t have to be the most expensive, just the best you can afford. Prosumer is better than consumer, and sometimes arguably AS GOOD in some areas as professional equipment (studio quality). 

Join Photography Communities

Engage with other photographers through social media groups, forums, and local clubs to share your work, gain feedback, and stay inspired.

Photography is a rewarding and fulfilling hobby that can transform how you see the world, and how you photograph your menu items. By understanding and applying these principles, you can capture stunning images that can make your menus work twice as hard as ever before.