Food & Photography

February 23, 2016 5:11 pm Published by

Food & Photography

As recruiters for the ever evolving world of food & beverage, CV’s will obviously be at the top of the list when it comes to things we look at everyday. A very close second are company websites, we look at hundreds each week and the variety is vast. One thing that we have noticed over the years is the importance of photography.
We eat with our eyes, as important as it is when that plate arrives at your table, it is equally as important to have mouth-watering images on your website. But, as I found out when opening my own restaurant, its not always easy or affordable hiring a good photographer. The good news is, you can do it yourself!

Top five tips for Photographing your food

A good camera –
You don’t need the best camera, but a good DSLR goes a long way. With compact cameras and phones these days, you can take pics that can easily be thought of as taken by a professional. A variety of cameras wont hurt either. A DSLR, a high mega pixel digital camera and phone should be easy to muster up amongst your team. Take a few shots from each and your bound to capture the desired or at least usable image. The higher the resolution the better.

Lighting –
Its very important that your food looks natural. Try not to use your flash, unless you are looking for that special shot that will require it, if you can angle it to bounce of a wall or ceiling even better. Pick a table close to a window with good natural light, and remember crockery, glassware, cutlery will reflect light, so, utilise them best you can.

Composition –
We all have our “best side”, so does food! Look out for that smudge or finger print. Find an angle where you can get a good understanding of the whole dish, and don’t worry about absolute perfection…a crumb from a cut cake or gravy oozing from a pie lid adds texture and feeling. Be aware of everything else in the frame, don’t clutter, you don’t need a full table set-up. Just one or two items, if you serve cocktails, or a good cold pint why not get one in the image.

Props –
You will be surprised at what is done to make a dish look good in photos! The best thing to have to hand is oil, different foods dry out at various times and may not have that sheen or glisten that you desire. Oil is the answer, brush a little on generally everything to enhance it. Steam is also very good and adds a great deal to a photo, soak some cotton wool in hot water, then microwave! Hide it behind your dish and your good to go.

Preparation –
As everything in our world, Mis en place, Mis en place, Mis en place! Be prepared… food melts, goes cold, dries out. Make sure your setting is ready for when the dish comes out of the kitchen, so once its down you can start snapping away before it deteriorates.

We hope this helps, happy snapping!

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