4 Tips For Getting Great Food Shots On Instagram

All those great food shots you see on your Instagram feed come from taking a little time to get that picture just right. Here are 4 tips that will have you curating mouthwatering food photography for your social media.

Get that lighting just right

Great photography begins with great lighting and photos taken in natural light always come out best. When taking pictures of your food during the day, turn out the lights if you can and let the natural light that bathes the space do the job. If you’re taking pictures after dark, make sure that the light is at optimal brightness so as to capture a shot without it being under or over exposed. Touch the screen where you want that light to draw focus and snap away. Taking a couple of shots is also recommended so you have more than one to choose from. 

Angles are everything

From top shots to side shots, there are many ways to look at a subject when taking a photo. Choose the angle that will best suit your food and click as many shots as you wish. A top shot is great for a table spread or even a simple plate or bowl of food. Don’t be afraid to have a helping hand or two in the photos, adding that human touch helps reach out to your followers and will get those likes coming in quicker than you can say bon appétit. Taking a nice close-up of that juicy burger so we see all the ingredients is also a great angle to keep in mind. 

Set the scene

A dreary photo of a plate of pasta (or any meal for that matter) is just that unless you dress up the surroundings. Take a colourful cloth and place it under the bowl, pan or dutch oven, add utensils, a plate with some cheese and a wooden cutting board to add warmth and depth. Another great scene technique; don’t be afraid to get messy. A little well placed stain, some melted ice cream running down the cone or a little spill next to the food adds humour to your photo.

Edit, edit and edit some more

Our smartphones are amazing tools and the cameras and photo editing applications that come built in are becoming more and more powerful. Instagram has excellent editing tools as well so be sure your shot is centred, balanced, levelled, properly exposed, filtered and perfected before posting. Anyone can feel like a photography professional with just a little time, a helping of creativity and an appetite that can wait for that perfect shot.