My passion for wedding and portrait photography began rather earlier than my food photography adventure. Nasim once suggested that since I cook frequently, I should write down my meals and perhaps publish them on a blog. It all began with a single photograph of the dish’s last appearance before we ate it and eventually evolved into step-by-step instructions that began to acquire popularity. Although taking a hiatus from food photography, I continued to get inquiries about the art of food photography. I decided to start publishing articles about tips and tricks for food photography as well as how to use food in different contexts.
In this first article on the fundamentals of food photography, I’ll discuss where to find inspiration for food photography and how to create easy methods for photographing food. As I previously stated, I first got into food photography by cooking for my family. If you make the meal before taking pictures of it, I think you have a particular bond with your subject (food!). You have a general sense of presentation, know what to eat it with, and what color it will be. Even if you don’t know how to cook, your ability to build your distinctive style will be greatly enhanced by your study of food, your familiarity with the history of a dish, or just your love of food. A little technical assistance, such as basic design expertise, will add to the wealth of information and help you complete your assignment.
My main objective was to train my eyes. That is to say, I believed that by exposing myself to as many food diaries, cookbooks, reputable recipe websites, and food photography books as possible, my mind would finally accept my desire to pursue this trade. I prefer to think of this as a brain-training repeating process.
The first thing I did was look for food blogs with the information I needed. I joined Foodgawker, which finally provided me with a head start in my career. Foodgawker is more than simply a website with attractive photographs; the recipes are frequently just as good. I kept picking up tips from other bloggers and refining my style one small step at a time.
The second step was to get as many food diaries as I could; this involved spending some time at the library, browsing diaries in bookstores, and buying the diaries with the most information.
The third step I took was to invest in books that would aid me in developing my technical abilities as a food photographer. There may be those among us who have an eye for pattern, color, and design. Yet, I would describe myself as being quite ordinary and needing to study and train on my own how to style meals. I also believe that no one is naturally talented as a photographer. If someone has the drive to study, they may learn a lot about producing photographs with the use of basic instruments. I would begin learning styling techniques and the principles of lighting for food photography. Learning the lighting aspect of food photography will be a lot simpler for you if you have experience shooting. There is a wide range of books available that may be used to learn the basics.
Keep in mind that no book can provide you with comprehensive instruction or understanding of food photography. You will still need to do a lot of studying and practicing. These are some of my favorite books that teach food styling and methods to some level if you want to use them as reference material:
- Snapshots to Amazing Photographs
- How to Make Your Tasty Recipes: A Guide to Digital Food Photography and Styling: Art Plate to Pixel
- Food styling or the practice of preparing food for photographs
Visit your local bookshop, and if these are there, browse through them to see what you think. To demonstrate what you can do at home with low-cost lighting equipment, I’ll be releasing more and more food photography approaches as well as various lighting techniques. I’ll also show you how to benefit from natural light without using artificial lighting.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask them in the comments box below. I’m eager to provide you with additional details shortly.
